Guard News - The National Guard

Vermont National Guard delivers 2nd vaccine doses
February 5, 2021 — COLCHESTER, Vt. – The second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine might kick you in the pants, but it won’t turn you into a fish or give you superpowers.Medics with the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th... MORE

Sgt. Kevin LaPierre receives his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Lt. Col. Sarah Davis Feb. 3, 2021, at Camp Johnson, Vermont. Recipients of the second dose commonly experience mild flu-like symptoms including soreness and mild fever. LaPierre is a fueler with the Vermont National Guard's 186th Brigade Support Battalion. Davis is a registered nurse and the officer in charge of immunizations for the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Medical Group.

Texas National Guard vaccinates residents
February 5, 2021 — CUERO, Texas - Following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's order to begin vaccinating underserved populations, the Texas National Guard hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Cuero Jan. 29. The mission began in... MORE

Texas National Guard medics join first responders from DeWitt County, Texas A&M AgriLife and the TexasDepartment of Emergency Management (TDEM) at a mobile vaccination event, Jan. 29, 2021, in Cuero, Texas. The event was part of a state effort to vaccinate Texans living in underserved communities who are considered to be high-risk for COVID-19.

Connecticut Air National Guard distributes food to needy
February 5, 2021 — EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – As the 103rd Airlift Wing increases the number of activated personnel to support COVID-19 response missions throughout the state, a team of Airmen is lending a hand to help the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ian McMahon, 103rd Security Forces Squadron, organizes bread trays for distribution at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, Feb. 4, 2021. Airmen from the Connecticut National Guard’s 103rd Airlift Wing are supporting logistics operations at Foodshare’s drive-thru emergency distribution site.

Blue and Green keep Camp Roberts ASP operational
February 4, 2021 — CAMP ROBERTS, Calif. – At a time of high demand for its services, the COVID-19 pandemic created a challenge for the normally smooth operations of the Camp Roberts Ammunition Supply Point (ASP). The... MORE

Airman 1st Class Lauren Luttges and Tech Sgt. Roger Van Tassel, both from the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno, inspect howitzer rounds at the Camp Roberts Ammunition Supply Point (ASP), Jan. 26, 2021. Van Tassel and Luttges are supporting the California Army National Guard after several Soldiers at the ASP were quarantined due to COVID-19.

Innovation shaping future battle space
February 4, 2021 — LANSING, Mich. – Through collaboration with industry, academia and other government organizations, the Michigan National Guard helps facilitate the development and integration of innovative... MORE

The RCV-L can be equipped with a Tethered Unmanned Aerial System, a small drone that can be deployed to conduct aerial reconnaissance while the vehicle is at a safe distance. Other equipment to be tested on the RCV-L experimental prototype includes the M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station II (CROWS II), the .50-caliber M2 machine gun, and the 40 mm MK19 Mod 3 automatic grenade launcher.

Michigan National Guard expands COVID-19 efforts statewide
February 4, 2021 — LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan National Guard (MING) expanded its COVID-19 vaccination and testing efforts Jan. 24, deploying three additional task forces to assist state and local health departments... MORE

Army Capt. Ronald Smith, a physician’s assistant with the Michigan National Guard’s 1119th Field Artillery Regiment, administers a COVID-19 vaccination at the Lansing Mall clinic.

Morale efforts sustain Guard members during DC mission
February 4, 2021 — WASHINGTON – Behind a serving line inside the District of Columbia National Guard’s armory, empty boxes that once contained warm meals quickly stacked up, forming a small hill of cardboard and ripped... MORE

From left: U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Jeremy Wesloh, Sgt. 1st Class Justin Valenti, Sgt. Lucas Zabka, and Staff Sgt. Jessica Fetsch, all with the 191st Military Police Company, North Dakota National Guard, play cards near the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 19, 2021. More than 25,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from throughout the country traveled to Washington to support federal and local authorities for the presidential inauguration. About 7,900 remain in February.

KFOR conducts radio tower maintenance
February 3, 2021 — CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – U.S. Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force 28, and radio systems contractors conducted radio tower maintenance visits in Kosovo Jan. 28.Sgt. 1st Class Rod... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Finken, a contracting officer representative with Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force, inspects contractors performing maintenance during a radio systems inspection at Mount Golesh in Kosovo Jan. 28, 2021. During the inspection, the contractors check voltage on batteries, test transmitting power and perform other maintenance checks to ensure radio communication can be maintained.

Industry day hosted at Winter Strike 21
February 3, 2021 — CAMP GRAYLING, Mich.- Working with industry to test, develop and implement new technologies on the battlefield is one of the main ways the National Guard and Department of Defense will meet the... MORE

U.S. Army Pfc. Robert McKay, 120th Field Artillery Regiment, Wisconsin National Guard, learns how to use an anti-drone device during Northern Strike 21-1/”Winter Strike 21” at Camp Grayling, Michigan, Jan. 27, 2021. The National All-Domain Warfighting Center in northern Michigan offers defense industry partners a location to test and implement their technology.

Washington National Guard supports 4 vaccination sites
February 2, 2021 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine climbs, more than 150 Washington National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are helping the state ensure Washingtonians receive their first dose.“We are... MORE

Staff Sgt. Melinda Grounds, a medic with the 141st Medical Group and a registered nurse in Idaho, goes through a questionnaire with a visitor to the mass vaccination site at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, Wash., Jan. 28, 2021. The Washington National Guard is helping at four vaccination sites.

Motor City Medics hone skills to support readiness
February 2, 2021 — AUGUSTA, Mich. – The Michigan Army National Guard's (MIARNG) sole medical detachment based in Detroit's Light Guard Armory oversees medical preparedness for Michigan Soldiers."The role of the medical... MORE

Medics with the Michigan Army National Guard attend a National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification course, Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, Mich., Jan 27, 2021. These medical professionals are required to complete sustainment training every 24 months.

South Carolina National Guard tops 250,000 COVID-19 tests
February 2, 2021 — COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina National Guard has conducted more than a quarter of a million COVID-19 tests at over 829 mobile testing sites since May 2.The more than 268,095 COVID-19 tests... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Tyasia Cobb, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina National Guard, places a number on a patient’s vehicle at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in Lexington, South Carolina, Jan. 26, 2021. The South Carolina National Guard remains ready to support counties, state and local agencies and first responders as long as needed in support of COVID-19 response efforts.

103rd Airlift Wing increases COVID-19 response
February 2, 2021 — EAST GRANBY, Conn. – As Connecticut increases its number of COVID-19 vaccination sites throughout the state, 150 Airmen from the 103rd Airlift Wing have volunteered to help the Connecticut National... MORE

Airman 1st Class Crisbel Burgos, 103rd Force Support Squadron services specialist, collects a swab sample at a COVID-19 testing site at Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus in New Haven, Connecticut, Dec. 4, 2020. Over 100 Connecticut National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are supporting 25 COVID-19 testing sites at hospitals and federally qualified health centers around the state.

US, Italian troops train to recover downed aircraft
February 1, 2021 — IRAQ – Elements of the U.S. and Italian armed forces, currently serving in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, recently trained together in a downed aircraft recovery exercise in northern Iraq... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with Task Force Gambler and Italian soldiers with Airmobile Task Group Griffon respond to a downed aircraft scenario during an aerial reaction force exercise in Iraq. The exercise ensured the coalition partners’ cohesiveness in responding to downed aircraft emergencies in hostile environments.

Michigan National Guard remains on duty in DC
February 1, 2021 — WASHINGTON – Soldiers with the Michigan Army National Guard’s 177th Military Police Brigade have been on duty in the nation’s capital since the presidential inauguration and remain in support of... MORE

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III speaks with U.S. Army Col. Chris McKinney, Michigan Army National Guard, the deputy commander for Task Force Capitol Response, near the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 29, 2021. The National Guard is supporting federal law enforcement agencies in the nation's capital through mid-March.

125th Fighter Wing Airmen assist with COVID-19 vaccinations
February 1, 2021 — JACKSONVILLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Fla. – Sixty Airmen from the 125th Fighter Wing activated Feb. 1 to support increased COVID-19 testing and vaccination administration at a Jacksonville mall.The... MORE

About half of the 60 Florida National Guard Airmen activated to support the COVID-19 vaccination mission at Regency Mall outprocess at the 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville, Florida, Feb. 1, 2021.

After 100 years, Harlem Hellfighters nickname is official
February 1, 2021 — NEW YORK — The Harlem Hellfighters are now officially the Harlem Hellfighters.One-hundred years after the New York National Guard's 369th Infantry Regiment earned the nickname in World War I, the Army... MORE

In this National Guard historic painting by H. Charles McBarron, Soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, go into action near Sechault, France, on Sept. 29, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Originally the 15th New York from Harlem, the center of African American culture in the early 20th century, the unit earned the nickname Hellfighters from its German enemies. While the nickname has been used for more than 100 years – currently by the 369th Sustainment Brigade – it was only officially recognized by the Army in September 2020.

123rd Airlift Wing members receive COVID-19 vaccinations
February 1, 2021 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As health officials across the country continue to report record infections from COVID-19, more options for vaccine inoculation are rolling out across the commonwealth, including at... MORE

Master Sgt. Natasha Perry, a medic with the 123rd Medical Group, prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccination to members of the 123rd Airlift Wing at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville Ky., Jan. 9, 2021.

Innovative partnership brings space domain to MING missions
February 1, 2021 — LANSING, Mich.—The Michigan National Guard (MING) is expanding its technological capabilities, partnering with a Michigan company focusing on space domain integration by linking deep space technology... MORE

Clyde Stanfield, vice president of radar processes, Orbital Effects, and U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua McKee, fire control noncommissioned officer, 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, work in the Orbital Effects office during Northern Strike/”Winter Strike 21” at Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center, Michigan Jan. 28, 2021. Orbital Effects used satellites during the exercise to assist troops on the ground with targeting and mission planning.

Connecticut Guardsmen start receiving COVID-19 vaccine
January 29, 2021 — EAST GRANBY, Conn. – Soldiers and Airmen from the Connecticut National Guard who have been serving on the front line of the pandemic response began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Bradley Air... MORE

U.S. Air Force Capt. Greg Flis, 103rd Medical Group nurse practitioner, draws Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from a vial into a syringe at Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby, Connecticut, Dec. 30, 2020. The Connecticut National Guard began administering the vaccine in accordance with the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, with doses voluntarily administered to Soldiers and Airmen on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Civic Leaders Fly With Alaska Air Guard During Red Flag Alaska 25-2

Washington Army Guard Trains in Water Bucket Operations

Alaska Army Guard Rescues Family Stranded on River During Storm

lowa Airmen Take Training to New Heights

West Virginia Guard Continues Flood Cleanup Efforts