NY Army Guard Master Sgt. Jerry Swain, a Mount Morris resident, participates in National Guard birthday ceremony

Latham, NY (12/14/2022) — New York Army National Guard Master Sgt. Jerry Swain, a Mount Morris resident, played a key role in a Dec. 13 ceremony marking the 386th anniversary of the founding of the National Guard.

Morris, a religious affairs non-commissioned officer who works with military chaplains, was selected as one of two Guard members to cut the National Guard birthday cake during a ceremony held at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

Traditionally the oldest Guard member is joined by the youngest Guard member in cutting the cake. The older servicemember represents the history and traditions of the National Guard, while the young Soldier or Airmen represents the future of the Guard.

Swain, age 60, was the oldest Guardsman present. The other cake cutter was 18-year-old Airman 1st Class Emma Davignon, from Cobbleskill, who is assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing.

Swain, whose military career began when he enlisted in the Navy in 1981, said he was honored to be part of the ceremony.

"But I'm still kind of conflicted about being the oldest guy around, though, "he added.

Swain served in the Navy and then the Navy Reserve after a break in service before joining the New York Army National Guard.

He serves as an aide to the New York National Guard's state chaplain at Joint Force Headquarters in Latham.

The National Guard claims Dec. 13, 1636, as its birthday. That was the date on which the legislature of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law organizing separate militia companies into three regiments.

In New York, the first citizen-soldiers were members of the Burgher Guard, organized by the Dutch East Indian Company in 1640 to help protect New Amsterdam from their English neighbors in Massachusetts and Virginia or from hostile natives.

After New Amsterdam became the English colony of New York in 1665, a militia modeled on the system used in Massachusetts and other English colonies was put in place.

Citizen Soldiers of the militia and National Guard have fought in all of America's wars from King Philips War against Native Americans in the New England Colonies in 1675 to Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are 10,000 members of the New York Army National Guard and 5,800 members of the New York Air National Guard.

Currently 1,800 members of the New York Army National Guard are deployed, securing U.S. installations in the Horn of Africa, providing support and airlift to U.S. forces in the Middle East, and training Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. The New York Air National Guard currently has 340 Airmen deployed, including 200 supporting research in Antarctica.

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