Wildfire Response

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National Guard Members Continue LA Wildfire Response
January 21, 2025 — LOS ANGELES – U.S. Army Sgt. Ricardo Hernandez watched from a cross street as sporadic traffic... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Bryce Carter, an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, sharpens the blade of a hoe to clear brush and other debris as part of remediation efforts along the Mulholland Trail near Tarzana, California, in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 18, 2025. Carter and other members of his unit were assisting CALFIRE in mop-up efforts, which included clearing brush and backfilling firebreaks and other areas to prevent mudslides and reduce the impact of firefighting efforts.

California Guardsman Helps Battle Wildfires in His Community
January 16, 2025 — CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. - Amid the wildfire crisis in California, an Air... MORE

Master Sgt. Alan Franklin, a commander's support Airman with the 146th Airlift Wing, speaks to 1st Lt. Aiden Flores about the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission on the flightline at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, California, Jan. 13, 2025. MAFFS aircraft from the Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyoming, the 152nd Airlift Wing, Reno, Nevada, the 146th Airlift Wing, Port Hueneme, California, and Air Force Reserve Command’s 302 AW, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, are working together to combat fires in the Los Angeles area.

National Guard Bureau Chief Thanks Firefighting Guardsmen
January 14, 2025 — CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. – The National Guard is part of a multi-agency... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Army Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, visit National Guard members supporting wildland firefighting in Southern California, Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Calif., Jan. 11, 2025. Thousands of National Guardsmen are involved in multiple air and ground firefighting in the Los Angeles Basin and Southern California.

Wyoming, Nevada Guard Aircrews Assist California Firefighters
January 13, 2025 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Three Wyoming Air National Guard C-130s equipped with the U.S. Forest Service’s... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing load and install the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems onto a C-130H Hercules aircraft in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jan. 10, 2025, in preparation to support firefighting efforts in the Los Angeles area.

California, Nevada, Wyoming Guard Join Firefighting Battle
January 10, 2025 — MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. - Hundreds of National Guard members are now involved in... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, at Moffett Air National Guard Base, Calif., prepare an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter to help battle the Palisades Fire Jan. 9, 2025.

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Video by Jorge Gomez

The Badge & the Battlefield

Irwin Army Community Hospital

May 8, 2025 | 5:42

They come from different corners of Irwin Army Community Hospital—orthopedics, physical therapy, public health, biomedical repair—but they all share one goal: earning the Expert Field Medical Badge.

Follow these determined Soldiers as they take on one of the Army’s toughest skill challenges. Hear CPT Joseph Marcotte, a seasoned physical therapist, reflect on age, injury risk, and battlefield readiness. Meet SPC Kangle Lin, whose love of difficult challenges is matched only by his optimism. Watch SGT Alan Sanchez and SGT Jacob Brand return for their fifth and fourth attempts, driven by grit and a refusal to give up. And learn why SPC Cristian Núñez believes a biomedical tech’s greatest service might come in the chaos of combat. Watch now to meet the Soldiers chasing the badge that sets medics apart.

The EFMB tests Soldiers in tactical combat casualty care, land navigation, physical fitness, and warrior tasks under extreme stress and tight timelines. It’s a grueling, week-long evaluation of medical expertise and battlefield readiness that culminates in a timed 12-mile foot march.

Earning the badge isn’t easy. Historically, only 18 to 33 percent of candidates pass. But each of the Soldiers featured here is stepping forward with courage and purpose. Watch to find out what drives them—and what it really takes to wear the badge.

Music title "Emergent" by Scott Buckley (@ScottBuckley) – released under CC-BY 4.0.