Guard News - The National Guard

Blum addresses National Guard issues with defense scribes
September 24, 2007 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Guard has its highest-quality, best-trained personnel force in history but continues to face a domestic equipment shortage, said LTG H Steven Blum, the chief of the... MORE

LTG H Steven Blum, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, spoke to a group of defense reporters Sept 19.

143rd Infantrymen join Hondurans on range, in sky
September 21, 2007 — SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - Airborne infantrymen from the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Infantry Division shared their small weapons training expertise with an elite group of Honduran military... MORE

Members of the Honduran rapid response team (left), known as the Peacekeeping Operations Battalion, shot more ammunition in two days than they usually fire all year during their coalition training with 36th Infantry Division Soldiers Sept. 11-13.

It's JUNIOR! He'll drive the Guard car next year
September 20, 2007 — DALLAS, Tx. - Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose family's name is part and parcel with the American motorsports legend, will drive the Chevrolet that the National Guard will sponsor in NASCAR's top-level... MORE

Dale Earnhardt Jr., left, will drive the National Guard car next year in NASCARS's top-level Sprint Cup series for Hendrick Motorsports. He stood with Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, and Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports owner, in Dallas where the announcement was made on Sept. 19.

Maryland National Guard Responds to Peru Earthquake
September 19, 2007 — BALTIMORE, Md. - Two crews from the Maryland Air National Guard's 135th Airlift Squadron found themselves unexpectedly pressed into service following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Peru Aug. 15."They... MORE

Senior Airman Kenneth Cumbie, 612th Air Base Squadron here, drives a forklift to load medical supplies onto a C-130J from the Maryland Air National Guard. Approximately 30 Soldiers and Airmen are responding to the Aug. 15 earthquake in Peru and are taking with them 4,470 pounds of medical supplies for relief efforts.

Rhode Island National Guard Holds 25th Annual International Military Parachute Competition
September 19, 2007 — Oldest and largest such competition in the world welcomes 56 U.S. and international teams Rhode Island National Guard Public AffairsNORTH KINGSTOWN, RI - Cloudless blue skies, comfortable... MORE

A competitor at the Rhode Island National Guard's international military parachute competition Leapfest XXV tries to collapse his parachute in the drop zone Aug. 11.

Nevada Guard continues search for missing pilot
September 17, 2007 — Searching in some of the most rugged areas in the most mountainous state in the United States, the Nevada National Guard anticipated continuing its search to determine the whereabouts of millionaire... MORE

Nevada generals represent best of military, civilian employers
September 17, 2007 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nevada National Guard Brigadier Generals Frank Gonzales and Bob Fitch had a legitimate wardrobe option for the 2007 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Freedom Awards Ceremony... MORE

From left, Nevada Army National Guard Brig. Gen Frank Gonzales, Michael Yackira, president of Sierra Pacific Resources, and Nevada Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Bob Fitch stand behind the 2007 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Freedom Award on Sept. 12 in Washington. All three are executives with Sierra Pacific Resources which was one of 15 organizations to receive Freedom Awards for exceptional employer support of Guard and reserve-component employees.

Guard follows downgraded Humberto's path
September 13, 2007 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Hundreds of National Guard Soldiers in Texas and Louisiana were prepared to respond with manpower and equipment Thursday as Hurricane Humberto was downgraded to an inland tropical... MORE

Exercise tests Virginia Guard's vigilance
September 12, 2007 — FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Eighty-eight Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers helped to defuse a simulated explosive situation during the second day of a Vigilant Guard training exercise here Sept. 6.It was... MORE

With "most-wanted" posters of terrorists in the background, Staff Sgt. Wallace Fellenzer and Staff Sgt. Jason McCoy of the Virginia Army National Guard conduct intelligence analysis operations on Sept. 6 at Fort Belvoir, Va., during a Vigilant Guard command post exercise that tested the National Guard's preparedness for homeland defense.

Guard and Reserve Members Must Take Action to "Make the Switch" to Restructured TRICARE Reserve Select
September 12, 2007 — FALLS CHURCH, Va. - National Guard and Reserve members currently in the TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) health care plan must sign up for the restructured TRS by Sept. 30, 2007, in order to continue... MORE

Maryland Guard vigilant in homeland defense exercise
September 12, 2007 — BALTIMORE, Md. - Soldiers of the Maryland National Guard's 115th Military Police Battalion were among the first troops securing the scene at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and six years later, some... MORE

Members of the 32nd Civil Support Team of the Maryland National Guard suit up and perform simulated hazardous material recovery operations during Exercise Vigilant Guard Sept. 7 in downtown Baltimore.

Hire A Hero program links veterans with jobs
September 11, 2007 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Although much of the stress associated with a National Guard deployment concludes upon redeployment, a new concern can surface as Soldiers and Airmen return to their homes. It is the... MORE

NASCAR driver Mears meets with Guard Soldiers
September 10, 2007 — ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guard Soldiers indulged their inner NASCAR spirits Sept. 6 when No. 25 National Guard/GMAC racecar driver Casey Mears, accompanied by up-and-coming driver Landon Cassill,... MORE

National Guard NASCAR driver Casey Mears (center) and new driver Landon Cassill display a racing suit presented to the Army National Guard's Readiness Center during a Sept. 6 visit to the Arlington, Va., facility. Col. Michael Jones, chief of the National Guard Bureau's Recruiting and Retention Division, introduced the drivers to the Soldiers who later lined up for autographs.

North Dakota Guard responds to Northwood tornado
September 7, 2007 — NORTHWOOD, N.D. - The school mascot here is "Thunder," and a tornado brought a thunder like no other, ripping through this northeast North Dakota town of about 900 people on the night of Sunday, Aug... MORE

Spc. Ian Busta, Fargo, N.D., 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion; Pvt. Nathan L. Miller, Toronto, S.D., Detachment 2 of the 815th Engineer Company, and Pvt. Kevin J. Iverson, Breckenridge, Minn., 188th Engineer Company, work at clearing downed trees and debris left behind by an F4 tornado that hit Northwood, N.D. on the night of Sunday, Aug. 26.

Nevada Guard helping to search for missing pilot Fossett
September 6, 2007 — Searching in some of the most remote areas in the most mountainous state in the United States, the Nevada National Guard continues to seek the whereabouts of millionaire adventurer and pilot Steve... MORE

Nevada National Guard UH-60 Blackhawks are being used as part of the massive search efforts for famed aviator Steven Fosset whose private aircraft has been missing in Northern Nevada since Monday. Here, a medevac helicopter touches down at the Minden, Nevada, airport Thursday afternoon. The helicopters are ideal for search and rescue operations in the rugged, mountainous terrain of northern Nevada.

Mississippi Citizen-Soldier's heroism didn't stop when he returned from war
September 4, 2007 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Staff Sgt. Danny Stanley served a year in Iraq, but the awards for heroism came for what the National Guard Citizen-Soldier did back home.Stanley is credited with saving the... MORE

Staff Sgt. Danny Stanley at the 129th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 25, 2007.

"You are the best among us," McCain tells Guard
August 29, 2007 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - "America must make a new and lasting commitment to the National Guard," U.S. Sen. John McCain said here Aug. 27."The actions of Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen since the Sept. 11,... MORE

U.S. Sen. John McCain said America must make a new and lasting commitment to the National Guard when he addressed the National Guard Association of the United States' 129th General Conference in Puerto Rico Aug. 27.

Air Guard stunt pilot dives into Air Force Week New England
August 29, 2007 — OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. - When it was parked on the flight line, the 330 horsepower, carbon-fiber Air National Guard stunt plane, with its colorful paint scheme, drew looks from passersby... MORE

Aerobatic pilot Maj. John Klatt, from the Air National Guard's Guarding America, Defending Freedom Aerobatic Team, performed at the Cape Cod Air Show, Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts Aug. 24 in his Staudacher S-300D, 350-horsepower stunt airplane. Klatt and his support team travel to air shows across the nation promoting the Air National Guard.

Blum: Imagine a fully equipped National Guard
August 27, 2007 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Domestic equipment shortages remain the barrier to even greater excellence from a transformed National Guard, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Aug. 25."We know... MORE

Domestic equipment shortages remain the barrier to greater excellence by a transformed National Guard, LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told the National Guard Association of the United States 129th General Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 25, 2007.

Casey: National Guard vital in long war
August 27, 2007 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The National Guard is making a vital contribution to current wars and will continue to be integral as we enter a period of persistent conflict, the chief of staff of the Army... MORE

Louisiana Guard Hosts All-Hazards Coordination Workshop

Arkansas Air Guard’s 188th Wing Readiness Validated

Puerto Rico Air Guard Wing Conducts Combat Readiness Exercise

Alaska Air Guardsmen Conduct Hoist Rescue at Hatcher Pass

Guard Marksmanship Center to Host Rifle, Pistol Championships