Call it the Massachusetts Mother's Day Mobilization.

Most National Guardsmen in the commonwealth were home with loved ones May 14, the day this year reserved for honoring the matriarch of the family. But it was raining-a lot-and it had been for days.

The hardest and most consistent rain was falling along the North Shore of Massachusetts, up the New Hampshire coastline and into Maine and rivers were beginning to swell.

With lives and property at risk, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had little choice but to declare a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.

Initially, about 100 Guardsmen from transportation and military police outfits were placed on state active duty.

The affected units had the right soldiers and equipment for early missions: hauling and staging of sandbags, staffing roadblocks to free police and fire personnel for other emergencies, and evacuating residents from high-risk and flooding areas.

In addition, Massachusetts Guard officials activated their joint operations center in Milford, Mass., to command and control soldiers and airmen on missions requested by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

More units received the call over the next four days as officials estimated the flooding to be the commonwealth's worst in more than 30 years. By May 18, 851 Massachusetts Guardsmen were on state active duty.

New Hampshire experienced similar flooding, and officials there called more than 400 Guardsmen.

Later Massachusetts' flood-response missions included filling and placing sandbags, removing and monitoring potential trouble spots, including dams and other infrastructure.

Amesbury (Mass.) Mayor Thatcher Kezer, a member of the Massachusetts Air Guard's 253rd Combat Communications Group, said town officials had three major concerns that prompted their request for Guard assistance.

First, the town's flood response was starting to fatigue its first responders. Second, the banks of the Pow Ow River, which runs through the town and under some buildings, needed reinforcing.

Finally, the river was threatening to dislodge boulders and trees upstream that could endanger lives and property in town. The situation required 24/7 monitoring.

"The lear was that trees and boulders would either knock the supports out from under the buildings over the river, or more likely, they would dam up, the water would rise and it would blow through the restaurants and businesses downtown," Mr. Kezer said.

"The water was moving so fast, it would overflow in a matter of minutes, so we used the Guard members to maintain a watch and alert us immediately if anything collapsed into the water that might be a threat."

Last month wasn't the first experience many Guard responders had with flooding.

"Many were called to assist with relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," said Brig. Gen. Oliver J. Mason, Massachusetts adjutant general. "Their experience was clearly evident."

In addition, some of those called also responded to last October's Taunton Dam crisis.

Massachusetts released all those Guardsmen called for the flooding by May 20.

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