Guard News - The National Guard

Virginia Department of Military Affairs to support governor’s inauguration
January 8, 2014 — SANDSTON, Va. - Approximately 230 personnel from the Virginia Department of Military Affairs will be on duty Saturday supporting the inauguration of Terry McAuliffe as the 72nd governor of Virginia... MORE

Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard's Battery A, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment provide a 19-gun salute during the inauguration of Gov. Bob McDonnell Jan. 16, 2010, in Richmond, Va.

California Guard veteran fights back against military suicides
January 8, 2014 — MALIBU, Calif. - When it comes to veterans committing suicide, Save A Warrior founder Jake Clark minces no words. "This is a holocaust in slow motion," the former California Army National... MORE

Retired Marine Cpl. Kenny Toon enjoys an animal therapy session, Nov. 6, 2013, with 11 other combat veterans participating in the Save A Warrior program in Malibu, Calif. The program was designed by retired California Army National Guard Capt. Jake Clark, to assist veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress.

Indiana Guard members team with deputies to assist during massive winter storm
January 7, 2014 — TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana National Guard Soldiers teamed with the Vigo County Sheriffs Department to take officers where they needed to go during the winter storm Sunday and Monday. The Indiana... MORE

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment Highway Assistance Team, assited by a civilian, push out a stranded mother and her child in Fort Wayne, Ind., Jan. 6, 2014.

Guard members in Illinois and Indiana help in winter storm aftermath
January 6, 2014 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Two Illinois National Guard Soldiers were ordered to state active duty and another 13 Soldiers were put on stand-by shortly after midnight Jan. 6 to help clear stranded vehicles... MORE

Last-serving Vietnam War veteran in the South Carolina National Guard retires
January 6, 2014 — COLUMBIA, S.C.- Chief Warrant Officer Eric Seymore, a Vietnam War veteran and helicopter pilot in the South Carolina Army National Guard, bid farewell to more than 150 friends and family during his... MORE

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Seymore, the last serving Vietnam War veteran in the South Carolina Army National Guard, celebrates his retirement after 43 years of service, at a retirement ceremony in Columbia, S.C., Jan. 5, 2014. Pictured with Seymore are his sons, 1st Lt. Andrew Seymore and Capt. W. Eric Seymore, who also serve in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Alaska Air National Guard members rescue snowmobile operator
January 3, 2014 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued a man who went missing while snowmobiling near Koliganek, Alaska, Jan. 2. Alaska... MORE

An HH-60 Pave Hawk with the 210th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, during a 2013 mission. A similar craft rescued the snowmobiler.

Massachusetts National Guard assists authorities during storm’s blast
January 3, 2014 — ARLINGTON, Va. - A powerful winter storm that blasted Northeast states was fading Friday, but sub-freezing temperatures continued and the Massachusetts National Guard was assisting state and local... MORE

Massachusetts National Guard Soldiers from the 164th Transportation Battalion assist the Duxbury Fire Department during the New Year's 2014 Winter Storm Response.

Massachusetts National Guard mobilizes to support severe January snowstorm
January 3, 2014 — HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. - Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick mobilized nearly 400 Soldiers and Airmen of the Massachusetts National Guard early Thursday morning in response to a severe January... MORE

Soldiers of the 1166th Transportation Company from Worcester prepare their LMTVs for tide and flood checks here as part of the Guard’s response to the New Year’s Winter Storm Hercules, Jan. 3, 2014.

North Dakota Soldier credits Guard training for helping him save man's life
January 2, 2014 — DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - A North Dakota National Guard Soldier said his military training helped him know what to do when he witnessed a man collapse in Devils Lake recently. Maj. Mark McEvers, of... MORE

Maj. Mark McEvers, who used an automated external defibrillator to help revive a man who collapsed on a basketball court, credits his Guard training.

Military police couple fought war together; share special memories
January 2, 2014 — CAMP SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Watching a line of M1 Abrams tanks spearhead their way across the desert and get their first taste of battle during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 provided U.S. Army... MORE

Then-Sgt. Christopher Davis, and Spc. Erikka Lynn Gretter served in Iraq in 2003-2004 with the 649th Military Police Company, California Army National Guard, near Baghdad. Davis was part of their Criminal Investigation team and conducted undercover operations. The unit reinstated former Iraqi police, trained, and went on patrols together.

Maryland Airman goes for the gold; raises ante in his recuperation
January 2, 2014 — BALTIMORE - On July 5, 2011 Senior Airman Gideon L. Connelly, repair and reclamation crew chief, 175th Maintenance Squadron, was involved in a motorcycle accident with serious damage to his left leg... MORE

After a fast time in the 1.5 mile run, Senior Airman Gideon Connelly, right, relaxes with a drink with SrA Daniel Gernerette, the first place finisher in 175th Maintenance Squadron annual PT test. Connelly has a prostetic left leg. He scored a 94.80 percent on the test by completing 71 sit ups and 90 push ups in addition to his run time of 11 minutes and 17 seconds.

Michigan National Guard Celebrates 20-year partnership with Latvia
December 31, 2013 — LANSING, Mich. - Dace Mason's family left the Baltic seaside country of Latvia in the late 1940s with hope and a near-certainty that the family would one day return to their homeland. Mason was born... MORE

Michigan National Guard Master Sgt. Santos Feliciano and Latvian National Armed Force 1st Sgt. Martins Kupcs pose with workers from a rubber plantation in Liberia, Jan. 16, 2013. Michigan and Latvia are partners in the Department of State and DoD State Partnership Program and Liberia is Michigan's newest partner.

Texas Counterdrug Task Force cracks down on drug haven
December 31, 2013 — HARLINGEN, Texas - Chants of "Knock it Down, Knock it Down!" reverberated through a small Harlingen neighborhood in mid-December as the Texas Joint Counterdrug Task Force's Operation Crackdown... MORE

TSgt Carl White Jr., 147th Civil Engineers, 147th Fighter Wing, Texas Air National Guard, raises the bucket on the Komarsu excavator to reach out and collapse the front of a dilapadated house in that was identified by local law enforcement as being used for illicit drug activity, Harlingen, Texas, Dec. 16, 2013. Texas Joint Counterdrug Task Force's Operation Crackdown destroys drug havens in partnership with city officials and law enforcement agencies.

Georgia Guard members support largest military exercise in 60 years on the Korean Peninsula
December 30, 2013 — UIJEONGBU, South Korea - The mercury hovers at 12 degrees as snow silently falls through the Korean night. A Georgia National Guard member makes tracks through the six-inch snow, her breath steaming... MORE

Lt. Col. Matt Saxton of Dallas, Ga., Col. Scott Carter of Canton, Ga., and Lt. Col. Reginald Neal of Fort Benning, Ga., return from a coordination meeting with active-duty units who will be supported by the 648th MEB during Warpath III exercise.

New York Guard to render final honors for 10,000 veterans by end of 2013
December 27, 2013 — HUDSON, N.Y. - The New York Military Forces Honor Guard expects to have provided funeral services for just over 10,000 families in 2013 by the time 2014 arrives at midnight Dec. 31.For the New York... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Christopher Roderiguez and Pvt. Shelbi Vanderbogart salute as the remains of Army veteran Harold Smith arrive for graveside services in Hudson, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2013. Smith's funeral was one of 9,735 that the New York Military Forces Honor Guard's 35 full-time and 135 part-time members performed for families across New York, as of Dec. 23.

Task Force Guam donates boots to Afghan security guards
December 27, 2013 — CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan - Task Force Guam let its feet do the talking in its last act of goodwill before departing Afghanistan. Members of 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National... MORE

Members of the Guam Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Staff Sgt. Erico Santos (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Frank J. Limtiaco, donate Task Force Guam's first batch of boots to Patrick McCafferty, a retired Canadian army warrant officer who helps run an Afghan security company. McCafferty, founder of Operation Walking Tall, sought Guam's assistance and the Soldiers responded with more than 120 pairs of boots.

NORAD Tracks Santa Program breaks record
December 27, 2013 — PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command's NORAD Tracks Santa Program exceeded its own records in the number of calls, emails and social media followers this... MORE

Senior Airman Kyle Hesse and Senior Airman Phillip Gentile of the New York Air National Guard take part in Santa tracking training Dec. 19, 2013, at the Eastern Air Defense Sector.

Looking back on 2013, Guard members reflect on the events of the past year
December 26, 2013 — ARLINGTON, Va. - From responding to natural disasters, the Boston Marathon bombing and continued deployments overseas to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kosovo and other locations, 2013 was a busy year for... MORE

Among the National Guard responses in 2013 was the devastating tornado in Moore, Okla., on May 20. Mary Fallin, governor of Oklahoma, leads Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau, through the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., where seven students were killed.

Gen. Frank Grass sends holiday letter to National Guard family
December 24, 2013 — To Our National Guard Family,As 2013 draws to a close, I want to thank all National Guard members across the globe for the outstanding job you've done this year. You are the critical element to... MORE

Gen. Frank J. Grass, Chief, National Guard Bureau

Army National Guard officers receive additional training for War College
December 23, 2013 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Since 2010, Army National Guard officers have attended the Army Guard's Pre-Basic Strategic Art Program course as a preparation to attend the BSAP course at Carlisle Barracks, Pa... MORE

Iowa Air Guard’s 132nd Security Forces Squadron Conducts Annual Training in Hawaii

Wisconsin Air Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing Partners With UW Health for Medical Airmen Training

Connecticut Army Guard Partners With Coast Guard to Dislodge Beached Buoy

Minnesota Guard Among First to Field Army’s Newest M250 Automatic Rifle

Soldier’s Medal Awarded to Georgia Guardsman Who Pulled Driver From Burning SUV