Guard News - The National Guard

General Milley: After 9/11, “America’s Army National Guard was everywhere.”
September 22, 2015 — WASHINGTON – Most Americans can tell one story about where we were during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but the Army and the Air National Guard can tell thousands about where they were, General... MORE

General Milley praises National Guard partnership building
September 22, 2015 — WASHINGTON – The National Guard fights America’s wars, guards the homeland and builds partnerships – and the Army chief of staff praised the Guard’s emphasis on partnerships as part of the key to its... MORE

General Milley: “Nothing’s sacred”
September 22, 2015 — WASHINGTON – Leaders at all levels should question how the Army does business, General Mark Milley told National Guard members Sept. 11, offering examples of potential changes affecting the Guard,... MORE

General Milley: “There is only one Army”
September 22, 2015 — WASHINGTON – Want to avoid angering the new chief of staff of the Army? Make sure you include the National Guard and Reserve when discussing end strength. “Much of America’s Army’s capacity is... MORE

Gen. Mark Milley addresses National Guard leaders in Nashville, Tennessee on Sept. 11, 2015.

Tank renovation for museum teaches history to New York Soldiers
September 22, 2015 — SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - What began as a task during his spare time turned into a history lesson for New York Army National Guard Spc. Jonathon Bishop.Bishop is a full-time machinist and mechanic at... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Jonathon Bishop, Co. B, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, attaches a clevis fastener on a refurbished World War II-era M4A3 Sherman tank on permanent display at the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, Sept. 15, 2015. National Guard Soldiers working full time at the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site, or MATES, at Fort Drum, spent the past 22 months refurbishing and repainting the tank in their spare time.

New York Army Guard Soldiers take to the water, train on small boat insertion techniques
September 17, 2015 — BUFFALO, N.Y. - Reconnaissance is all about stealth and sometimes stealth means getting wet. Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment found that... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Aaron Lawrence and Spc. Zach Bouley, two infantrymen assigned to Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, recon a landing site in advance of an inbound F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a training exercise in Buffalo, N.Y, Sept. 13, 2015. During the exercise, Soldiers from the troop conducted waterborne operations and practiced covertly deploying to a simulated enemy beachhead.

Oregon Guard Soldier Skarlatos awarded Soldier’s Medal for actions to subdue gunman on Paris-bound train
September 17, 2015 — WASHINGTON - Spc. Aleksander Skarlatos, an infantryman with the Oregon Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, was awarded the Soldier's Medal in a ceremony at the Pentagon for... MORE

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, left, pins the Soldier's Medal on the uniform of Spc. Aleksander Skarlatos, of the Oregon Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Skarlatos received the award--the highest award for heroism in a non-combat situation--for his role in subduing a heavily armed gunman on a Paris-bound train in August. Looking on is Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Gen. Frank Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau.

Building esprit de corps, cohesion via a lesson in history
September 16, 2015 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Developing subordinates professionally is the hallmark of a good command leadership program, as is building esprit de corps and unit cohesion. A staff ride is one of the tools for senior leaders to develop all three. ... MORE

James A. Rosebrock, a certified battlefield guide with the National Park Service, briefs Soldiers from the National Guard Bureau's Soldier and Family Support Division during a staff ride at Antietam National Battlefield, Sept. 14, 2015 near Sharpsburg, Md. A staff ride is a tool used by a commander to build unit cohesion and esprit de corps among Soldiers through the use of historical lessons learned, relating the past to the present.

Minnesota National Guard fun runs highlight the ‘Power of One’ in suicide prevention
September 15, 2015 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. -The Minnesota National Guard hosted two suicide prevention fun runs at Camp Ripley and Arden Hills Army Training Site, September 12-13, to raise awareness and establish a renewed... MORE

The Minnesota National Guard hosted two suicide prevention fun runs at Camp Ripley and Arden Hills Army Training Site, September 12-13, 2015, to raise awareness and establish a renewed emphasis on preventing suicide. The events focused on the 'Power of One,' or the ability of one person to make a difference and save a life.

New York Army Guard helicopter and crew will assist Southwest law enforcement
September 15, 2015 — LATHAM, N.Y. - The New York Army National Guard is sending one of its two UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters and a four-member aircrew to the Arizona/Mexico border today.The aircraft and crew will... MORE

The New York National Guard's counterdrugs aviation unit received two UH-72A Lakotas in June 2012. The Lakotas are equipped with forward-looking infrared cameras, giving pilots the ability to see clearly in both day and night. One helicopter and crew are deploying to the Southwest USA to assist in border control.

Alaska National Guard rescues three from sinking boat
September 14, 2015 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued three people in Cook Inlet on Sept. 11.The three were stranded on a... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Dave Torrance, 210th Rescue Squadron Special Mission Aviator with the Alaska Air National Guard’s HH-60 Pave Hawks, mans the hoist cable system during a training mission above Homer, Alaska. The cable hoist system is used to lower pararescuemen to treat and rescue potential victims when the weather or terrain does not allow for the helicopter to land. Three boaters were rescued Sept. 11, 2015, by a similar system.

On 14th anniversary of terror attacks, Soldiers and Airmen remember vividly
September 11, 2015 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Will you ever forget where you were, or what you were doing on Sept. 11, 2001, when two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center in New York, another crashed into the Pentagon,... MORE

Two members of the National Guard stand beneath one of hundreds of American flags that have been hoisted or worn by rescue workers at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center in New York on Sept, 19, 2001.

Air National Guard's Ready Airman website and mobile app are updated
September 4, 2015 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -The Air National Guard Community Action Information Board, in partnership with the safety, personnel and manpower, chaplains, and Surgeon General Directorates, have updated... MORE

The Ready Airman website and mobile apps have been revised for users.

Oregon Guard Airmen and Soldiers conducting fire cleanup as blazes burn in five Western states
September 4, 2015 — SALEM, Ore. - Members of the Oregon National Guard are conducting wildfire cleanup operations in support of ongoing firefighting efforts throughout Oregon.;The Oregon Soldiers are among more than... MORE

Oregon State Command Sgt. Maj. Shane Lake, center, receives instruction from Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers as he learns how to perform their work during wildfire cleanup operations in support of firefighting efforts at the Grizzly Bear Complex near Elgin, Oregon, Sept. 2, 2105. The Oregon National Guard was activated in August by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and deployed to fire camps throughout the state to assist firefighters.

As Suicide Prevention Month begins, Army Guard focuses on building resilience and identifying suicide warning signs
September 3, 2015 — ARLINGTON, Va. - As part of events marking the start of National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, senior Army National Guard leaders have called on Soldiers to take action and take proactive... MORE

Army Lt. Gen. Timothy Kadavy, the director of the Army National Guard, talks with those in attendance during the kick-off event for Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Virginia, Sept. 1, 2015. Tying into a larger national program and spotlight on suicide awareness, events throughout the month of September are planned as a way to raise greater awareness on the warning signs and triggers of suicide while working to stress that suicide is preventable.

Preparedness vital to defense readiness, official says
September 1, 2015 — WASHINGTON — Today marks the start of National Preparedness Month, and while preparedness calls for year-round attention, it is a good opportunity to remind Defense Department personnel and their... MORE

North Dakota Army National Guard members Sgt. Preston Steele, right, and Spc. Jeremy Kasperson attach a towing chain to a partially submerged vehicle on a washed out section of gravel road west of Harwood, North Dakota, March 25, 2015. The driver of the vehicle was able to escape the car and make his way to safety before help arrived. The Soldiers are assigned to the 815th Engineer Company.

Louisiana National Guard better, stronger 10 years after Katrina
August 28, 2015 — NEW ORLEANS – Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated southeastern Louisiana.Three weekslater, Hurricane Rita did the same in southwestern Louisiana. The LouisianaNational Guard played a crucial... MORE

Soldiers and Airmen from the Louisiana National Guard work at a distribution point in the Bywater area of New Orleans to distribute food, water and ice to citizens in need of resources after Hurricane Isaac, Sep. 1, 2012. The LANG had more than 6,000 Soldiers and Airmen on duty to support people, local and state authorities by conducting Hurricane Isaac operations.

Texas-based Engineer Brigades embrace Army Total Force Policy to complete a 17-mile road construction project
August 28, 2015 — BROWNWOOD, Texas – Army Engineers from across Texas came together during a 25-day roadway construction project spanning 17 miles along the perimeter of the Camp Bowie Training Center in Brownwood,... MORE

Soldiers from the 420th Engineer Brigade pose for a photograph while participating in a 25-day roadway construction project spanning 17 miles along the perimeter of the Camp Bowie Training Center in Brownwood from July 6-30, 2015.

Guard members reflect on Hurricane Katrina and the Guard’s ‘finest hour’
August 28, 2015 — ARLINGTON, Va. – When Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Stacey Besselman—the spouse of a Soldier assigned to the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Infantry... MORE

Taking a break from sorting through the damage left by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Stacey Besselman stands on the front porch of her Jackson Barracks home October 1, 2005. Besselman's home was one of many buildings on Jackson Barracks that had been submerged by flood waters as a result of Hurricane Katrina. "The worst part was actually moving through the parishes to get here and seeing the devastation and fearing the worst," said Besselman, commenting on returning to her home. Besselman's husband is 2nd Lt. William Besselman, of the Louisiana Army National Guard's B Company, 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team.

The Arkansas National Guard remembers its Katrina role
August 28, 2015 — LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Arkansas National Guard began its association with the Hurricane Katrina disaster several days before the storm made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005.Before the storm hit, during the... MORE

Ground level near the Superdome from inside an Arkansas National Guard Humvee. Water, water everywhere.

Maine Guard Airmen Exercise Rapid-Response Communications Skills

Louisiana Guard Hosts International Interrogation Competition to Build Readiness

Air Reserve Component Test Center Marks Milestone With F-35 Test Force at Eglin AFB

Texas Guard Members Bolster Border Patrol Efforts along Rio Grande

Washington Army Guard Soldiers Participate in Norwegian Foot March