Summer 2010 - STATES - The National Guard

Massachusetts Governor Signs
Tax Legislation to Help Reservists
By Army Sgt. James C. Lally, Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs
QUINCY, Mass. – Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation at the City Council
chambers in Quincy, Mass., Feb. 24, 2010, that permits the City of Quincy
to grant property tax abatements to members of the Massachusetts
National Guard and reservists for the periods they were on active duty
outside the U.S.
Kevin Coughlin, Quincy City Council president, petitioned the idea, and the
Quincy City Council approved it. State Sen. Michael Morrissey was the
lead sponsor at the statehouse but state Reps. Bruce Ayers, Stephen
Tobin and Ron Mariano all signed on.
After Patrick signed the legislation, Coughlin said, “It’s just a small way of
saying thank you for your service. Hopefully it’s something that we are
also going to make statewide. Quincy has done it, and the push is on to
make this a local option to every city and town across the commonwealth
as a way of saying thank you,” said Coughlin.
Depending on individual circumstances, the abatements may be retroactive
to fiscal year 2002, and the city may continue the program through
the fiscal year 2010, with an option for the city council to vote to extend
it further.
Before he signed the bill, Patrick expressed his thinking on the issue to an
audience of veterans who were there to witness the event. In doing so,
Patrick referred to a recent send-off ceremony for members of the
Massachusetts Army National Guard, saying, “I am so struck, over and
over again, by how ordinary people undertake the extraordinary. They
choose to put themselves in harm’s way for the rest of us, and they set
aside their own plans, their own ambitions, their own lives, to go for
reasons of patriotism. It’s a humbling thing, and let me tell you, it gives
me more than pleasure to be able to sign this bill or to do anything else
that I can to honor your service,” said Patrick. ✯
102nd Earns Sixth
Outstanding Unit Award
By Tech. Sgt. Andrew Reitano
102nd Intelligence Wing Public Affairs
The 102nd Intelligence Wing has been awarded
the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for
outstanding performance from Dec. 1, 2007,
through Oct. 31, 2009.
“This award is not given out to just any unit,”
said Col. Anthony Schiavi, 102nd Intelligence
Wing commander. “I am proud of the work that
every member of the wing does to succeed
both personally and as a much larger team. It’s
their accomplishments that have set the
standard of excellence across the Air National
Guard and the Air Force.”
The wing’s significant accomplishments during
its transformation from a fighter wing to an
intelligence wing, assumption of real-world
Operational Battle Watch Missions a full year
before their scheduled Initial Operational
Capability, completion of more than $22 million
Gov. Deval Patrick signs legislation at the City Council Chambers in Quincy, Mass.,
Feb. 24, 2010, to permit the City of Quincy to grant property tax abatements to
members of the Massachusetts National Guard and reservists for the periods they
were on active duty outside the U.S. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James C. Lally).
of major construction projects, recruitment of
315 new accessions and retraining of more than
100 personnel to intelligence career fields, were
only part of the reason it captured the award.
“The dedication and commitment of the
members of the 102nd Intelligence Wing enable
the Air National Guard to fulfill its commitment
to the missions of peacekeeping, humanitarian
relief, domestic improvement, and most
important of all – defense of America,” said
Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, Air National Guard
director.
All Airmen assigned to the 102nd during the
award period are authorized to wear the
associated ribbon.
The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is
awarded to an organization that has performed
meritorious service or outstanding achievements
that clearly set the unit above and apart from
similar units. ✯
The wing has previously been awarded
the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
for the following periods:
July 1, 1974 – June 30, 1975
Aug. 1, 1989 – March 31, 1991
July 15, 1997 – July 14, 1999
Sept. 11, 2001 (one day only)
Sept. 12, 2001 – Aug. 14, 2003
“This award is not
given out to just any unit.”
– Col. Anthony Schiavi
102nd Intelligence Wing Commander
The Nation’s First 17