Guard News - The National Guard

Army Guard cyber event entices future Soldiers
May 13, 2021 — BEEBE, Ark. - Fatigued but determined, a squad of new Soldiers was within a football field of the final objective — a radio tower they needed to take out.The newbies had already cleared buildings of... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gregory Backus, an information protection technician with the Army National Guard’s Professional Education Center, initiates a cyberattack on the computer networks of students participating in Interactive War Games, a cyber awareness event at Arkansas State University-Beebe, April 28, 2021. Backus was showing students what a cyberattack looked like as they were participating in simulated battlefield drills from laptop computers.

Oklahoma Army Guard trains response to aviation accident
May 13, 2021 — TULSA, Okla. – Fire trucks and ambulances swarmed the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s Aviation Support Facility 2 in a training exercise May 12. The first responders from multiple Tulsa area agencies... MORE

Firefighters and other first responders extract a simulated casualty played by an Oklahoma Army National Guard Citizen-Soldier from a mock helicopter crash during training at the Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 12, 2021. The training prepares Army aviation units to respond to accidents ranging from slip and falls to mass casualty events.

Air Guard unit provides essential satellite communications
May 12, 2021 — VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A small Air National Guard squadron perched on a scrub oak-covered hilltop on the central coast of California makes a big contribution to the Combined Force Space... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Jaime Gomez, undergoing mission qualification training to operate the Advanced Extreme High Frequency Satellite Mission Control Subsystem, wears his unit patch on his right sleeve at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., April 16, 2021. His unit, the 148th Space Operations Squadron, operates the U.S. Space Force's protected Military Satellite Communications system, providing warfighters global, secure, survivable, strategic and tactical communication.

Tennessee National Guard aircrew rescues stranded hiker
May 12, 2021 — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew rescued a hiker who was having difficulty breathing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park May 9.Shortly before 7 a.m., 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.

41st Civil Support Team conducts annual WMD training
May 11, 2021 — BARDSTOWN, Ky. – The Kentucky National Guard's 41st Civil Support Team (CST) tested its readiness to respond to threats from weapons of mass destruction March 15-18.This certification is conducted... MORE

Kentucky National Guard Soldiers with the 41st Civil Support Team scan each other for radioactive readings or potential biohazards exposure before returning to the command team March 15, 2021, during an evaluation exercise.

NYNG, Forest Rangers train for helicopter firefighting
May 11, 2021 — COLONIE, N.Y. – New York and Connecticut Army National Guard UH-60 aircrews and forest rangers with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation honed their helicopter wildfire-fighting... MORE

New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jake Pratt, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief assigned to the 2rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger prepare to deploy water during helicopter firefighting training over the Mohawk River in Colonie, New York, May 6, 2021. Aircrews based at the Albany International Airport in Latham, New York, trained with aviators from the Connecticut Army National Guard and forest rangers in preparation for the summer wildfire season.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues four stranded boaters
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued four people and a dog May 10... MORE

Sgt. Rosalind Stromberg, a crew chief from 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard, looks over the Kuskokwim River from the door of a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter during a rescue mission May 10, 2021. The helicopter aircrew rescued four people and their dog from their boat on the river after they became stuck between Bethel and Kwethluk because of ice.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues two near Knik Glacier
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Aircrew from the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued a father and his daughter near Knik Glacier after their off-road... 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.

Partnerships forged during aerial firefighting training
May 7, 2021 — SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – In the dry heat of the high desert, the California and Nevada Air National Guard, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and multiple other firefighting agencies across the United... MORE

C130-E Hercules aircraft from the 152nd Airlift Wing during MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) training at the San Bernardino Air Tanker Base, California. May 5, 2021.

Airmen and Soldiers learn to communicate in joint training
May 7, 2021 — BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – Bringing Airmen and Soldiers together through joint training is essential to increasing the interoperability of the Air and Army National Guard.Strong... MORE

Senior Airman Ivan Villavicencio, of the 104th Security Forces Squadron, signals to responders as a medical helicopter approaches during a joint training exercise between the Massachusetts Air and Army National Guard on March 12, 2021, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.

63rd Civil Support Team trains with City of Altus
May 7, 2021 — Members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team partnered with first responders and emergency personnel from the City of Altus for a 72-hour field exercise, May 4-6... MORE

Members of the 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma National Guard, partner with first responders as part of a 72-hour field exercise in Altus, Oklahoma, May 4-6, 2021.

This multi-day training event is one of several exercise scheduled around the state this year designed to test Guard members, emergency management personnel and first responders ability to quickly work to together during natural and man-made disasters. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Geoff Legler)

Delaware, West Virginia Air Guard units team up for training
May 7, 2021 — NEW CASTLE, Del. — The key to any airlift mission is safely and effectively loading and unloading the cargo, regardless of the type of aircraft. The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to... MORE

The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to conduct a joint cargo loading exercise as part of the 166th's home station operational readiness exercise on May 3 at New Castle Air National Guard Base, Delaware.

COVID milestone: Guard vaccinates 10 million people
May 6, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. — Ten million moms, dads, grandparents, friends, co-workers and neighbors are now vaccinated thanks to the ongoing efforts of National Guard members who are administering shots “in the... MORE

Specialist Jennifer Phillips, a combat medic with the Michigan Army National Guard’s Task Force Red Lion COVID-19 vaccination/testing team, administers the vaccination to employees and their families during a walk-in clinic for the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Michigan, April 28, 2021.

Portland Airmen participate in Sentry Savannah 2021
May 6, 2021 — SAVANNAH, Ga. – Recently, Sentry Savannah, the Air National Guard’s primary large-scale 4th and 5th generation fighter exercise, concluded after several days of hard-hitting training off the coast of... MORE

Portland partakes in Sentry Savannah 2021

Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, CST units train together
May 6, 2021 — FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — The Florida National Guard's 44th Civil Support Team geared up responding to a training scenario where an unknown chemical and/or biological threat was detected. They... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Gregory Kassner, a team member with the 44th Civil Support Team collects a sample of potentially hazardous material during a multi-CST exercise in Ft. Walton Beach, Tuesday May 4.

Chief details National Guard contributions in a year of trial
May 5, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. –Over the past year, National Guard members were called on time and again to help their fellow U.S. citizens. They deployed to operations around the world, National Guard Bureau Chief... MORE

The Louisiana National Guard's 3rd Battalion of the 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, take part in their deployment ceremony in Lafayette, La., Nov. 10, 2020. This unit joins the approximately 2,000 Louisiana guardsmen deploying to the Middle East to support U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operations.

2021 Lincoln National Guard Marathon
May 5, 2021 — LINCOLN, Neb. - After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen representing 42 different states and U.S. territories returned to the 2021 Lincoln... MORE

National Guard members run in front of the Nebraska State Capitol building on Sunday, May 2, 2021, during the annual Lincoln Marathon.

167th emergency responders participate in all hazards exercise
May 5, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.V. – The 167th Airlift Wing emergency responders participated in a week-long, all hazards response training exercise, April 26-30.Facilitated by Federal Resources, the Counter CBRN... MORE

Chris Keesee, center, CBRN training project manager for Federal Resources, assists U.S. Air Force 1st Lt Samuel Gerard, with 167th bioenvironmental engineering, and Staff Sgt. Austin Lloyd, 167th Airlift Wing firefighter, as they test an unknown substance on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft as part of a Counter CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) All-Hazard Management Response, or CAMR, exercise at the 167th AW, Shepherd Field, Martinsburg, West Virginia, April 30, 2021. CAMR is a hybrid program of classroom lecture, discussion and tabletop exercises that culminate in a full scale emergency response exercise.

Interagency training preps Cal Guard for aerial firefighting
May 5, 2021 — SUTTER CREEK, Calif. – Wildfires are an unfortunate reality many Californians face each year, and as 2021 unfolds as an arid year, the threat of wildfires is increased throughout the state. Between... MORE

A U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopter from the 129th Rescue Wing, California National Guard, deploys its water bucket on a simulated fire during annual joint aerial fire fighting training near Ione, California, April 24, 2021.

SDNG trains with firefighters on hazmat response
May 4, 2021 — RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota National Guard’s 82nd Civil Support Team worked with the Rapid City Fire Department on annual hazardous materials training April 28-29. The joint training enables... MORE

U.S. Army Capt. Russ Reed checks the protective equipment of Staff Sgt. Jerico Witte as members of the South Dakota National Guard’s 82nd Civil Support Team and the Rapid City Fire Department conduct annual hazardous material training in Rapid City, S.D., April 29, 2021.

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