Maryland National Guard

FEW WRITERS GET past the second printing of their book, but author and local resident Daniel Carroll Toomey is on his 10th for "The Civil War in Maryland." First released in 1983, the book is looked to as an authority on Maryland's involvement in the Civil War. The 183-page hardback book is a well-documented chronology of the period from January 1861 through June 1865. The almost day-by-day account is designed to help people understand how Maryland fit into the Civil War. The reader can open to any page, read about a location and easily understand what went on there.

WASHINGTON -- The commanding general of the Maryland Air National Guard rescinded yesterday a letter to about 40 Guard pilots that warned them they had to agree to take the Pentagon's anthrax vaccine or face paying back about $30,000 for training on new aircraft next spring. Brig. Gen. David A. Beasley, head of the state's Air Guard, pulled the Jan. 9 letter that some pilots dismissed as "blackmail" in favor of a toned-down letter that focuses instead on training and removes any reference to the anthrax vaccine.

Forest Park High School's "Mama" Cass Elliott went on to sing splendid songs. Barry Levinson shaped magic on the movie screen.H. Steven Blum, son of a tailor and also a graduate of the Northwest Baltimore school in the early 1960s, preferred studying the warrior ethic by jumping from airplanes.Tomorrow, Blum, 52, a brigadier general, will assume command of the Maryland National Guard's storied 29th Infantry Division, a unit with lineage that includes the American Revolution and the bloody landing in Normandy during World War II.Blum, who replaces Maj. Gen. Carroll D. Childers of Virginia, will be promoted to major general in several weeks.

The collection and preservation of war relics from the 18th century to the Persian Gulf war -- specifically conflicts that engaged the Maryland National Guard -- was the lifelong passion of retired Brig. Gen. Bernard Feingold of the Guard.General Feingold, who created the Maryland National Guard Museum at Baltimore's 5th Regiment Armory and later was its director and curator, died Thursday of cancer at Sinai Hospital. The Northwest Baltimore resident was 76.A former soldier with an insatiable curiosity and appreciation for the minutiae as well as the grand sweep of war, General Feingold possessed vast knowledge of military history, tactics, battles and personalities.

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.

Carroll Community College and the Maryland National Guard entered into an agreement last night to cut tuition in half for guardsmen who attend the school.College and Guard officials said it was the beginning of a partnership that will combine the resources of the two institutions."By developing these partnerships with colleges, there's a lot of things we can do besides the tuition waiver," said Lt. Col. Milton P. Davis, an education officer with the Maryland National Guard."We can develop our armories as community centers and use them for classrooms for colleges to have off-campus locations," Davis said.

Retired Sgt. Maj. Jerome Maynard Grollman, whose career in the Maryland National Guard spanned the Great Depression, World War II and Vietnam, died Saturday of pneumonia at Union Memorial Hospital. He was 87 and lived in Guilford.Sergeant Grollman, who had a National Guard armory named in his honor, was command sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion, 175th Infantry when he retired from active duty in 1970."He looked like a first sergeant, with his finely trimmed mustache and his military bearing," said Philip Sherman, a retired National Guard brigadier general and Baltimore attorney.

The Maryland National Guard wants to spread its anti-drug and -alcohol efforts in Carroll County, implementing a prevention program at the high schools and beginning an after-school program for at-risk middle school children, officials say.The effort, which could begin in September, is contingent on receiving a federal grant and the approval of Carroll County school officials, said Lt. Col. Robert L. Finn, who works for the National Guard's director of...

The Maryland National Guard has received its second consecutive first-place award in the Army Communities of Excellence competition, winning over Guard commands from the U.S. states and territories.Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, Army chief of staff, praised the Maryland Guard for its community commitment and for "creating an environment in which soldiers, civilians and their families can attain their highest aspirations for personal and professional growth."Among the Maryland Guard's efforts are the Freestate Challenge, a five-month military-style residential program for at-risk youth; and the Distance Learning Network, an interactive video education network based in state armories.

Brigadier Gen. Thomas C. Johnson was born and raised in an area of East Baltimore where the streets were tough and the potential for trouble always ran high. But there was always someone there to keep him on the straight and narrow."My grandmother, she would always emphasize that you needed to be honest, and you needed to treat people the way you would want people to treat you," Johnson said. "I think it's a very basic message, but it has a big impact."He used his grandmother's lessons to spur him through school and the military.