Guard News - The National Guard

167th firefighters train to save lives, rescue local man
April 23, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Rigorous training, every shift, often blindfolded.That’s how firefighters with the 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard, prepared to respond to a structure fire,... MORE

Firefighters from the 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W.Va., respond to a simulated aircraft fire as part of their Federal Aviation Administration Part 139 Live Fire Training, Oct. 14, 2018. The West Virginia State Fire Academy provided an aircraft fire simulator for the annual training event.

Virginia Guard supports community vaccination clinic
April 23, 2021 — BLACKSTONE, Va. – The Virginia National Guard is supporting a community COVID-19 vaccination clinic opened April 19 by the Virginia Department of Health at the VNG armory in Blackstone.Virginia Army... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen support a community COVID-19 vaccination clinic opened April 19, 2021, by the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management at the VNG armory in Blackstone, Virginia. VNG medics trained and certified by VDH are administering the vaccines, and additional Soldiers are assisting with logistics.

Idaho, West Virginia Guardsmen shine at Ranger competition
April 23, 2021 — BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Army National Guardsman Capt. John Bomsta and his teammate, Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Smith from the West Virginia Army National Guard, were the top National Guard team and 10th out... MORE

Idaho Army National Guardsman Capt. John Bomsta and his teammate, Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Smith from the West Virginia Army National Guard, finish as the National Guard’s top team April 18, 2021, at the U.S. Army’s Best Ranger Competition and 10th out of 51 U.S. Army teams.

92nd CST fires up Exercise Desert Torch in Vegas
April 22, 2021 — LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas residents had the opportunity to witness a flurry of training activity starting April 20, as the Nevada National Guard’s 92nd Civil Support Team conducted mock emergency HAZMAT... MORE

Sgts. Chaz Rapp and Rjhun Rimon with the 92nd Civil Support Team, Nevada National Guard, search for hazardous materials in level-A fully encapsulated chemical entry suits during training scenarios for Exercise Desert Torch, April 20, 2021, in Las Vegas.

Task Force Phoenix completes pre-deployment exercise
April 21, 2021 — NORTH FORT HOOD, Texas – The Soldiers of Task Force Phoenix faced several worst-case scenarios during a 10-day culminating training exercise (CTE) in April. Indirect fire attacks, downed aircraft,... MORE

Task Force Phoenix UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from G Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), land at North Fort Hood, Texas, April 17, 2021, during a medevac training mission that was part of a culminating training exercise.

Idaho Air Guard sweeps top honors during Hawgsmoke 2021
April 21, 2021 — BOISE, Idaho – The 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron was recognized as the top pilot team at Hawgsmoke 2021, a biannual A-10 Thunderbolt II competition, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia,... MORE

Idaho National Guard A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots and their crews come home to Boise as the 2021 Hawgsmoke overall team champions. The Hawgsmoke is a biennial aerial competition where approximately 150 Airmen from 13 Air Force units compete to test the bombing, missile and tactical gunnery skills of the pilots and maintainers of the U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft. This year it was held at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, April 14-17, 2021.

Oregon National Guard supports COVID vaccinations statewide
April 20, 2021 — SALEM, Ore. - Oregon National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen have vaccinated almost 300,000 people since Jan. 8, helping the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and regional medical partners distribute... MORE

Oregon National Guard Airman 1st Class Yvette Rascon, assigned to the 173rd Fighter Wing, administers the COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination clinic at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore., April 19, 2021. Oregon Guardsmen have administered almost 300,000 vaccinations.

NY, NJ Homeland Response Force resumes training
April 19, 2021 — EAST AMHERST, N.Y. — After a year and a half hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 200 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from New York and New Jersey trained together to respond to Chemical,... MORE

Sgt. Dakota Nelson, a combat engineer assigned to Bravo Company, 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion of the New York Army National Guard, teaches lifting techniques to fellow engineers during a Homeland Response Force collective training exercise in East Amherst, New York, April 17, 2021. Nelson and his unit are assigned to the FEMA Region II HRF's search and extraction element.

NH Guardsman assists police officer in violent encounter
April 19, 2021 — PEMBROKE, N.H. – After a day of working ski patrol at McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester, Staff Sgt. Dantè Davis merged onto the Everett Turnpike northbound. In an instant, an otherwise routine commute... MORE

Staff Sgt. Dantè Davis, a military policeman with the 237th Military Police Company supporting the COVID-19 relief mission, receives an Army Achievement Medal and recognition during a ceremony April 11, 2021, at the New Hampshire National Guard Army Pembroke Regional Training Institute in Pembroke, New Hampshire. Davis called 911 and assisted a police officer in a violent encounter with a civilian driver on his commute home.

Kansas Guard offers auditorium for COVID-19 vaccinations
April 19, 2021 — SALINA, Kan. – The auditorium at the Kansas Army National Guard’s regional training institute in Salina buzzed with activity April 15 as the Salina Family Healthcare Center’s COVID-19 vaccination... MORE

Maj. Michael Billings, Kansas Training Center battalion executive officer, and Hayley Samford, marketing and community outreach associate with the Salina Family Healthcare Center, advertise the COVID-19 vaccine clinic held at the Kansas National Guard Training Center April 15, 2021. The clinic teamed with the Kansas Guard because of the ideal location of its facilities to serve the west side of town.

NYNG helps vaccinate 10,000 people in a day at New York site
April 16, 2021 — NEW YORK – The New York National Guard helped vaccinate 10,367 people in a single day at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City April 11. The team topped that achievement with 10,463... MORE

New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. John Reynolds, a registered nurse assigned to the 105th Airlift Wing, vaccinates John Giarratano at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City April 12, 2021. The convention center serves as a mass vaccination site with more than 600 National Guard personnel assisting the state health department.

Tennessee National Guard aircrew rescues stroke victim
April 16, 2021 — CLINGMANS DOME, Tenn. – A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew rescued a stroke victim hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.About 9 a.m. April 15, the... MORE

Tennessee National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta begins hoist operations, descending from a Black Hawk helicopter to a stroke victim who was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park April 15, 2021. The patient was flown to a hospital in Knoxville.

SDNG Military Police train for state, federal missions
April 16, 2021 — RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Army National Guard’s 235th Military Police Company conducted a field training exercise April 10 at West Camp Rapid to prepare for its state and federal missions... MORE

Soldiers of the 235th Military Police Detention Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, conduct a tactical road march April 10, 2021, at West Camp Rapid in Rapid City, S.D. The 235th rehearsed mission-essential tasks during a field training exercise to prepare for its state and federal missions.

167th Airmen are force multipliers in fight against COVID-19
April 16, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Approximately 60 Airmen from the 167th Airlift Wing are supporting COVID-19 relief efforts throughout West Virginia, a key component in the fight against the pandemic.Since the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Katie Farrell, an aerospace medical technician with the 167th Medical Group assigned to the West Virginia National Guard’s Task Force Medical – East, administers a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to an Airman in the 167th Airlift Wing dining facility, Martinsburg, West Virginia, April 11, 2021. The vaccine is administered in two shots, with the second shot administered no more than six weeks after the first.

Connecticut Guard members vaccinate nursing home residents
April 16, 2021 — NEW HAVEN, Conn. – As the sun peeks through the clouds on an early spring day, Mary Wade Home resident Marilyn Degnan reflects on the previous year and the shot of hope she felt hearing that the... MORE

Spc. Andres Salgado, 142nd Medical Company combat medic, vaccinates Marilyn Degnan, a resident at the Mary Wade Home in New Haven, Connecticut, April 9, 2021. The Connecticut National Guard assisted the Connecticut Department of Public Health in providing COVID-19 vaccinations to nursing home residents and staff through “Operation Matchmaker.”

Hundreds of Pennsylvania Guard members support vaccinations
April 16, 2021 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – More than 300 Pennsylvania National Guard members are supporting COVID-19 vaccination centers across the commonwealth.Five teams, totaling about 313 Soldiers and Airmen, are... MORE

Spc. Adom Yaa, a combat medic with the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, vaccinates Brittany Gill April 14, 2021, in Lancaster, Pa. Hundreds of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard are supporting vaccination centers across the commonwealth. U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remain committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to local agencies as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.

Georgia Air Guard vaccinates 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers
April 15, 2021 — ATLANTA – Georgia Air National Guard Airmen gave a shot in the arm to the active component, administering the COVID-19 vaccine to U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tiffany Sneeze, a medical technician with the Savannah-based 165th Medical Group, 165th Airlift Wing, vaccinates an U.S. Army Soldier assigned to 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division April 10, 2021, in Atlanta. The Georgia Air National Guard vaccinated active-duty Soldiers who are in Atlanta assisting state and federal agencies at a COVID-19 vaccination site.

Northern Thaw exercise concludes at Volk Field
April 15, 2021 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. – Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, known for lighting up the skies with the annual Northern Lightning exercise, hosted multiple units from around the country for the... MORE

An F-35A assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, takes off for an exercise during Northern Thaw at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin, April 1, 2021.The two-week Northern Thaw exercise was a total force exercise providing tailored, cost-effective, tactical level, high-end combat training.

California Guard security force begins Alaska mission
April 14, 2021 — FORT GREELY, Alaska – Trading the warm sunshine of Southern California for the frozen snowscape of the Alaska Interior, a detachment of Soldiers with the California National Guard’s 330th Military... MORE

Soldiers with the California Army National Guard's 330th Military Police Company arrive at Fairbanks International Airport in Alaska March 30, 2021. The Soldiers will integrate with the Military Ground-based Interceptor Security Company, 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Alaska National Guard, at Fort Greely, to guard the expanding Missile Defense Complex.

NYNG ships over 10 million COVID test kits statewide
April 14, 2021 — TROY, N.Y. – Since last April, the New York National Guard has assembled and shipped more than 10.4 million COVID-19 test kits to public testing sites, nursing homes, schools, universities and... MORE

Army Pfc. Sydney Smith, with the 206th Military Police Company, and Spc. Claude Hamilton, a construction engineer assigned to the 1156th Engineer Company, assemble COVID-19 test kits to be shipped across New York state, at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy April 13, 2021. The Guard has helped assemble and ship 10 million test kits since last April.

Oregon Army Guard Helps Design Future Medevac Technology

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Five Distressed Boaters

W.Va. Guard Deploys Troops in Aftermath of Deadly Flooding

Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting

Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025