By Eric Durr
LATHAM, N.Y. – The commander of New York State's military forces extends Mother's Day greetings this weekend to the more than 500 military mothers currently serving in the New York Army and Air National Guard.
"Those who put on the uniform of our country show tremendous self-sacrifice and service to others," said Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto, the adjutant general for the state of New York. "I can think of no better group of military women more deserving of our military family's praise than those serving women who balance their careers as Soldiers or Airmen and mothers for their children. They are heroes in their families, in their communities and deserve that recognition across our great state and our nation," Taluto said.
The New York National Guard currently has more than 2,200 women serving in uniform as part of the Army and Air National Guard, the reserve components part-time community military force that serves New York state in times of disaster or the nation in times of war. More than 500 of these service women are caregivers for dependents.
In just the past two years, some 651 women in the New York Army National Guard have mobilized and deployed for support to operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. This number does not include the women serving with Air National Guard units for shorter-term deployments overseas with Air Force expeditionary forces. Members of every New York Air National Guard element have deployed forces for these in the same timeframe.
In Afghanistan, 130 women are currently deployed with the New York Army National Guard's 27th Brigade Combat Team. The unit is leading Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix in Kabul, overseeing the training and mentoring of Afghan national army forces.
Mothers serving with the National Guard task force include Soldiers from upstate New York, including Capt. Lynn Currier from Malta, Warrant Officer Priscilla Burnah from Waterford, and Staff Sgt. Linda Nosbisch from Lancaster and Staff Sgt. Katherine Quinones from Rochester.
"The National Guard is family," said Taluto. "We enlist individual Soldiers and Airmen, but we retain entire families. Recognizing that this weekend, mothers will be on duty with the National Guard in the service to their state and nation reminds us all how truly special these women and their families are."