FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — The Pennsylvania National Guard announced that it ended its COVID-19 response mission after two years.
The Guard's COVID-19 response began on March 17, 2020, when members were activated to assist the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and provide transportation for 38 Pennsylvania residents who had been quarantined following a COVID-19 outbreak on a cruise ship.
The missions ended – at least for the time being – last Wednesday, when the final service members supporting long-term care facilities came off orders.
"Over the past two years, Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have risen to the challenge and demonstrated unwavering dedication to their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pennsylvania Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler. “I am truly proud of their dedicated service and sacrifice during this unprecedented time.
"As the Guard’s current role in COVID mission support comes to an end, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to our service members, their families and employers for everything they’ve done that enabled us to successfully complete many challenging missions. I am extremely proud to lead the Pennsylvania National Guard as we continue to serve and support our commonwealth and nation.”
In all, more than 1,400 Pennsylvania National Guard members supported COVID missions across the commonwealth over the past two years. Some of them were on orders multiple times, and some of them were on orders for months at a time.
Planning and executing hundreds of missions from one end of Pennsylvania to the other was a tremendous undertaking, said Col. Frank Montgomery, the Pennsylvania National Guard’s director of military support.
“Everyone who took part in these missions, including the planners and those actually completing the missions, did an amazing job,” Montgomery said. “In many cases, they put their personal fears aside and stepped up to support their community when they were needed, whether it was something they had previously received training for or not.”
