Guard News - The National Guard

When disasters strike, your military responds
August 31, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Being prepared when disaster strikes could be the difference between life and death. Not just a fighting force, the U.S. military applies warfighting skills and assets to help protect... MORE

Puerto Rico Army National Guard soldiers continue their efforts of distributing much-needed supplies to communities around the Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Cidra, Puerto Rico, Nov 27, 2017.

California Guard hoists injured hiker off mountain
August 30, 2019 — SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A California Army National Guard aircrew worked through limitations of power and space Sunday, August 25, while airlifting an injured hiker off California's tallest mountain. The... MORE

A team from Inyo County Search and Rescue is inserted near Iceberg Lake on Mount Whitney, Aug. 25, 2019, by a U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, for a high-altitude hoist rescue of an injured hiker about 700 feet below the mountain's peak. Cal Guard assists local, state and federal agencies during search and rescue missions and domestic disaster response efforts.

Georgia Airmen keep communication open during a disaster
August 30, 2019 — SAVANNAH, Ga.— “Anyone can use a radio, but having guys who are able to set-up and fix radios of all different frequencies and then operate them in austere conditions is just one of the many things we... MORE

A U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controller, assigned to the 165th Air Support Squadron, Georgia Air National Guard, performs a sound check while giving a presentation of their communication system installed in their Humvee called a Battlefield Airman System of Integrated Communications (BASIC) in Savannah, Ga. on August 13, 2019.

National Guard units use step training to prepare to deploy
August 30, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – A “crawl, walk, run” approach is used by organizations who know to accomplish large-scale tasks; it is best to advance in stages. This methodology includes the U.S. Army and... MORE

U.S. Soldiers in Echo Company, 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, fire the M2 .50 caliber machine gun in the vicinity of Fort Bliss, Texas, August 27, 2019.

Idaho National Guard builds road for Shoshone-Paiute Tribe
August 29, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Civil Engineer Squadron and the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team and Installation Support Unit completed construction... MORE

Idaho National Guard Airmen and Soldiers from the 124th Fighter Wing and the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team participate in the Innovative Readiness Training at the Duck Valley Reservation helping repair and build new roads for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe, Aug 22, 2019. The IRT provides joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness while benefitting communities.

Pa. special warfare Airmen practice combat skills with Army
August 29, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – Special warfare Airmen with the 148th Air Support Operations Squadron, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, headed west this summer to Idaho’s Orchard Combat Training Center near Boise to... MORE

Tactical Air Control Party Specialists with the 148th Air Support Operations Squadron wait for the A-10 air support they called in to drop simulated munitions on a target Aug. 13, 2019. The Pennsylvania Air National Guardsmen traveled to Orchard Combat Training Center near Boise this summer to practice their ground combat skills, working alongside their Army counterparts at the 56th Stryker Brigade, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and the Idaho Air National Guard.

N.Y. National Guard leader recognizes small-town veterans
August 29, 2019 — HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. – Sixty-six years after serving as an Airman 1st Class in the Korean War, Hoosick Fall’s resident Merton Houghton got to do something he’d never done before: shake the hand of a... MORE

Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, presents a military challenge coin to Air Force Korean War veteran Merton W. Houghton during an awards ceremony at the former New York State Armory in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., on Aug. 28, 2019. Shields honored 10 local veterans with New York state awards recognizing their military service during the event.

Michigan, Alaska work together to strengthen communications
August 29, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Two Air National Guard members, one from Michigan and Alaska, worked together to add additional capacity to a crucial rescue communications network that... MORE

Master Sgt. Jamie Heinzelman and Staff Sgt. Preston Fernandez works on adjusting a radio antenna at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 28, 2019.

Alabama Guard member saves Soldier's life during training
August 28, 2019 — CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — It was late and Spc. Micah Turnbull, senior combat medic for B Company, 1-167th Infantry Battalion, began his assessment on yet another heat exhaustion patient in the scorching... MORE

Spc. Micah Turnbull, 1-167th Infantry Medic, posses for a photo at Camp Shelby, Miss., on Aug. 14, 2019.

Puerto Rico governor activates Guard as Dorian approaches
August 28, 2019 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Puerto Rico National Guard was activated Wednesday by Gov. Wanda Vazquez to support emergency response to Hurricane Dorian, which had winds of 75 mph as of the afternoon... MORE

Puerto Rico National Guard members check and fuel military vehicles and electrical generators and replenish water distribution trucks on Aug. 27, 2019, in preparation to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

Ohio Guard Airmen, Hungarian partners train on airfield work
August 28, 2019 — PÁPA, Hungary – Eight Airmen assigned to an Ohio National Guard mobile training team conducted an intermediate airfield management course for members of the Hungarian Defence Forces July 29-Aug. 2 at... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Allen Kao, a public health officer assigned to the 179th Medical Group, answers the phone and works alongside his Hungarian counterparts during a simulated in-flight emergency response exercise Aug. 1, 2019, at Pápa Air Base, Hungary. The simulation was a part of a three-weeklong intermediate airfield management course that an Ohio National Guard mobile training team led for its Hungarian partners. Ohio and Hungary have been paired through the Department of Defense State Partnership Program since 1993.

VA, Guard partner for on-site training weekend counseling
August 27, 2019 — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense formalized a partnership June 28 between VA's Vet Centers and the National Guard Bureau, to provide Vet Center... MORE

A Vet Centers mobile unit on Memorial Avenue on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 11, 2017. Vet Centers are community based and part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing support to all veterans of the armed forces.

106th Rescue Wing gives tour to Scout troop after tragedy
August 27, 2019 — WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – Members of Boy Scout Troop 161 were welcomed last Friday to the 106th Rescue Wing's base in a show of support after the loss of one of their scouts, Andrew McMorris,... MORE

Lt. Col. Stephen “Doc” Rush, a 103rd Rescue Squadron Pararescue flight surgeon and former Air Force Pararescue Medical Director, shows how to safely move a patient as part of a first aid demonstration during a base tour at New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., Aug. 23, 2019.

Indiana sisters support Task Force Spartan
August 27, 2019 — GARY, Ind. – Two 38th Infantry Division Citizen-Soldiers, sisters from Gary, Indiana, wake up most mornings to face 110-plus degree heat in the Kuwaiti desert ready to serve in support of Task... MORE

Staff Sgt. Justine Jones, a culinary specialist from Gary, Indiana, proudly stands with her sister, Sgt. Jenna Jones, aviation operations specialist from Gary, Indiana, Aug. 21, 2019. The sisters support Task Force Spartan, building lasting and trusting relationships with regional partners from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

Multiple Guard units sharpen combat skills at Fort Pickett
August 27, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – Virginia and Kentucky National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and enabler units from Guard units in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Charlottesville-based Charlie Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct a mass casualty exercise using personnel with simulated injuries July 17, 2019, during eXportable Combat Training Capability Rotation 19-4 at Fort Pickett, Virginia.

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands Guard units prepare for storm
August 27, 2019 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Rains from Tropical Storm Dorian began pelting Caribbean islands Tuesday afternoon, as officials in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands closely monitored the situation... MORE

Soldiers of the Puerto Rico National Guard are working 24/7 to prepare for the landfall of Tropical Storm Dorian. This photo from October 2017 shows Soldiers working to filter water and provide it to those affected by Hurricane Maria.

Hawaii Guard teams with Indonesia on mission planning
August 26, 2019 — JAKARTA, Indonesia – The Hawaii National Guard State Partnership Program facilitated an operation design seminar recently in Jakarta, Indonesia. Participants from the Hawaii Army and Air National... MORE

Maj. Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii Army National Guard military police officer, reviews the operation design process with a Tentara Nasional Indonesia officer during a group breakout in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 19, 2019.

Ohio’s State Partners gain knowledge in disaster management
August 26, 2019 — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Hungarian Defence Forces members and four members of the Serbian Ministry of Interior visited Ohio Aug. 5-8, to observe the statewide Vigilant Guard 19-4 joint disaster response... MORE

Maj. Daniel Mueller, chief of operations for the Vigilant Guard 19-4 Joint Task Force, explains the disaster response exercise to Brig. Gen. Laszlo Garas, director of joint operations for the Hungarian Defence Forces, Aug. 5, 2019, in Springfield, Ohio. Vigilant Guard provides civil-military first responders and emergency management personnel the opportunity to evaluate their capabilities to react to an actual man-made or natural disaster. Ohio has been paired with Hungary through the State Partnership Program since 1993.

Friendship at center of U.S.-Jordan Exercise Eager Lion 19
August 26, 2019 — AMMAN, Jordan – Friendship, or “sidaqa” in Arabic, serves as the foundation for the more than 8,000 multinational troops converging in the Levant sub-region of Jordan as part of Exercise Eager Lion... MORE

Maj. Ibrahem Al-Zoubi, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot from the Royal Jordanian Air Force's 30th Squadron, speaks with U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Antonio Fernandez, center, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mark Sallin, both pilots with Task Force Javelin, prior to a local area of operation familiarization flight from an undisclosed location, Aug. 16, 2019. RJAF pilots assist U.S. Army pilots with local flight plans in preparation for TF Javelin's medical evacuation and air assault support during Eager Lion 2019.

Massachusetts Airman always wondered how things worked
August 23, 2019 — OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – As a child living in Hong Kong, young Wing Ng had an interest in how things worked. This became evident when his father came home with a toy airplane as a... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Wing Ng of the 102nd Intelligence Wing poses beside the F-15 he launched on Sept. 11, 2001.

Michigan Guard Military Police Soldiers end Guantanamo Mission

New Georgia Army Guard Soldiers say ‘Send Me’ Overseas

Alaska Air National Guard Helps 3 Alaskans During 2 Missions

Pennsylvania Guard WMD Civil Support Team Completes Exercise

Maryland Guard, Bosnia and Herzegovina Conduct JTAC Training