Guard News - The National Guard

For injured hikers, Army aircrews a welcome sight from above
October 3, 2019 — GYPSUM, Colo. – Early the morning of July 16, an Army UH-60 Black Hawk rescue crew was alerted to a severely injured hiker who had fallen 500 feet down one of Colorado's tallest peaks.The hiker, a... MORE

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew from the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site lowers a member of Mountain Rescue Aspen down to an injured hiker near the North Maroon Bells Peak near Aspen, Colorado, July 24, 2018. Colorado National Guard Soldiers at HAATS assist in about 20 rescue missions each year.

Rule change lets more Airmen become officers
October 2, 2019 — WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – More enlisted Airmen now have a chance to become officers in the Air National Guard. The regulation that set the maximum age for non-rated officers' commissioning... MORE

First Lt. Damina Townes, the sustainment service officer in charge from the 106th Rescue Wing assigned to the New York Air National Guard, on base Sept. 7, 2019.Townes spent 16 years enlisted and in ROTC before she commissioned in August 2017.

174th Cyber Protection Team fights online battle
October 2, 2019 — DRAPER, Utah – It was a hot Saturday afternoon in July 2005. U.S. forces quickly surrounded an internet café on the outskirts of Baghdad and captured an al-Qaida courier outside. An email was... MORE

Eighteen Soldiers assigned to the Utah Army National Guard's 174th Cyber Protection Team prepare to deploy from Draper, Utah, Jan. 2, 2019. The 174th's mission is to mitigate the enemy's ability to affect operations in the cyber domain.

30th Armored Brigade Combat Team Sappers lead the way
September 30, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – Although their name originated centuries ago with the French translation for “trench digger,” today’s combat engineers, called Sappers, have specialized skills that far exceed the... MORE

U.S. Combat Engineer Soldiers in Alpha and Bravo Companies, 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard, conduct engineer qualification table VI, which includes M2 Bradley live fire and breaching an obstacle, on a training range near Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 26, 2019.

Army helo school tests aircrews high on jagged mountains
September 27, 2019 — Coming from the relatively flat state of New Jersey, Capt. Matthew Munoz recently learned how to land a UH-60 Black Hawk above 12,000 feet... MORE

Students practice on mountainous landing zones during the weeklong training program at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, Colo., Aug. 27, 2019. HAATS instructs about 350 students per year across the U.S. military as well as from foreign militaries. It is mainly run by Colorado Army National Guard Soldiers.

Alaska Air Guardsmen rescue pilot, passenger near river
September 27, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued a pilot and passenger of a crashed Stinson 108 single-engine... MORE

A U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter from the New York Air National Guard’s 101st Rescue Squadron flies for a combat search and rescue training mission during Northern Strike 19 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, July 29, 2019.

National Guard initiatives to address suicide
September 26, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – The Department of Defense’s 2018 Annual Suicide Report released Thursday indicates the National Guard has the highest suicide rate of all military components, underscoring the... MORE

Air Force Col. David Johnson, commander of the 121st Air Refueling Wing, speaks to Airmen about suicide prevention during a "resilience tactical pause'" day at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2019. The National Guard has launched or participated in suicide prevention initiatives throughout 2019. A Department of Defense report released Sept. 26, 2019, underscores the significant challenges the Guard faces in suicide prevention.

PRNG transports ailing baby in face of storm
September 25, 2019 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - With the arrival of Tropical Storm Karen imminent, Puerto Rico National Guard Tuesday airlifted a newborn patient in need of medical care from Vieques to the University of... MORE

Puerto Rico National Guard helps airlift an ailing 28-day-old boy from Vieques to receive care at the University of Puerto Rico Hospital in Carolina Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, with the imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Karen.

PRNG activated due to Tropical Storm Karen
September 23, 2019 — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Puerto Rico National Guard was activated statewide Monday due to the impending passage of Tropical Storm Karen and is prepared to support the government of Puerto Rico, the... MORE

Puerto Rico National Guard members check and fuel military vehicles and electrical generators and replenish water distribution trucks on Aug. 27, 2019, in preparation to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

North Carolina Air National Guard on lifesaving mission
September 23, 2019 — CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing and 156th Airlift Squadron are putting C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to work in their mission of helping to transport... MORE

The C-17 Aircrew from the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte North Carolina participate in the Aeromedical Evacuation Patient Distribution Channel; a mission that is constantly in force moving patients, and casualties of war inflicted wounds, in need of transport from one medical facility to another across the world, while at Andrews Air Force Base, Sept 2, 2019.

Alaska Army Guard evacuates two men for medical care
September 23, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, evacuated two men in Haines Sunday for emergency medical care. A... MORE

Alaska National Guardsmen launch from Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, via a 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with two pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, and an Army critical care flight paramedic from Detachment 2, Golf Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 104th Regiment, on board to conduct continued search-and-rescue operations for a missing aircraft in the vicinity of Rainy Pass, March 12, 2019.

30th ABCT conducts Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise
September 23, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – "It demonstrates the firepower, precision, and lethality of an Armored Brigade Combat Team," said U.S. Army Col. Robert Bumgardner, commander, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team,... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with Delta Troop, 1-150th Cavalry Regiment, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard, conduct a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFX) near Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 20, 2019. The unit is mobilized to support Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East with units from the North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio Army National Guard.

Gowen Field firefighters learn perils of flashover
September 19, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – Firefighters from Gowen Field participated in a unique flashover-training course Sept. 11-13 at Gowen Field.Almost 30 firefighters from the Gowen Field Fire Department and four from the... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jack Simonds, a firefighter with the Gowen Field Fire Department, instructs a fellow Gowen Field firefighter how to recognize the signs of flashover during training in a specialized mobile burn trailer, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, Sept. 13, 2019.

Employers get firsthand look at NY Army National Guard training
September 18, 2019 — CAMP SMITH, N.Y. – Employers from Long Island and the Albany, N.Y., area crammed a four-day training weekend into one day during an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve "boss lift" to the New... MORE

Jerry Anthis, a service manager for Sinclair Fuel on Long Island, gets hints about the M-4 carbine from New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Fredrick Goldacker during a "boss lift" at Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019.

Joint school enhances emergency response rescue capabilities
September 18, 2019 — COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the middle of hurricane season, a unique team of civilian firefighters and Army National Guard helicopter crews work together to hone rescue skills at a school called HART Academy... MORE

The Helicopter Aquatic Rescue (HART) Academy hosts its first joint training at the South Carolina Fire Academy in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 12-16, 2019. The academy is a joint training initiative by South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas between the National Guard and civilian agencies, implementing complex scenarios to ensure seamless response during real-world emergencies.

Soldiers train how to exit an overturned vehicle
September 16, 2019 — FORT BLISS, Texas – To an outsider, it looks like an indoor amusement park, with people strapped into a car that flips and turns, with an attendant at the controls. But, to Soldiers getting ready to... MORE

U.S. Soldiers in Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, train at Fort Bliss, Texas, September 13, 2019, how to safely exit a military vehicle after becoming disoriented in the case of an accident or rollover.

Kentucky Air Guard member received Air Force Cross
September 13, 2019 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A special operations Airman from the Kentucky Air National Guard Friday received the nation's second-highest medal for combat valor for his actions on an Afghanistan battlefield... MORE

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein (left) pins the Air Force Cross to the uniform of Tech. Sgt. Daniel Keller, a combat controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky, Aug.13, 2019. Keller earned the award — second only to the Medal of Honor — for valor on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

US, Japanese armies train in sniper tactics
September 12, 2019 — YAKIMA, Wash. – As a crackle echoes through the sun-drenched valley, a strong male voice can be heard. “Hit.” Another crack. “Miss.” Another three rounds land, a voice with a Japanese accent asks,... MORE

A sniper team from the 25th Infantry Regiment aims to fire while the sniper team from the 2-130th Infantry Regiment fires alongside them during Rising Thunder 2019.

Family safe, NCNG members mission continues
September 12, 2019 — CLINTON, N.C. – A North Carolina National Guard High-Water Vehicle team from 105th Engineer Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company rescued a family of four from their flooded mobile home... MORE

Combat Medic Sgt. Wesley Brantley of the North Carolina National Guard (standing in the truck) and team members Spc. Ruben Baca (right) and Spc. Kaileigh Deanda (left), of the 105th Engineering Battalion, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, in Raeford, North Carolina, load their MTV high-water vehicle with tactical bins in Hurricane Dorian rescue operations Sept. 5, 2019. Tornadoes and heavy rain heavily damaged 38 historic sites.

New system lets Syracuse MQ-9s fly without chase planes
September 11, 2019 — SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Remotely piloted MQ-9 aircraft flying into and out of Syracuse International Airport no longer fly with piloted airplanes, thanks to the installation of a military Ground-Based Detect... MORE

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In

Colorado Army National Guard Conducts Aviation Training for Wildfire Season

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise