Guardsmen meet some of their heroes while supporting World Series

Sgt. 1st Class Jason Allbaugh, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mell, both of the 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, pose with St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jason Motte before Game 2 of the 2011 World Series. The Missouri National Guard team supported first responders at the World Series. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)

By Matthew J. Wilson
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

ST. LOUIS - A pair of Missouri National Guardsmen had the opportunity to meet some of their heroes while working at the 2011 World Series Oct. 20 at Busch Stadium.

Sgts. 1st Class Jason Allabaugh and Joseph Mell, both members of the 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, bumped into the St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Jason Motte, Skip Shumaker and Mark McGwire while monitoring the stadium for possible abnormal radiation readings before Game 2 of the series.

"It was good to be at the World Series and represent the Missouri National Guard," said Allabaugh, who lives in Jefferson City.

"This was phenomenal - an experience that I'll never forget," said Mell, who also lives in Jefferson City. "I got to meet my lifetime idol Mark McGwire. Everything I have in my collection is pretty much of him. Then to see today's popular players, like Pujols, was outstanding."

The Guardsmen, along with the majority of the rest of their 22-person, active-Guard team, were called in to assist the St. Louis Fire Department in and around the stadium.

"We were requested as an additional resource for the St. Louis Fire Department," said Capt. Joey Schmitz, the team's deputy commander. "It's not so much our capabilities, but that we are an additional force to help them."

The team's mission is to assess suspected or known terrorist threats, advise civilian authorities of appropriate responses, and assist local emergency responders with follow-on forces in incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive weapons of mass destruction.

Made up of both Air and Army Guardsmen, the Jefferson City-based unit must be capable of sending out an advance party team within 90 minutes at all times to investigate potential threats that can include mass sickness, mysterious white powder, and unidentified contaminations.

Mell said by working at the series, he knew it would be possible to get a glimpse of the Cardinals players and coaches on the field, and felt lucky to have that opportunity because of his status as a Guardsman. But he never expected to have the chance to meet any of them face to face.

"Not many people get the opportunity to even see the players from a distance with the prices of today's World Series tickets," Mell said. "It was great to get the opportunity to go and do our job. To have it be at the World Series was a major bonus. We had access to areas where no one else did."

Mell and Allabaugh were both able to shake a few Cardinals' hands and answer questions about what they were doing.

"They were interested in our equipment, what we were doing and what we were checking for," Allabaugh said

"They were all relaxed and real friendly - there was no animosity with us being there," Mell said. "They were asking what we're looking for and we let them know that we were there for their protection. They were great with it - very personal and outgoing with shaking our hands and welcoming us."

Allabaugh, who grew up in the state of California, said he can remember following McGwire's career when he was with the Oakland Athletics and was awed by meeting Pujols.

"Pujols is one of the major current stars of baseball and one of the veterans on the Cardinals, so getting to meet him is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. "Getting to meet them up-close and personal, and sit and talk with those guys, I got to see that they were pretty down to earth."

Schmitz, who lives in Arnold, is also a fan of the Cardinals and said the opportunity to support them through his job in the Guard, by working in the stadium command post was awesome.

"It was very difficult to remain professional and objective, and trying not to show emotion while working in the command post," Schmitz said. "I tried to remain professional and not watch the game, focusing on the TV monitors for anything that could be a threat.
"But it was very awesome to be able to watch the game from that vantage point. I could watch the ball go straight from the pitcher over home plate through the strike zone - I could tell before it showed on TV if it was a strike or ball."

The team trains with first responders throughout the state for missions like this about twice a month. In fact, had the Cardinals not reached the World Series, the unit would have been training in Kansas City.

"It was great to be able to be there and do our job as Missouri National Guardsmen supporting our citizens," Schmitz said. "At the same time, personally it was outstanding to be able to support my Cardinals and their pursuit of another World Series championship."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog

Missouri National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mell, right, shakes hands with St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire, while Sgt. 1st Class Jason Allabaugh observes, before Game 2 of the 2011 World Series. The Guard's 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team supported first responders at the World Series. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)

Missouri National Guard Sgts. 1st Class Joseph Mell and Jason Allabaugh, both of the 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, check readings as they walk through the St. Louis Cardinals Clubhouse before Game 2 of the 2011 World Series. The team supported first responders at the World Series. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)