Maryland Air National

Pilots from the Maryland Air National Guard -- endearingly referred to as "Warthog Warriors" -- left the friendly skies of their home state early yesterday for the more uncertain and dangerous environs over Iraq.Aviators and maintenance personnel from the 104th Fighter Squadron of the guard's 175th Wing, some with families waving goodbye before sunrise yesterday, departed from Martin State Airport in Middle River for a 90-day deployment to help enforce the United Nations "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq.

For months, the men and women of the 135th Airlift Group have been training on their new C27J Spartan turboprops for their deployment this spring to Afghanistan. Their job: carrying soldiers, equipment and supplies around the war zone as the fighting season resumes. It's a mission for which the Maryland Air National Guard unit has deep experience. In the last decade alone, members have deployed several times to Iraq and Afghanistan, while also responding to the Haiti earthquake, California wildfires and Hurricane Katrina.

Joseph J. Maisch Jr., a retired Maryland Air National Guard officer and fighter pilot who flew numerous missions over the enemy in World War II, died of stroke complications Monday at the Lorien Bel Air nursing home. The Joppatowne resident was 86. Born in Baltimore and raised in the 900 block of Calvert St., he attended the Cathedral School on Mulberry Street and was a 1940 City College graduate. He attended the University of Baltimore. He worked briefly as a salesman for the Baltimore Stationery Co. before enlisting in the Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in March 1942.

Maryland Air National Guard cargo crews are prepping for an expected deployment to Afghanistan next year, flying a critical mission of air-dropping supplies to U.S. troops fighting in remote locations. Delivering ammunition, rations and water by parachute from the Guard's C-130J cargo planes is increasingly necessary in Afghanistan, not just because troops are being scattered to small, local bases as part of a new strategy, but also because of the growing danger that ground convoys will be attacked by Taliban insurgents, senior U.S. officers said.

Gov. Schaefer swears in military officerGov. William Donald Schaefer swore in Col. Bruce F. Tuxill of Ellicott City as assistant adjutant general of the Maryland Air National Guard at a recent ceremony at the State House in Annapolis.Colonel Tuxill, who commanded the 175th Fighter Group at Warfield Air National Guard Base in Middle River, also received a certificate of appreciation in a separate ceremony at a staff meeting at the Chestertown Armory.Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Johnson presented the certificate to Colonel Tuxill for the Maryland Air National Guard's participation in the Military Youth Corps Challenge Program.

Narcotics detectives armed with a search warrant raided a Pasadena home and arrested four people on drug charges Thursday night, county police said.The officers went to the house in the 100 block of Winston Road about 9:25 p.m. and found small amounts of marijuana and cocaine and drug paraphernalia, police said. A man and woman in the house at the time were arrested, as were two other men who arrived after the raid, police said.All were charged with possession of cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

A formal homecoming celebration for members of the Maryland Air National Guard who served in Iraq was bittersweet yesterday at the Warfield Air National Guard Base in Middle River, where civilian jobs and military positions could be eliminated in a Defense Department restructuring. "We were preparing for this homecoming for six months," said Col. Guy M. Walsh, a commander with the state Air National Guard, speaking to the crowd of more than 300 military personnel, family and officials.

Col. Richard T. Lynch, a decorated World War II fighter pilot who had subsequent careers in the Maryland Air National Guard and the Association of Maryland Pilots, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 8 in his Chester home. He was 87. Born in Baltimore and raised on St. George's Road in Roland Park, he was a 1938 graduate of Mount St. Joseph's High School and earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Virginia. In 1942, he became an Army Air Corps cadet pilot and later flew 25 missions during 110 combat hours over Germany.

The Maryland Air National Guard announced yesterday that members at the Warfield Air National Guard Base in Middle River will head for the Middle East on a mission that was scheduled before the terrorist attacks Sept. 11 on New York and Washington. Under the plan, Air National Guard members with the 175th Wing will be flying A-10 fighter jets to patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. The names and number of Guard personnel heading to the Persian Gulf and the date of their departure were not released for security purposes, Guard leaders said.

An angry crowd of Bowleys Quarters residents demanded last night an end to a popular air show in the wake of the crash of a stealth fighter jet in September."

Joseph J. Maisch Jr., a retired Maryland Air National Guard officer and fighter pilot who flew numerous missions over the enemy in World War II, died of stroke complications Monday at the Lorien Bel Air nursing home. The Joppatowne resident was 86. Born in Baltimore and raised in the 900 block of Calvert St., he attended the Cathedral School on Mulberry Street and was a 1940 City College graduate. He attended the University of Baltimore. He worked briefly as a salesman for the Baltimore Stationery Co. before enlisting in the Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in March 1942.

Allyson R. Solomon said she is humbled to become the first African-American and the first woman to lead the Maryland Air National Guard. But she has little time to reflect on that achievement. Solomon, a colonel who will be promoted to brigadier general today in a ceremony in Baltimore, said she faces the immediate challenge of finding a new mission for the Guard, which stands to lose eight airlift planes scheduled to be transferred to other states. "We have to find out what is our niche," Solomon said recently in her new office at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.

Col. Richard T. Lynch, a decorated World War II fighter pilot who had subsequent careers in the Maryland Air National Guard and the Association of Maryland Pilots, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 8 in his Chester home. He was 87. Born in Baltimore and raised on St. George's Road in Roland Park, he was a 1938 graduate of Mount St. Joseph's High School and earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Virginia. In 1942, he became an Army Air Corps cadet pilot and later flew 25 missions during 110 combat hours over Germany.

TUZLA, Bosnia -- It begins with the translation of the doctor's introductory query: "How may I help you today?" What follows are the typical answers and explanations, and more questions. Not much different from a visit to the family physician - except the translator is a Serbian army officer, the patient is an elderly Muslim woman, and the doctor is an internist from Baltimore, a member of the Maryland Air National Guard who recognizes the patient's achy knees and back as the pain of arthritis.

Faced with a shortage of military chaplains, the Maryland National Guard is enlisting congregations from across the state to form a loose-knit support network for Reserve soldiers and their families, including those rejoining their communities after tours of duty. Partners in Care includes congregations spanning a range of denominations. The network is a community-level response to what many regard as insufficient domestic support for Reserve soldiers, who represent about half the troops in Iraq.

A formal homecoming celebration for members of the Maryland Air National Guard who served in Iraq was bittersweet yesterday at the Warfield Air National Guard Base in Middle River, where civilian jobs and military positions could be eliminated in a Defense Department restructuring. "We were preparing for this homecoming for six months," said Col. Guy M. Walsh, a commander with the state Air National Guard, speaking to the crowd of more than 300 military personnel, family and officials.

Lt. Col. Clarence B. "Mac" McComas Jr. , a retired member of the Maryland Air National Guard, died Tuesday of heart failure at his home in Littleton, Colo. He was 78. Lt. Col. McComas was born in Baltimore in 1922. He graduated from Polytechnic Institute in 1940. Soon after graduation, he joined the Army Air Forces and served as a fighter pilot during World War II. Though he never saw combat, family members said he traveled all over the world and discovered a love for flying. After the war, Lt. Col. McComas joined the Maryland Air National Guard and earned a degree in aerospace engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.

* Thomas F. Harris, son of Barbara S. Child, recently enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve's Delayed Training Program and will TC report for basic training June 2.The Liberty High graduate will undergo basic training at Fort Leonard, Mo.Harris has chosen the position of medical non-commissioned officer as his military occupational specialty and will be assigned to the 100th Hospital Station in Baltimore.* Marine 2nd Lt. Eric M. Hildebrandt, whose wife, Karen, is the daughter of George F. and Linda Wendt of Woodbine, recently graduated from the Basic School.

Paul Nahnibida, a retired civil engineer and construction company owner who flew fighter aircraft in the South Pacific during World War II and in the Maryland Air National Guard, died Sunday of complications from cancer and diabetes after a brief stay at Future Care Chesapeake in Arnold. He was 84 and lived in Glen Burnie and Queenstown. Mr. Nahnibida, who was born and raised in Curtis Bay, was the son of emigrants from Russia and Ukraine who settled in Baltimore. He graduated from Polytechnic Institute and in 1947 earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Alabama.

Eight A-10 fighting jets and a C-17 transport of the Maryland Air National Guard returned home yesterday from duty in Afghanistan to a soggy welcome at Martin State Airport, skipping the traditional homecoming lap above the airfield because the Thunderbolts had to land in the rain. In all, 46 Maryland Air National Guard members in the 175th Wing returned from their assignments on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, supporting the military mobilization for the war in Iraq. For the returning pilots and crews, Baltimore County was a glorious sight.