Guard News - The National Guard

Pennsylvania National Guard breaks ground for new aviation maintenance instruction building
November 4, 2014 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Maj. Gen. Wesley Craig, adjutant general of Pennsylvania, representatives from the Pennsylvania National Guard, elected officials, and members of Senate Builders and Leidos... MORE

State Rep. Rose Marie Swanger, Eugene J. McNally III, president of Senate Builders, Mark W. Kindig of Leidos Engineering, Maj. Gen. Wesley Craig, Pennsylvania adjutant general, and Col. Todd Levendoski, commander of Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS) facility, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 31, 2014, for the construction of a new aviation maintenance instruction building.

New York Guard's 24th Civil Support Team hones skills at water supply site
November 4, 2014 — EAST FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Last Monday started like any other in this Long Island town. Then a local business owner noticed unusual vehicle traffic around the Suffolk County Water Authority pumping... MORE

Members of the New York National Guard's 24th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team exit the decontamination tent during a drill at the Suffolk County Water Authority's New Highway Pump Station, Oct. 27, 2014. National Guard civil support teams are trained to identify the presence of chemical, biological, or radiological agents and provide that information to local authorities. The exercise tested response protocols to intruder events and to identify and correct any existing weaknesses in station security.

Joining Community Forces taps National Guard’s nationwide presence to help all service members
November 3, 2014 — KINGWOOD, West Va. - The National Guard's unique presence in almost every ZIP Code makes it uniquelysuited to expand and sustain a White House initiative to honor military serviceby supporting those... MORE

Speakers addressed a military and civilian audience at Camp Dawson, W. Va., Oct. 30, 2014. A three-day, first-ever national Joining Community Forces Workshop wrapped up Oct. 31 between local, state and federal representatives.

Virginia Army Guard takes part in exchange program with Danish Home Guard
October 30, 2014 — FORT PICKETT, Va. - Members of the Virginia Army National Guard recently concluded four weeks of working hand-in-hand with members of the Danish Home Guard as part of the Department of Defense Reserve... MORE

Danish military officers visit the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute Oct. 3, 2014, as part of a Department of Defense Reserve Officer Foreign Exchange, held Oct. 1-7, in cooperation with the Virginia National Guard. The visitors received a capabilities brief from each of the three battalions in the regiment, toured the RTI facility and learned about the various course offerings taught at the schoolhouse.

West Virginia Airman saves woman from knife-wielding son in store
October 29, 2014 — LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - It was just another trip to Wal-Mart for 2nd Lt. Joshua Nelson when he popped in to grab some fish hooks for a family trip to the lake this past spring. Little did he... MORE

2nd Lt. Joshua Nelson, a West Virginia Airman and state delegate, was credited for stopping a potential murder, then stopping a potential suicide, during a trip to Wal-Mart.

North Carolina National Guard activates third Special Operations Forces unit
October 29, 2014 — The North Carolina Army National Guard welcomed its newest unit of quiet professionals during an activation ceremony at the Claude T. Bowers Military Center drill hall Oct. 18, 2014... MORE

The Special Operations Detachment-X conducted a unit activation ceremony at the Claude T. Bowers Military Center, Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 18, 2014. SOD-X is the newest unit of the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Kiowa helicopters find new life in Florida after National Guard retirement
October 28, 2014 — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - One of the Army's oldest and most reliable helicopters is leaving the Florida National Guard.For more than four decades the OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters buzzed through... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer Sean Hogan of the Florida Army National Guard, right, points out the military features of an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter to Chief Pilot Richard Bray of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 16, 2014, at Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Three of the remaining Florida National Guard Kiowas based in Jacksonville are being transferred to different Florida sheriffs’ offices to augment their aviation programs.

California National Guard earns sexual assault prevention award
October 28, 2014 — SACRAMENTO - The California National Guard (CNG) was honored Monday with the Defense Department's inaugural Sexual Assault Prevention Innovation Award, recognizing California as the state whose... MORE

Air Force Brig. Gen. Dawne Deskins, New York National Guard, spearheads the Air Force National Guard's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program for the 100,000 members of the Air National Guard.

New York's 106th Rescue Wing base honor guard sets a high bar
October 22, 2014 — WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. - With 619 funerals conducted in the 2013-14 fiscal year, the 106th Rescue Wing’s Base Honor Guard is the busiest honor guard team in the Air National Guard.The team is also... MORE

Members of the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing Base Honor Guard rehearse a flag folding and presentation ceremony at Gabreski Air National Guard Base Oct. 16, 2014. The Honor Guard Airmen performed more than 619 ceremonies in 2013. This was more than any other Air National Guard Honor Guard in the U.S.

North Carolina chaplain fighting breast cancer on her own terms
October 22, 2014 — RALEIGH, N.C. – Two weeks ago in Franklinton, North Carolina, National Guard Chaplain Maj. Melissa Culbreth sat laughing and joking in a chair on the front porch of the farm where she works, while her... MORE

North Carolina National Guard Maj. Melissa Culbreth before and after she shaved her head during a party at Serenity Grace Farm on Oct. 12, 2014. Culbreth, who is the chaplain for the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, recently started chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer for a third time and said she wanted to take her hair on her own terms before she lost it as a side effect of the chemo.

For its 27th season, New York's 109th Air Wing flies to Antarctica
October 17, 2014 — STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. - The first LC-130 Hercules aircraft took off for Antarctica today, marking the 27th season the 109th Airlift Wing has supported the National Science Foundation... MORE

Airmen prep the first LC-130 Hercules headed to Antarctica. The aircraft and aircrew with the 109th Airlift Wing took off from Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York, on Oct. 17, 2014. The aircraft is headed to Antarctica for the Wing's 27th year participating in Operation Deep Freeze in support of the National Science Foundation. The 109th AW boasts the U.S. military's only ski-equipped aircraft, which has been supporting the NSF's South Pole research since 1988.

Civil Support Teams - new tactics for new threats
October 17, 2014 — ARLINGTON, Va. - After 9/11, the Department of Defense mandated that the National Guard increase its emphasis on the kinds of threats the United States was likely to see from terrorist organizations... MORE

Team members of the 102nd Civil Support Team, Oregon National Guard, conduct a decontamination training and evaluation exercise at the old Silverton High School in Silverton, Oregon, in 2011. Sgt. 1st Class Rowena Simshaw and Staff Sgt. April Henrickx of the Decon Team, 102nd Civil Support Team, aid in decontaminating other team members.

Obama activates National Guard, Reserves for Operation United Assistance
October 17, 2014 — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has authorized the Defense Department to call up a small number of National Guard or reserve troops that possess special skills needed to aid efforts in stopping... MORE

Airmen with the 123rd Contingency Response Group prepare for their deployment to West Africa from the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 2, 2014. The Guardsmen are working to set up a logistics hub in support of Operation United Assistance.

At Air Guard town hall meeting, Grass praises worldwide enduring relationships
October 17, 2014 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. - Fighting our nation's wars, defending the homeland and building partnerships were among many topics addressed by Army General Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard... MORE

Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs, addresses Air National Guard Airmen and civilians Oct 15, 2014, at the ANG Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to review the strategic direction of the National Guard, budgetary issues and recognize the performance of ANG directorates.

Texas Guard member saves roommate's life after gunshot accident
October 15, 2014 — GRAPEVINE, Texas – A Texas Army National Guard soldier saved his roommate’s life after the accidental discharge of a weapon in July. Pfc. Wil Ledford, 19, of Grapevine, used skills and techniques that he had just been taught two months prior while attending the Combat Medic School... MORE

Pfc. Wil Ledford is credited with saving the life of his rooommate after an accident in their apartment. Ledford, of Grapevine, Texas, is a newly trained Combat Medic in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard.

Army Guard Soldier takes home second place in Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition
October 14, 2014 — FORT LEE, Va. - Twenty eight enlisted Soldiers and noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, from across the Army's 14 commands competed in a mentally and physically challenging competition here to see who... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. Devin Jameson Sr., a combat medic with the Utah Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 640th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), evaluates a casualty during the warrior task and battle drill event at the 2014 Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition, Oct. 7, 2014 at Fort Lee, Va. Jameson represented the Army National Guard as its top noncommissioned officer of the year.

Wisconsin Citizen-Airmen helped keep planes flying during Chicago center closure
October 14, 2014 — VOLK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Wis. - When a fire struck the Chicago Air Traffic Control Center on Sept. 26, Air National Guard air traffic control Airmen from Volk Field Air National Guard Base in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, were called into action... MORE

Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson, Combat Readiness Training Center RADAR approach control chief controller, and Jeff McCluskey, Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control specialist, work together to control airspace at the ATC center at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, Oct. 6, 2014. The FAA sent civilian ATC specialists to Volk Field following a fire at the Chicago ATC Center. Two of the FAA ATC specialists were also Volk Field guardsmen.

Army Guard’s first cyber protection team activated; receives new shoulder sleeve insignia
October 10, 2014 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The Army National Guard's first cyber protection team received its new shoulder sleeve insignia Oct. 7 during a ceremony conducted by Army Cyber Command, or ARCYBER, at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland... MORE

Army Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons, right, acting director of the Army National Guard, joins Army Col. Jayson Spade, left, commander of the 1st Information Operations Command (Land) and Army Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon, commander of Army Cyber Command and Second Army, in placing the Cyber Command shoulder sleeve insignia on the uniform of Army Maj. Hung Diep, commander of the 1636th Cyber Protection Team in a patch ceremony at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, Tuesday Oct. 7, 2014. The 1636th CPT is the first Army National Guard cyber protection team to be activated and is one of 10 cyber protection teams planned throughout the Army Guard.

Active wildland fire season proved challenging for Guard responders
October 9, 2014 — ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guard members from five western states have wrapped up a busy wildland firefighting season, closing out a year that saw more than 4 million gallons of water and retardant... MORE

A 146th Airlift Wing C-130J during MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) annual training and re-certification held at the146th Airlift Wing, Channel Islands Air National Guard Station. Media and visitors were present nearby to watch this drop near Point Mugu, Calif., April 9, 2014.

Commentary: Making the final journey with a friend, mentor and Soldier
October 8, 2014 — MIAMI - The flight attendant's voice cracked somewhat, which added to the impact of the words, "... we have the honor of carrying a fallen Soldier on today's flight-Col. Tomas DeLeon... "It had been a... MORE

Police cars were among emergency vehicles that greeted the flight carrying the body of Col. Tomas DeLeon at Miami International Airport.

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