Guard News - The National Guard

New York intelligence troops train for wartime tasks
March 23, 2009 — LATHAM, NY - Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division Intelligence community, known in military terms as the G2, deployed March 18 to the Joint Intelligence Combat... MORE

Massachusetts air operations group stands up
March 23, 2009 — OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. - As Senior Airman Alexis Colonna, working on the ops floor of the 102nd Air Operations Group (AOG), sits down at a large new desk, she looks toward the four... MORE

South Dakota Soldiers conduct hand-to-hand combat training
March 23, 2009 — FORT MEADE, S.D. - Sometimes the only weapon a Soldier has on the battlefield is his own two fists, and the only advantage he may have in a life-or-death struggle with the enemy is the hand-to-hand... MORE

Army Capt. Shannon Machmiller (left), a civil affairs officer with the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Sioux Falls, S.D., grapples with her opponent, during training for the Modern Army Combatives Program held at the 196th Regiment, Regional Training Institute on March 12, at Fort Meade, S.D.

Alaska Army Guardsmen assist with Arctic Care 2009
March 23, 2009 — BETHEL, Alaska - A thick, wet blanket of snow covers the rotors of three Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, as winter storm clouds move in, threatening to compromise the day's... MORE

Soldiers from the Alaska Army National Guard's 1st 207 Aviation Regiment guide a Black Hawk onto the flight line in Bethel, Alaska, March 12, 2009. The 1st 207 Aviation Regiment is responsible for transporting all medical teams and supplies during Operation Arctic Care, a Navy-led readiness exercise providing no-cost health care to 14 villages in Western Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim region.

South Dakota Soldiers united in flooding efforts
March 21, 2009 — FARGO, N.D. - Flooding levels on the Red River remain high, but residents can put their minds to rest knowing that National Guard members are constantly checking the dikes for leaks and weak... MORE

Pfc. Jess Krantz (left) and Spc. Eric Peters, both of Watertown, S.D., and members of the 139th Brigade Support Battalion of the South Dakota Army National Guard, patrol the dike to check the water level and look for weak spots on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

National Guard's media contest winners announced
March 20, 2009 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The 2008 National Guard Media Contest winners were recently announced by Jack Harrison, director of NGB Public Affairs and Strategic Communications."The contest recognizes the best... MORE

At NCO induction ceremony, Guardmembers reflect on the rank
March 20, 2009 — FORT MYER, Va. - The contributions of the noncommissioned officer were spotlighted in an elaborate NCO induction ceremony here at Conmy Hall today that included 13 National Guard members.The event was... MORE

Thirteen National Guard members were among thirty Soldiers inducted in the NCO corps at a ceremony at Conmy Hall on Fort Myer, Va., Thursday, March 19, 2009. The event was part of the Year of the NCO celebration, an initiative highlighting NCO contributions. From left: Sgt. Osvaldo Cruz, Staff Sgt. Misael Santamaria, Sgts. Jamie Coleman, Annette Bowen and Jasmin Vazquez, Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston, Staff Sgt. Michael Noyce Merino (The Army's NCO of the Year), Sgt. Justin Wanat, Cmd. Sgt. Maj. John D. Gipe, the command sergeant major for the Army National Guard, Sgt. Jennifer Rosario, Staff Sgt. Keli Foultner, Sgt. Jackie Williams, Sgt. Irizarry, and Staff Sgt. Valerie Jones.

DoD to fund family travel to Dover
March 19, 2009 — WASHINGTON - The wishes of the families will be the overriding principle guiding any media coverage of fallen warriors' remains arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Defense Secretary Robert M... MORE

Stop loss to end for Army Guard in September
March 19, 2009 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Army will phase out use of the so-called "stop-loss" program between now and January, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.Since the beginning of his term as defense... MORE

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates responds to a reporter's question during a press conference at the Pentagon, March 18, 2009. Gates announced a comprehensive plan to eliminate the current use of "stop-loss" policy while retaining the authority for future use under extraordinary circumstances.

Education, contact key to cutting suicide rate, Army personnel leader says
March 18, 2009 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Ending a policy where Citizen-Soldiers were excused monthly drills for 90 days after deployment helped the Army Guard better take care of its troops, the Army's deputy chief of staff... MORE

Gates pays respects to fallen Guardsmen at Dover
March 18, 2009 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates traveled to Dover Air Force Base, Del., last night to pay his respects to four servicemembers killed recently in Afghanistan, a senior... MORE

DoD releases sexual assault statistics
March 18, 2009 — WASHINGTON - The Defense Department today released a congressional report that examines sexual assault allegations in the military services and sets policies for reducing incidents.Key components of... MORE

New York Guard leads NYC's Saint Patrick's Day Parade
March 18, 2009 — NEW YORK CITY - This year's Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City will once again be led up Fifth Avenue by the historic 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, the famed Irish combat unit known... MORE

This year's Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City was led up Fifth Avenue by the historic 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, the famed Irish combat unit known throughout the Army and the nation as the "Fighting 69th." For 157 years the Citizen Soldiers of the Army National Guard have led the city-wide celebration past Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

Rolling with new technology
March 17, 2009 — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - It's a typical day in Iraq for four Colorado Guardsmen. They know their task, which is the same as always - conduct convoy operations. They are about four hours into their... MORE

Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, Colorado Army National Guard, watch as four of their peers experience the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 20, 2009.

Soldiers put to test in Florida's first Air Assault course
March 17, 2009 — CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla. - More than 150 Soldiers recently earned the right to wear the Army's coveted Air Assault specialty badge during an intense ten-day course here in North... MORE

Soldiers rappel from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during the Air Assault Course at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., March 5, 2009.

Army Guard works to eliminate the stigma of seeking help
March 16, 2009 — ARLINGTON, Va. - More than 21 Guardmembers have taken their own lives since Jan. 1, reflecting a growing trend in the active Army, which reported 143 suicides in 2008, the highest number since it... MORE

Killey, Arnold recognized at dedication ceremony
March 16, 2009 — TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - A new headquarters complex here at Continental U.S. NORAD Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) headquarters was officially opened March 13 in honor of two former... MORE

Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow (left) and Maj. Gen. Larry Arnold unveil the new street sign dedicating the access road to the new 1st Air Force headquarters complex in the former 1st AF commander's honor at a ceremony March 13.

ANG TEC welcomes new commander
March 16, 2009 — McGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. - Air Force Col. Richard B. Howard assumed command of the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center in a ceremony presided over by Air... MORE

Col. Richard B. Howard assumes command of the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn., March 13 in a change of command ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, the director of the Air National Guard. Howard is the former director of logistics for the National Guard Bureau at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Air Guard captain mentors teens in Senate Youth program
March 16, 2009 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Students participating in the U.S. Senate Youth Program recently toured government buildings including the Pentagon, met their elected representatives and learned about the... MORE

Air Force Capt. Ladonna Singleton, a communications officer with the 254th Combat Communications Group in Garland, Texas, was the only Air Guard member to participate in the Senate Youth Program. The weeklong program that brings young people from across the country to learn more about the political process.

Special screening of new Sesame Street program available to Illinois Guard families
March 13, 2009 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, has produced, in association with David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants Incorporated... MORE

Gary Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop and Sesame Street's Elmo and Rosita, speaks with Elmo and Rosita during the screening of "Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change," a Sesame Street special, at the Pentagon, March 18, 2009. Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization, has spent the past two years creating materials to help military families with young children cope with deployments, homecomings and changes.

lowa Airmen Take Training to New Heights

West Virginia Guard Continues Flood Cleanup Efforts

Missouri Airmen Provide Airlift in Central American Exercise

Washington Guard Improves Park Through Innovative Readiness Training

State Partnership Program Enables Global, Shared ‘Peace through Strength’