Guard News - The National Guard

Michigan Air National Guardsman pursues kickboxing gold
May 13, 2021 — BATTLE CREEK, Michigan – U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Destiny “Diesel” Taylor has qualified to compete for a spot in the World Games 2022 as a result of her recent gold win at the World Association of... MORE

Michigan Air National Gjuard Master Sgt. Destiny Taylor, 110th Wing finance specialist, spars with a teen boy during a youth training class in Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 22, 2021.

Oklahoma Army Guard trains response to aviation accident
May 13, 2021 — TULSA, Okla. – Fire trucks and ambulances swarmed the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s Aviation Support Facility 2 in a training exercise May 12. The first responders from multiple Tulsa area agencies... MORE

Firefighters and other first responders extract a simulated casualty played by an Oklahoma Army National Guard Citizen-Soldier from a mock helicopter crash during training at the Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 12, 2021. The training prepares Army aviation units to respond to accidents ranging from slip and falls to mass casualty events.

Air Guard unit provides essential satellite communications
May 12, 2021 — VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A small Air National Guard squadron perched on a scrub oak-covered hilltop on the central coast of California makes a big contribution to the Combined Force Space... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Jaime Gomez, undergoing mission qualification training to operate the Advanced Extreme High Frequency Satellite Mission Control Subsystem, wears his unit patch on his right sleeve at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., April 16, 2021. His unit, the 148th Space Operations Squadron, operates the U.S. Space Force's protected Military Satellite Communications system, providing warfighters global, secure, survivable, strategic and tactical communication.

Tennessee National Guard aircrew rescues stranded hiker
May 12, 2021 — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew rescued a hiker who was having difficulty breathing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park May 9.Shortly before 7 a.m., the... MORE

Tennessee National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta begins hoist operations, descending from a Black Hawk helicopter to a stroke victim who was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park April 15, 2021. The patient was flown to a hospital in Knoxville.

Michigan National Guard Soldier on the offense against COVID-19
May 12, 2021 — MARQUETTE, Mich. – Throughout 2020, Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. John Toomey helped defend his community in his role as a civilian nurse practitioner in the intensive care unit treating COVID-19... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. John Toomey, assigned to the COVID-19 Vaccination Testing Team Task Force North, Michigan National Guard, conducts administrative procedures during a vaccination event in Marquette April 29, 2021.

41st Civil Support Team conducts annual WMD training
May 11, 2021 — BARDSTOWN, Ky. – The Kentucky National Guard's 41st Civil Support Team (CST) tested its readiness to respond to threats from weapons of mass destruction March 15-18.This certification is conducted... MORE

Kentucky National Guard Soldiers with the 41st Civil Support Team scan each other for radioactive readings or potential biohazards exposure before returning to the command team March 15, 2021, during an evaluation exercise.

NYNG, Forest Rangers train for helicopter firefighting
May 11, 2021 — COLONIE, N.Y. – New York and Connecticut Army National Guard UH-60 aircrews and forest rangers with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation honed their helicopter wildfire-fighting... MORE

New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jake Pratt, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief assigned to the 2rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger prepare to deploy water during helicopter firefighting training over the Mohawk River in Colonie, New York, May 6, 2021. Aircrews based at the Albany International Airport in Latham, New York, trained with aviators from the Connecticut Army National Guard and forest rangers in preparation for the summer wildfire season.

Soldiers shave their heads to support battle buddy's sister
May 11, 2021 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – An overseas deployment to an austere location where the heat, workload and OPTEMPO are high can be challenging. Knowing that a loved one back home has cancer can make a... MORE

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), shaved their heads and posed for a picture at North Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to the Middle East with Task Force Phoenix. They shaved their heads in support of Staff Sgt. Brandon Stafford's sister, who was going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment after having a brain tumor removed.

Pennsylvania-California military ties date back to Civil War
May 11, 2021 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – As Soldiers of California’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade trade places with their counterparts of Pennsylvania’s 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, troops will be... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with the California National Guard's 40th Combat Aviation Brigade are taking over the aviation mission in the Middle East from the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, taking part in Pennsylvania-California military cooperation that has been going on since the Civil War.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues four stranded boaters
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued four people and a dog May 10... MORE

Sgt. Rosalind Stromberg, a crew chief from 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard, looks over the Kuskokwim River from the door of a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter during a rescue mission May 10, 2021. The helicopter aircrew rescued four people and their dog from their boat on the river after they became stuck between Bethel and Kwethluk because of ice.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues two near Knik Glacier
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Aircrew from the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued a father and his daughter near Knik Glacier after their off-road... MORE

Task Force Phoenix UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from G Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), land at North Fort Hood, Texas, April 17, 2021, during a medevac training mission that was part of a culminating training exercise.

108th MCAS medics provide support at Lithuanian base
May 10, 2021 — MARIJAMPOLE, Lithuania – Two medics deployed with the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional, are apart from their unit serving other Soldiers and Lithuanian counterparts at a base in... MORE

Sgt. Bradley Taylor, center, a medic with the Pennsylvania National Guard's 108th Medical Company Area Support, with two Lithuanian Army Soldiers on a Lithuanian Army base in Marijampole, Lithuania, where Taylor is providing medical support to U.S and Lithuanian troops. The 108th MCAS deployed to Europe in late February to provide medical support to U.S. and allied rotational forces in the region.

Partnerships forged during aerial firefighting training
May 7, 2021 — SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – In the dry heat of the high desert, the California and Nevada Air National Guard, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and multiple other firefighting agencies across the United... MORE

C130-E Hercules aircraft from the 152nd Airlift Wing during MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) training at the San Bernardino Air Tanker Base, California. May 5, 2021.

Airmen and Soldiers learn to communicate in joint training
May 7, 2021 — BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – Bringing Airmen and Soldiers together through joint training is essential to increasing the interoperability of the Air and Army National Guard.Strong... MORE

Senior Airman Ivan Villavicencio, of the 104th Security Forces Squadron, signals to responders as a medical helicopter approaches during a joint training exercise between the Massachusetts Air and Army National Guard on March 12, 2021, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.

63rd Civil Support Team trains with City of Altus
May 7, 2021 — Members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team partnered with first responders and emergency personnel from the City of Altus for a 72-hour field exercise, May 4-6... MORE

Members of the 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma National Guard, partner with first responders as part of a 72-hour field exercise in Altus, Oklahoma, May 4-6, 2021.

This multi-day training event is one of several exercise scheduled around the state this year designed to test Guard members, emergency management personnel and first responders ability to quickly work to together during natural and man-made disasters. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Geoff Legler)

Delaware, West Virginia Air Guard units team up for training
May 7, 2021 — NEW CASTLE, Del. — The key to any airlift mission is safely and effectively loading and unloading the cargo, regardless of the type of aircraft. The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to... MORE

The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to conduct a joint cargo loading exercise as part of the 166th's home station operational readiness exercise on May 3 at New Castle Air National Guard Base, Delaware.

Guard marathoners compete while expecting
May 7, 2021 — LINCOLN, Neb. – Serving in the National Guard, raising a family, and keeping up a marathon training regimen would be a lot to manage under normal circumstances. Still, two women in the ranks have... MORE

Maj. Amanda Schmid, a helicopter pilot and full-time administrative officer with the Nebraska Army National Guard's 1-376th Aviation Battalion, runs the Lincoln half-marathon in Nebraska, May 2, 2021.

COVID milestone: Guard vaccinates 10 million people
May 6, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. — Ten million moms, dads, grandparents, friends, co-workers and neighbors are now vaccinated thanks to the ongoing efforts of National Guard members who are administering shots “in the... MORE

Specialist Jennifer Phillips, a combat medic with the Michigan Army National Guard’s Task Force Red Lion COVID-19 vaccination/testing team, administers the vaccination to employees and their families during a walk-in clinic for the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Michigan, April 28, 2021.

Portland Airmen participate in Sentry Savannah 2021
May 6, 2021 — SAVANNAH, Ga. – Recently, Sentry Savannah, the Air National Guard’s primary large-scale 4th and 5th generation fighter exercise, concluded after several days of hard-hitting training off the coast of... MORE

Portland partakes in Sentry Savannah 2021

Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, CST units train together
May 6, 2021 — FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — The Florida National Guard's 44th Civil Support Team geared up responding to a training scenario where an unknown chemical and/or biological threat was detected. They... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Gregory Kassner, a team member with the 44th Civil Support Team collects a sample of potentially hazardous material during a multi-CST exercise in Ft. Walton Beach, Tuesday May 4.

Caine: When you mobilize the Guard, you mobilize the nation

Wildfire Response During Training Proves Oklahoma Guard Ready to Fight Fires

D.C. National Guard Supports Law Enforcement at Nationals Park

Montana Army Guard Rescues Three Hikers From Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

Florida Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing Receives First Permanently Assigned F-35