Guard News - The National Guard

Guardsmen optimize readiness by enhancing Combatives program
February 27, 2019 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKMAN, Hawaii - U.S. Air Force Maj. Frederick Cruz from the Hawaii Air National Guard, pins down fellow Airman on shallow ocean waves as water splashed after each body hit... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Fredrick Cruz, pins down a fellow Airman during a U.S. Army Combatives course exercise at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Wash. Guard builds school, teach kids during Cobra Gold 2019
February 27, 2019 — THAILAND - What had been in the pipeline for more than a decade took just days for the Washington National Guard to build.“Not only did the Soldiers build a school, but they also got to teach English... MORE

Spc. Edward McClure, 176th Engineer Company, Washington National Guard, uses his experience as a civilian contractor to put the finishing touches on the concrete slab at the Bankoh-I-Duan School in the Tak Province, Kingdom of Thailand, Jan. 30, 2019

Health initiative to target hard-to-reach Guard members
February 26, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Guard members requiring behavioral health care living in remote locations will soon benefit from a National Guard Bureau initiative.The Veteran Center Outreach Initiative, a Veterans... MORE

The Veteran Center Outreach Initiative, a Veterans Affairs program, is designed to give Guard members access to the same type of counseling services often available in more populated areas.

Deployed father and daughter reunite
February 26, 2019 — AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – An Army National Guard father deployed to the Middle East was reunited with his daughter, who is also deployed, at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Feb. 7.It is rare for a father... MORE

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joseph Lemens, a helicopter maintenance test pilot assigned to the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Missouri National Guard, and his daughter U.S. Army 1st. Lt. Jordan Lemens, a route clearance platoon leader assigned to the 2nd platoon, B Co., 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion, pose together for a family photo at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2019.

250 New York Guard members mobilize for windstorm relief
February 25, 2019 — BUFFALO, N.Y. – The New York National Guard placed 250 Soldiers and Airmen on duty in Western New York over the weekend in advance of a wind storm that brought gusts of up to 74 mph per hour to the... MORE

Spc. Kevin Morales assigned to Delta Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, Buffalo cuts into a log with a chainsaw, while Spc. Ethan Brown assigned to Bravo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, assists him during training at Youngstown Local Training Area, Feb. 24, 2019.

New Hampshire Airman has passion to keep old aircraft aloft
February 25, 2019 — NEWINGTON, N.H. – Keeping an aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers flying is a passion for Tech Sgt. Mark McCassin, an assistant crew chief with the 157th Air Refueling Wing Aircraft Maintenance... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mark McCassin, assigned to the 157th Maintenance Squadron, New Hampshire Air National Guard, stands in front of a KC-135R Stratotanker, Jan. 31, 2019, at Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H. McCassin is the crew chief assigned to tanker serial number 57-1419, the oldest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory.

Wyoming National Guard partners with police in drug fight
February 25, 2019 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The National Guard has always been about cooperation and support and for the last 30 years has partnered with law enforcement in the war on drugs. The Wyoming Counterdrug Support... MORE

Wyoming Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Diane Smith, the coordinator of the Wyoming Counterdrug Program.

Missouri Guard members partner with Iraqi Army Aviation
February 25, 2019 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – Nearly three years ago, the Iraqi Army Aviation identified a need for an updated maintenance posture to support its aviation operations. The government of Iraq purchased... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Johnson, the powertrain shop chief assigned to B Company, 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Illinois Army National Guard, arm wrestles with an Iraqi aviation engineer during a break from organizing the portable maintenance shop containers at an Iraqi hangar at Camp Taji Military Complex, Oct. 1, 2018. The Iraqi Air Enterprise will ultimately provide Iraq with the self-sufficient air capabilities required by a sovereign nation to protect its borders and defeat internal threats.

Army National Guard director visits Soldiers in the Pacific
February 22, 2019 — FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – As a critical partner in the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, the Army National Guard must be an expeditionary force, according to Director of the Army... MORE

Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, director, Army National Guard, visits with Soldiers conducting the Homeland Defense of Guam Mission. For the first time, the Guam ARNG took over a mission from the U.S. Army’s 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command to provide security forces support for Task Force Talon, responsible for operating the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Battery at Andersen Air Force Base.

National Guard holds funeral honors training in New Orleans
February 22, 2019 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard Military Funeral Honors Program hosted 12 Guardsmen from Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Oklahoma and New York for an Army National Guard Level... MORE

National Guard members from Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Oklahoma and New York practice drill and ceremony at a Military Funeral Honors Level II Instructor Certification Course at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, Feb. 12, 2019. Soldiers who graduate this course demonstrate mastery in rendering veterans’ final honors and can instruct new MFH members.

Massachusetts National Guard co-hosts robotics seminar
February 21, 2019 — BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – Students in the Springfield Technical Community College STEM Starter Academy participated Wednesday in The Massachusetts National Guard S.T.E.M. Robotics... MORE

Springfield Technical Community College students participate in The Massachusetts National Guard S.T.E.M. Robotics Seminar, Feb. 20, 2019, at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The event challenges students to engineer a robot which can navigate a unqiue obstacle course with the objective of finding and removing an object within a specified time.

West Virginia Army National Guard rescues stranded motorist
February 21, 2019 — ELLENBORO, W. Va. – Aircrew members of the West Virginia Army National Guard's Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion (MEDEVAC), located in Williamstown, West Virginia, provided a... MORE

A West Virginia Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion (GASB), prepares to land in the parking lot of Ritchie County High School in Ellenboro, W.Va., following an aerial rescue mission of a stranded motorist Feb. 20, 2019.

Wash. National Guard makes wildfire preparedness a priority
February 20, 2019 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - It's quickly becoming a summer tradition for the Washington National Guard and not the right kind. Since 2014 more than 4,500 Guardsmen have been called from their homes and... MORE

Hand crews train for wildfire season during Evergreen Ember in 2014.

It’s not about your hair; it’s about your heart
February 20, 2019 — IRVINGTON, N.J. – At only 22, Spc. Imani Gayle balances college, serving in the National Guard, a fashion career and charitable work assisting girls with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.A... MORE

Her first, his last: father and daughter deploy together
February 19, 2019 — SOUTHWEST ASIA – It's very common to hear service members thank their families for emotional support while they are deployed.It's with this support service members have found it possible to make it... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Chandler, 385th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Det. 2 chief, and Staff Sgt. Madison Chandler, 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron aviation resource manager, pose for a photo in front of a C-130 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 18, 2019.

National Guard units partner for joint aviation training
February 19, 2019 — U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY – Aviators with the Minnesota, Texas and Utah National Guards, led by the Kansas National Guard's 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, practice landing and... MORE

Aviators with the Minnesota, Texas and Utah National Guards, led by the Kansas National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, practice landing and taking off during deck landing qualification training aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) in the Arabian Gulf on Feb. 4, 2019.

Michigan Biathlon team challenges Air and Army in native climate
February 19, 2019 — LANSING, Mich. – A skier plunges into cold weather intense enough to warp the metal on the weapon slung to their back. They and other competitors cut through kilometer after kilometer of the... MORE

Capt. McLean-Ellis prepares to shoot in the 2018 regional championship

USARCENT hosts Operation Spartan Shield Community of Excellence
February 15, 2019 — SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – United States Army Central hosted an open forum Feb. 5-6, at Patton Hall, welcoming U.S. Army Reserve and National Guardsmen who have troops serving in Central Command's... MORE

Col. Scott Gilman, the U.S. Army Central Training and Exercises division chief, briefs senior leaders from USARCENT, the U.S. Army Reserves and the U.S. Army National Guard during the Operation Spartan Shield Community of Excellence Forum at Patton Hall on Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 6, 2019.

Colorado Guard Soldiers to hone mountain skills at Vail
February 14, 2019 — CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Colorado Army National Guard Soldiers will conduct annual ski and winter training to enhance their mountain skills while honoring Colorado as the original home of the U.S. Army's... MORE

Soldiers with the Colorado Army National Guard's Company C, 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry (Mountain) ski alongside 10th Mountain Division veterans, descendants and friends during the 43rd annual Ski-In celebration March 2, 2018, at the Ski Cooper ski area. The 10th Mountain Division was formed in 1943 and trained for WWII mountain warfare at Ski Cooper near Leadville, Colo.

Guard leaders participate in STEM event, mentor students
February 13, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Leaders from throughout the National Guard joined other Service members in mentoring more than 400 high school and college students during the annual Black Engineer of the Year... MORE

Army Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the Maryland National Guard's assistant adjutant general for Army, illustrates a point to high school and college students during a mentoring session that was part of the annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Global Competitiveness Conference, held recently in Washington, D.C.

Guard, Reserve and Navy Test Helicopter Countermeasures Over Water

Georgia Guard Trains to Bolster Domestic Response Capabilities

Nordhaus, Raines: National Guard Delivers Outsized Impact at Home, Abroad

Specialized Oregon Guard Unit Conducts Training at Camp Rilea

Caine: When you Mobilize the Guard, you Mobilize the Nation