Guard News - The National Guard

Alaska National Guard continues search for missing aircraft
March 13, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Soldiers and Airmen with the Alaska National Guard continue the search today for a missing Cessna 172 and pilot after his hunting partner reported the pilot... MORE

Alaska National Guard members launch from Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, via a 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with two pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, and an Army critical care flight paramedic from Detachment 2, Golf Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 104th Regiment, on board to conduct continued search-and-rescue operations for a missing aircraft in the vicinity of Rainy Pass, March 12, 2019.

Resilience makes for stronger Guard, increases readiness
March 12, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Building resiliency in Guard members is critical to increasing readiness, said an Army National Guard official."Resilient Soldiers do better at [physical training] tests. They do... MORE

Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven Chisolm, a chaplain and director of the Office of the Joint Chaplain at the National Guard Bureau, addresses chaplains and chaplain’s assistants from throughout the National Guard during a conference at the Herbert R. Temple Jr. Army National Guard Readiness Center Arlington Hall Station in Arlington, Virginia. During the 2018 conference, chaplains focused on ways to build greater resiliency in Guard members, suicide prevention measures and ways chaplains can build support among each other.

Wyo. infantry practices proposed Army marksmanship standards
March 12, 2019 — CAMP GUERNSEY JOINT TRAINING RANGE, Wyo. – While it hasn’t received as much attention as the new Army physical fitness evaluation, the 40 targets on the rifle marksmanship range are also about to be... MORE

Sgt. Sol Griffith, a fire team leader assigned to the Wyoming Army National Guard’s C Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment (Forward), demonstrates the proposed new rifle marksmanship evaluation, from the kneeling supported position. The deploying infantry unit was the first to try out the new test at Camp Guernsey, during mobilization training March 7, 2019.

N.Y. National Guard honors Irish-American Civil War vets
March 12, 2019 — MENANDS, N.Y. – A dozen veterans of the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry spent a snowy March 10 morning honoring Irish-American Civil War veterans buried at two Albany-area... MORE

Maj. Stephen Kitchen, a member of the New York National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division headquarters, and a veteran of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry, places an American and Irish flag on the grave of a Civil War veteran who served in the Irish Brigade at the Soldiers' Lot in Albany Rural Cemetery on March 10, 2019.

Washington Guard joins Malaysian Armed Forces on exercise
March 11, 2019 — KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Washington Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn and the Malaysian Armed Forces Joint Force Headquarters Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Dato’ Haji Mohd Yusof Bin Aziz, presided... MORE

Washington Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn talks with his Malaysia Armed Forces counterpart, Maj. Gen. Dato’ Haji Mohd Yusof Bin Aziz, following the opening ceremony of Exercise Bersama Warrior, March 6, 2019 in Kuala Lumpur.

From flight line to cockpit: Maintainers earn pilot slots
March 11, 2019 — DANNELLY FIELD, Ala. – “If you had told me three or four years ago that I would have this opportunity, I would have said you were crazy,” said Staff Sgt. Patrick Holmes during a short break in flying... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Gill, a crew chief with the 187th Maintenance Group, inspects an F-16 fighting falcon aircraft Feb. 3, 2019 at Dannelly Field, Ala. Gill was recently selected to become an F-16 fighter pilot with the wing's 100th Fighter Squadron Red Tails.

Puerto Rico National Guard ferrying supplies to islands
March 11, 2019 — FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico – Gov. Ricardo Rossello mobilized the Puerto Rico National Guard on March 5 in support of the Maritime Transportation Authority to bring much-needed supplies to the Island... MORE

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello mobilized the Puerto Rico National Guard in support of the Maritime Transportation Authority to bring much-needed supplies to the Island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra.

194th Security Forces build relationships during Cobra Gold 19
March 8, 2019 — KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR BASE, Thailand – An F-16 is one of the most prolific fighter jets in the world. It’s also super expensive.And while pilots may get all the attention, the teams on the ground that... MORE

Group of Washington Air National Guardsmen with their Royal Thai Air Force counterparts stand guard at Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand.

Army Guard simulators keep aviators in the air
March 7, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – A UH-60 Black Hawk unsteadily hovers over the landing deck of a swaying ship in rough seas. Buffeted by the wind, the Black Hawk slowly descends to its target. Though the... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Ulsh, an instructor pilot with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, flies a training mission using the UH-60 Black Hawk Air Crew Trainer flight simulator at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., Feb. 27, 2019. Simultors allow pilots to train in a variety of simulated environments, giving pilots tough, realistic training while saving millions of dollars annually over flying actual aircraft.

Recruit Sustainment Program builds strong Soldiers
March 7, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Basic training. It’s a challenging, often life-changing experience that for some newly enlisted Army National Guard members may also feel like a daunting, larger-than-life task... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Alec Donahoe, a drill sergeant with the Mississippi Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion, teaches squad movement tactics to newly enlisted Mississippi Army Guard Soldiers assigned to the Recruit Sustainment Program, Oct. 7, 2017, in Senatobia, Miss.

Tradition: N.Y. Army National Guard Soldiers become citizens
March 7, 2019 — ALBANY, N.Y. – When New York National Guard Pfc. Tiffany Joseph, originally from Grenada, and Spc. Ibrahim Bakayoko, who comes from Ivory Coast, became American citizens on Feb. 15, they became just... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Ibrahim Bakayoko and Pfc. Tiffany Joseph, with federal Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart, at the U.S. District Court in Albany, N.Y., on Feb. 15, 2019, after taking the oath as American citizens. Bakayoko is originally from Ivory Coast and Joseph is from Grenada. Of the 10,000 Soldiers in the New York Army National Guard, 960 are naturalized American citizens and 515 are legal resident or Green Card holders.

Washington Guard aviators receive fire-season training
March 6, 2019 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – With wildfires becoming a more common summer occurrence, aviators with the Washington National Guard are already starting their annual water bucket and wildland fire training –... MORE

A crew chief on a Black Hawk helicopter watches the placement of a water bucket pendent and relays its information to the pilots during a check ride with the U.S. Forest Service. Washington National Guard aviators conduct water bucket training annually in preparation for wildland fire response.

Tenn. Guardsmen visit Ukrainian special-needs orphanage
March 6, 2019 — KRAKOVETS, Ukraine – U.S. troops, along with Lithuanian soldiers, visited an orphanage for children with special needs Monday as part of an ongoing humanitarian support project and celebrated... MORE

Maj. Terry Bell from the Tennessee Army National Guard stands with the director of the Rehabilitation Center for the Children of Special Needs, Natalia Frankiv during a visit to the orphanage in Krakovets, Ukraine, March 4, 2019.

National Guard kicks off PATRIOT South 19 exercise
March 5, 2019 — AIR DOMINANCE CENTER, Ga. — The National Guard Bureau is holding a Domestic Operations (DOMOPS) exercise, based out of the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia, providing training to Armed Forces... MORE

Pvt. Cable Morgan, a combat medic, along with other Soldiers with the Fort Stewart Winn Army Community Hospital MEDDAC, practices loading and unloading litter patients on and off a UH-72 Lakota medevac helicopter during the PATRIOT South 19 exercise, Mar. 2nd, 2019.

Keeping Airmen safe in the most inhospitable place on Earth
March 5, 2019 — SWANTON, Ohio – In 1914, when the unfortunate crew of the ship Endurance attempted the first land crossing of Antarctica, Sir Ernest Shackleton wrote, “We were helpless intruders in a strange world,... MORE

Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Carter, an occupational safety and health manager assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, spent two months in Antarctica on a mission to improve safety procedures for the Airmen of the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, giving them a better chance to survive and operate in the most inhospitable place on Earth.

Alaska Air Guardsmen rescue injured skier at Hatcher Pass
March 4, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued an injured skier March 1 at Hatcher Pass. According to Alaska Air... MORE

Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team West members fast-rope from a 176th Wing, 210th Rescue Squadron Alaska Air National Guard UH-60G Pave Hawk at Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 22, 2019, during a joint service training exercise. A similar aircraft and Guard Airmen rescued an injured skier.

Former N.Y. National Guard member recalls Vietnam history
March 4, 2019 — SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A former New York Army National Guard officer, author and historian with personal ties to the Vietnam War provided an educational lecture program to the public about the New... MORE

New York Air National Guard 1st Lt. Harry W. Roberts, Jr. was the youngest pilot in the 136th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the unit's deployment to Vietnam in 1968. The squadron, part of the 107th Tactical Fighter Group, served in Vietnam from May 1968 to April 1969. About 350 Air Guard members deployed to Vietnam with 20 F-100s Super Sabres to fly close air support missions. He ejected from his battle-damaged F-100 and was rescued at sea outside of Da Nang, South Vietnam Dec. 18, 1968.

180th Fighter Wing Airman's job is to keep airfields safe
March 4, 2019 — SWANTON, Ohio – Ensuring that airfields are safe, clear of debris and wildlife, as well as confirming pilots meet all requirements necessary to fly, are two of the most important tasks assigned to... MORE

Senior Airman Sienna Krise, an airfield manager assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, radios the Toledo Express Air Traffic Control Towner before driving on the airfield Feb. 21, 2019. Her role as an airfield manager is essential to the safety of the 180FW’s flying mission by ensuring that airfields are safe and clear of debris and wildlife, as well as confirming pilots meet all requirements necessary to fly.

West Va. and State Partnership Peru review program success
March 4, 2019 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - West Virginia National Guard leaders and members of the State Partnership Program – Peru met Feb. 19, in Washington, D.C., with delegates of the Embassy of Peru to review progress... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard pose for a photo with the Peruvian Chargé d’Affaires, Minister Agustín De Madalengoitia, and other Defense Attachés and diplomats Feb. 19, 2019, at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

109th Airlift Wing completes 31st season of Antarctic support
March 1, 2019 — SCOTIA, N.Y. - The New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing successfully wrapped up its 31st season of supporting American research in Antarctica as Airmen and aircraft returned home from... MORE

A member of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing performs maintenance on an LC-130, ski-equipped aircraft at McMurdo Station, Antarctica on December 17, 2018

Puerto Rico Air Guard Conducts Deployment for Training at Aviano

Alaska Air Guard 168th Medical Group Trains for High-Stakes Missions

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