Hurricane Helene

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New York Guard Helps Floridians Recover from Hurricane
October 22, 2024 — PALMETTO, Fla. – Forty-three New York Army National Guard Soldiers spent a week assisting the... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Tyler Linendoll, an infantryman assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, cuts downed tree branches with a chainsaw following Hurricane Milton in Palmetto, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. Soldiers from the 27th IBCT worked with members of the Florida Army National Guard to provide relief to communities impacted by the hurricane.

National Guard Leaders See Guardsmen Answer the Call
October 18, 2024 — MORGANTON, N.C. – The National Guard’s top officer ceremoniously assumed his new role Tuesday. His... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Florida National Guard leaders and Guardsmen mobilized in Tampa, Florida, to help communities affected by Hurricane Milton Oct. 16, 2024.

North Carolina Guard Clears Roads after Tropical Storm Helene
October 16, 2024 — NEBO, N.C. - “The troops are here!” said Western North Carolina resident Rick Brite, who watched as... MORE

North Carolina National Guardsmen with the 113th Sustainment Brigade and the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team conduct bridge-building operations in Nebo, N.C., Oct. 9, 2024, to connect roads for residents following Tropical Storm Helene.

Florida National Guard Responds to Storms in and out of State
October 15, 2024 — STARKE, Fla. - The end of September and beginning of October proved to be a heavy lift for Soldiers... MORE

Florida Army National Guard Soldiers prepare for a flight during Hurricane Helene support missions at Army Aviation Support Facility 1 in Florida Sept. 29, 2024. Members of the 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion provided aerial capabilities for an Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

Florida National Guard Assists Tornado Victims
October 13, 2024 — FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The Florida National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, quickly... MORE

U.S. Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deliver water, meals and non-perishable goods to senior citizens in the Spanish Lake community in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. The state of Florida established point of distribution centers throughout Florida and deployed staging areas to ensure supplies were available to those in need.

Virginia Guard Aids Hurricane Response in Florida, Virginia
October 10, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia National Guard is helping Florida respond to Hurricane Milton while it... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Cedar Bluff-based 1033rd Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, assist with food and water distribution Oct. 5-6, 2024, in Damascus, Virginia. Approximately 20 1033rd Soldiers with tactical trucks capable of high-mobility transportation are staged in Abingdon to support the response to Hurricane Helene.

New York National Guard Troops Assist with Hurricane Response
October 10, 2024 — SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The New York National Guard dispatched 65 Soldiers and Airmen to Florida Oct. 9 to... MORE

Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat team board a C-17 Globemaster III from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing as they head to Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Jacksonville, Florida, to support the Florida National Guard response to Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

National Guard Helps Hurricane Milton, Helene Victims
October 9, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Over 11,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were conducting Hurricane Milton and... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Isaac Bradshaw, a combat medic with C Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, North Carolina Army National Guard, wraps his arms around an older couple and uses his body to block them from debris and strong winds produced by the rotorwash of a landing CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Burnsville, North Carolina, Oct. 10, 2024. The Chinook crew brought generators, fuel and other supplies to the remote area after floodwaters washed away the main road after Hurricane Helene.

Tennessee Guardsmen Support Hurricane Recovery
October 9, 2024 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nearly 600 Tennessee National Guardsmen, with more than 150 vehicles and... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Ryan Schulze, 118th Wing pavements and construction equipment craftsman, cuts a fallen tree with a chainsaw during Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Oct. 5, 2024. Airmen continue to commute to the town and surrounding areas daily to help clear debris and help local residents in need due to flooding from Hurricane Helene.

Oklahoma Guard Supports Hurricane Relief in South Carolina
October 9, 2024 — OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma National Guard is supporting Hurricane Helene relief efforts in South... MORE

An Oklahoma Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook is readied by Oklahoma National Guard members at the OKARNG Aviation Support Facility in Lexington, Oklahoma, Oct. 6, 2024, before deploying to South Carolina in support of Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

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Video by Sara Morris

81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team finishes up XCTC

Joint Force Headquarters - Washington National Guard

June 28, 2019 | 2:33

For three weeks members of the 81st SBCT have trained through high winds and hot temperatures at Yakima Training Center during Bayonet Focus.

Bayonet Focus is a seventh Infantry Division exercise that is conducted by Brigade Combat Teams prior to going to the national training center. This exportable combat training capability exercise was part of the seventh ID associated unit program which the 81st SBCT is a part of.

During their time in Yakima units were able to accomplish multiple tasks. For example, The infantry battalions conducted platoon live fire and platoon attack lanes in their assigned strykers. The field artillery battalion conducted fire missions and an artillery raid with m-777 howitzers. The sustainment battalion completed hotel 8 vehicle recovery training and supply reception and movement. And Multiple battalions conducted mass casualty exercises to enhance their field medic capability.

The 81st SBCT is scheduled to attend NTC in the spring of 2020, with the potential of a mobilization to Poland after completion.