On Sunday, October 14, at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, family and friends gather to give a special thanks to Joe Balkoski who retires after more than 34 years of service. He has been the Maryland National Guard’s Command Historian and Director of the Maryland Museum of Military History. During his remarks Joe reminisced about his work in the museum and all the artifacts that he has helped to document and preserve. He but he will mostly miss the four generations of soldiers he has had the joy to get to know over the many years. He first meet World War I soldiers gathering at the Fifth Regiment Armory. Then got to know the World War II and Cold War veterans and those that are currently serving. He ended his remarks by saying that everyone who he has had the pleasure to know that serves shares the title of greatest generation.
One of the toughest tests of a Citizen Soldier or Airman's resolution and training is the Best Warrior Competition, a multi-day marathon of mental and physical trials that push these elite Soldiers and Airmen beyond their limits.
Maj. Gen. Linda L. Singh, the adjutant general of Maryland, and the Maryland Museum of Military History host a Black History Month event in recognition of the historic Monumental City Guard’s service in the Maryland National Guard in World War I and the Korean War, at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, Md., Feb.14, 2016.
The event included a chance to visit the Maryland Museum of Military History and see the different artifacts and exhibits, including an exhibit about the 231st Transportation Truck Battalion.
The Monumental City Guard was formed in 1879 as a patriotic African American social club that competed in military drill ceremony with the reputation as being one of the best units in the art of Soldiering and marching. In 1882, they would become part of the Maryland National Guard as the First Separate Company. In World War I the First Separate Company was activated and were renamed the Company 1 in the 372nd Infantry Regiment of the 92nd Infantry Division.
The unit legacy would continue when they were renamed 231st Truck Battalion and were activated to support the Korean War. It is the only unit in the Maryland National Guard that carries Korean War battle honors. (U.S. National Guard Photo by Spc. Elizabeth Scott)
Laura Patrick, daughter of retired Lt. Gen. (Md.) James F. Frettard, receives a Maryland flag that was flown over the state house during his interment at Bloomery Cemetery, Smithville, Md., Dec. 2, 2016. Fretted served 52 years in the Maryland National Guard and as the Adjutant General of Maryland from Feb. 1987 to Jan. 2003. (Photo by Spc. Elizabeth S. Scott, Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)