National Guard to assist at Logan

Summoned from homes and jobs across the state, Massachusetts National Guard soldiers and airmen began reporting to Logan International Airport last night to help protect New England's critical travel hub.

From armed patrols to gate screening, the Guard will be assigned to the airport indefinitely to supplement security by the State Police, Massport, and the Transportation Security Administration, said Master Sergeant Pallas deBettencourt, a National Guard spokeswoman.

Citing security concerns, the Guard did not release the number of personnel to be ordered to the airport. The governor's office reported that the first wave of 50 Guardsmen arrived at Logan about 6 p.m. to be briefed before deployment in the terminals, which Guard officials said was expected to begin late last night or early this morning.

``Soldiers are coming from a variety of units across the state," she said. ``We will try to draw as varied a pool as we can," including military police.

After the terrorist ttacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the National Guard was deployed at Logan and other airports in Massachusetts.

That mission, involving about 200 soldiers and airmen, lasted until April 2002.

``We're fully capable and ready to do the mission. It's not a mission that's foreign to us," deBettencourt said.

In addition to overall security, Governor Mitt Romney said, the Guard will perform gate screenings, which now will include checking passengers for newly banned items such as liquids, gel, and hairspray.

The Guard ``will be able to carry out these functions for an extended period of time," Romney said. The public should expect to see more armed soldiers as training proceeds and they are assigned to the terminals, he added.

State Senator Marc R. Pacheco, a Taunton Democrat who recently held a legislative hearing on the Guard's readiness, said he backs the deployment.

``I certainly would support Governor Romney's decision to move forward and ensure as much security as possible in an area like Logan," he said.

The Massachusetts National Guard has approximately 7,600 soldiers and airmen, about 500 of whom are deployed overseas, nearly all in Iraq. As a result, Danielson said, the Guard has plenty of available manpower to perform its new mission.