When Lt. Col. Marshall Hunt walks into his new office, it’s so new that the shelves are still bare.

“I stay in the army because one, I love the camaraderie and sharing times with my fellow officers and soldiers," said Hunt, the new executive officer and chief of staff of the National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. "It’s a very rewarding career.”

What You Need To Know

  • Lt. Col. Marshall Hunt says returning to the National Guard’s 27th Brigade Combat Team is like returning home

  • Hunt was deployed twice on active duty, to Kuwait and Iraq, and again to Kuwait with the 27th in 2012

  • Hunt says the National Guard is like the Swiss army knife branch of the military and works on missions near and far

Hunt’s career has kept him busy lately. Last spring, he helped turn the Javits Center into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. He recently spent three weeks protecting the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

“We’re very happy and proud to serve our fellow citizens when the need arises, but of course, we wish we were a little less busy recently,” said Hunt.  

Hunt’s career with the National Guard began in Syracuse, at the same base where he recently returned. It's a homecoming for Hunt.

"When I was here the first time, I was nowhere near the top of the organization, but I spent nine total years in the 27th Brigade prior to coming back here again, so I’m very humbled," said Hunt. "I’m very honored to have been selected to be the executive officer of such a historic organization."

Hunt's career has taken him around the world. Hunt was deployed twice on active duty, to Kuwait and Iraq, and again to Kuwait with the 27th in 2012. He was a platoon leader in Iraq.

“I had the opportunity to lead soldiers in a combat environment, and I was lucky enough to bring them all back," said Hunt.

As the executive officer, Hunt is second in command of the 27th Infantry Brigade combat team.

“You have the headquarters of and organizations of over 4,300 soldiers across New York, right here at Hancock Air Base in Syracuse,” Hunt explained. 

The National Guard is like the Swiss army knife of the military, Hunt said. The guardsmen and women are called on to help clear snow after snow storms, put sandbags on the shores of a flooding Lake Ontario, and even staff the COVID-19 vaccination sites across the state.

Sometimes, Hunt said, they are called to help on larger domestic missions, like during the recent storming of the Capitol in D.C., or to serve overseas.