Guard News - The National Guard

Guatemala: Missouri Guard members to develop skills during mission to Guatemala
April 3, 2012 — FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.- Missouri National Guardsmen from the 35th Engineer Brigade recently deployed to Coban, Guatemala, to coordinate a real-world mission that will develop Soldiers' skills.Known as... MORE

Illinois National Guard trains Soldiers to respond to sexual assaults
April 3, 2012 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - In a recent episode of ABC's Private Practice, a Soldier returning from Afghanistan was forced to deal with events that occurred while he was deployed overseas.After the fictional... MORE

Detective Mark DeVaney, with the Springfield Police Department speaks to nearly 70 Soldiers with the Illinois National Guard attending the two week Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention training Feb. 23, 2012 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill. The Soldiers met with a panel of sexual assault response experts from the Springfield area.

Oregon Guard participate in Shanti-Doot exercise in Bangladesh
April 3, 2012 — DHAKA, Bangladesh - Two Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers participated in Exercise Shanti Doot 3, a multi-national training exercise here, from March 4 to 21.Army Staff Sgts. Tyson Pardun and Darrin... MORE

Oregon Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Darrin Culp, of the 249th Regiment Training Institute in Monmouth, Ore., oversees two Nepalese soldiers as they tend to their role-playing comrade during a medical emergency scenario on the first day of Exercise Shanti Doot 3, in Bangladesh March 9. Culp and his fellow Soldiers were invited to participate as a battlefield lifesaving technique instructors through the State Partnership Program between Oregon and Bangladesh. Exercise Shanti Doot 3 is a Bangladesh armed forces-hosted and U.S. Pacific Command Global Peace Operations Initiative supported joint multi-national exercise designed to give operations, logistics, planning and tactical peace-keeping training to members of 13 different countries in preparation for United Nations Peace-keeping Operations.

VA makes progress on pledge to end veteran homelessness
April 3, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department is making progress on its pledge to end homelessness among veterans, with a focus on getting all homeless veterans off the streets by 2015, VA Secretary... MORE

Illinois Airman named Air National Guard Outstanding Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
April 3, 2012 — SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - There may not be one perfect Guard member in the United States, but there is one Illinois Guard member who was recognized as the best noncommissioned officer in the... MORE

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob Curtis was selected as one of the 2012 Air National Guard Outstanding Airmen of the Year. Curtis is a Security Forces Journeyman assigned to the 126th Air Refueling Wing's Security Forces Squadron and received this award in part for his dedication to duty, superior knowledge, and unwavering volunteerism. His OAY package will next compete in the Air Force's 2012 Twelve Outstanding Airmen of the Year. Curtis recently returned from a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Official: Take Time to Honor Military Kids' Service
April 2, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Children of U.S. service members around the world will be honored throughout April for their contributions to their families' well-being and sacrifices on behalf of the nation, a Defense... MORE

Army Sgt. 1st Class William Petit, Michigan Army National Guard, hugs his children at a deployment ceremony for the Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 210th Military Police Battalion February 15, 2012. The 72 members of the 210th are departing for their deployment to Afghanistan.

Alaska Air National Guard members rescue two plane crash survivors
April 2, 2012 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - In response to a notification by the Federal Aviation Administration of a downed aircraft carrying two people, the 11th Rescue Coordination Center called on members of the Alaska... MORE

Oman: Oregon Guard Soldiers train with the Royal Army of Oman
April 2, 2012 — RUBKUT TRAINING RANGE, Oman - Oregon National Guard Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, joined the Royal Army of Oman's 11th Brigade, Western Frontier Regiment, for a U.S. Army Central... MORE

Soldiers from the Oregon National Guard's 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, and Omani soldiers from the Royal Army of Oman's 11th Brigade, Western Frontier Regiment, move toward their objective during a squad assault training exercise at the Rubkut Training Range in Oman, Jan. 24, 2012. The two-week exercise, sponsored by U.S. Army Central, was meant to share knowledge and build diplomatic relations between the U.S. military and Oman.

Puerto Rico National Guard fosters State Partnership with Honduras
March 30, 2012 — The Puerto Rico National Guard welcomed a Honduran military delegation as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program. The week-long visit provided the opportunity to exchange experiences,... MORE

Honduran public affairs Soldiers observe a mosaic of Puerto Rico's crest during a visit to the governor's mansion in Old San Juan. The visit of the Honduran military was part of the State Partnership Program in which they had the opportunity to visit the Puerto Rico National Guard training facilities and exchange training information with its leaders.

N.D. Aviators Serving on Rotations to the Southwest Border
March 30, 2012 — BISMARCK, N.D. - Soldiers with the North Dakota Army National Guard have been serving on the on the U.S.-Mexico border as a way to provide continued support to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.Their... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Sigl performs a pre-flight inspection on an OH-58 Kiowa aircraft in Marana, Ariz. Sigl is part of a North Dakota National Guard flight crew participating with Task Force Raven of the Southwest Border mission.

Hawaii National Guard "Stay on Track" program helps youth stay drug-free
March 30, 2012 — OAHU, Hawaii - Thousands of miles from the sports car racing hotbed of the southern United States, sixth grade students at Aiea Elementary School in Hawaii, are learning the rudiments of effective... MORE

Army Sgt. Bernie "Buma" Bumanglag, Hawaii Army National Guard with the Hawaii Counter Drug Stay On Track Program, teach a group of sixth graders at Aiea Elementary School on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, about the GUARD decision making process. This lesson is a part of a semester long drug awareness curriculum designed to give school children the necessary skills and knowledge, to choice a drug-free life.

Missouri Army National Guard building better lives in Central America
March 30, 2012 — FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - Missouri Army National Guard Soldiers from the 35th Engineer Brigade recently deployed to Coban, Guatemala, to coordinate a mission that will develop Soldiers' skills.Known as... MORE

Rhode Island Guard Soldier makes selfless, ultimate sacrifice for Afghan child
March 29, 2012 — PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The actions of one Rhode Island National Guard Soldier epitomized the Army Value of selfless service, "doing one's duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain," as he... MORE

Sgt. Dennis Weichel Jr., a Rhode Island Army National Guard infantryman mobilized with Company C, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, sits inside a Black Hawk helicopter prior to a mission earlier in his deployment in Afghanistan. Weichel died March 22, 2012, from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, or MRAP, after moving an Afghan child to safety.

Georgia National Guard members help set Afghan school children up for success
March 29, 2012 — When Americans think of spring they might think of rain, flowers returning from months of hibernation or children getting antsy with the thrill of upcoming summer. In Afghanistan a different... MORE

Army Lt. Col. Robyn Blader, a staff judge advocate team member with Task Force Hyrda, Georgia National Guard, speaks with Gulnaz, an eighth grade student, at the Darulaman school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Gulnaz told Blader that she would wants to study literature in college.

Texas Army National Guard members teach combatives course in Djibouti
March 29, 2012 — CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - On a make-shift training area, Soldiers and Marines grappled, tackled and clinched their way to graduation from a Modern Army Combatives Program here, March 12-16.Texas Army... MORE

Spc. James Niederhauser and Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Max, both Texas Army National Guard members with Task Force Raptor, 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, battle it out during clinch drills at a Modern Army Combatives Level-One Instructor Course. The Texas National Guard members hosted the course, March 12-16 at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.

Senior Enlisted Leaders Meet to Tackle Troop, Family Issues
March 28, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The military's top enlisted leaders and their spouses gathered here Tuesday to discuss the most pressing issues affecting service members' lives, and to identify possible solutions.On the... MORE

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall, the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Minnesota Army National Guard member, Ukraine native officially becomes U.S. citizen
March 28, 2012 — CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Spc. Yaroslav Sergei Dmytrochenko joined the Minnesota Army National Guard as a Ukrainian citizen, proudly serving as an American Soldier. While deployed to Kuwait he was able... MORE

Army 1st Lt. Christopher Bingham (right), commander of Company C, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor; Army 1st Sgt. Tim Flahave (2nd from right), Company C first sergeant, and other Soldiers from Charlie Company 1-194 CAB greet and congratulate Army Spc. Yaroslav Sergei Dmytrochenko (2nd from left) after becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. Company C, a Minnesota Army National Guard unit, is deployed to Kuwait with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, in support of Operation New Dawn.

National Guard Marathon Team runners perform well in desert to honor Bataan Death March
March 28, 2012 — WHITE SANDS, N.M. - Members of the National Guard's All-Guard Marathon Team hit the desert landscape of New Mexico running and marching in the dry heat for the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March... MORE

Army National Guard Spc. Rachel Walter, a member of the All-Guard Marathon Team and Maryland National Guard, marches through the desert between miles 20 and 21 during the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March near White Sands, N.M., March 25, 2012. Walter completed the most grueling of all categories-Military (Heavy) Marathon-which means she carried a 35-pound rucksack the entire 26.2 mile distance.

California Civil Support Team enhances civilian partnerships through training
March 27, 2012 — TRUCKEE, Calif. - Soldiers from the California National Guard's 95th Civil Support Team recently participated in a weeklong multi-agency winter field training exercise as a way to strengthen the... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. Aaron Zuniga, a science and healthcare specialist assigned to the 95th Civil Support Team, California Army National Guard, refers to his instructional steps before beginning to extract and test DNA from samples of a potential Weapon of Mass Destruction taken from a simulated domestic terrorist lab while participating in Operation Red Snow, Feb. 16, 2012 at the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, Calif. Operation Red Snow is a multi-agency chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat response exercise to strengthen the partnership between federal, state and local jurisdiction regarding a response to the possible threat of a domestic attack on the United States.

Local Missouri Guard member reacts quickly to flood waters, saves neighbor
March 27, 2012 — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Army Staff Sgt. Abe Faulkner, a local Guard member, was driving in to work one morning last week when he noticed another vehicle stranded in high waters across that covered the... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. Abe Faulkner, a member of Joint Force Headquarters in Jefferson City and a fulltime mechanic in the Combined Support Maintenance Shop at the Ike Skelton Training Site, helped rescue a neighbor from high waters on Big Tavern Creek near Iberia, Mo. last week. Local emergency responders used Faulkner's boat to reach the stranded driver and get him to safety unharmed.

Maryland Air Guard Conducts Combat Search and Rescue Training in Wisconsin

Missouri Airmen Go Analog in Cyber Attack Simulation

Idaho Army National Guard, Boise Fire Department Conduct Water Rescue

Pennsylvania Guard Aviation Partners with Coast Guard

Arizona National Guard’s Task Force SAFE Strengthens Border Security