Guard News - The National Guard - Category Guard News

Montana Air Guard unit's asset makes disaster communication simpler
April 27, 2012 — GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Since 2007, the 120th Communications Flight has operated a vehicle containing communications equipment that is able to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies occurring... MORE

Wyoming Guard focuses on fire safety at Camp Guernsey
April 27, 2012 — CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. - Efforts to remove dangerous trees left ruined by fires from years past continue as part of a mixed group of safety, reclamation and training programs at the Wyoming National... MORE

Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp Smokebusters Duane Cox (left) and Dustin Steele, clear debris left from past fires on property at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center, Wyo., April 10, 2012. The camp is working to clear potentially hazardous debris to allow for increased use of roadways and trails throughout the camp.

Illinois, Oregon Guard members place third; Colorado, Wisconsin fifth at Best Ranger Competition
April 25, 2012 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - As the creed states, a Ranger is a more elite Soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air. From April 13 to 15 a team of Guard members lived this Creed... MORE

Team 49 during the 29th Annual David E. Grange, Jr. Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., April 13, 2012, made up of (left to right) Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Plocar with the Wisconsin Army National Guard and Army Capt Robert Killian with the Colorado Army National Guard, complete the commando crawl obstacle during the first day of the. Killian and Plocar placed sixth overall in the competition.

Minnesota Guard weather flight conducts joint training exercise
April 25, 2012 — STILLWATER, Minn. - In rainy conditions, the Minnesota National Guard's 208th Weather Flight, 133rd Airlift Wing, conducted a joint field training exercise with Marines at William H. O'Brien State... MORE

Airmen with the 208th Weather Flight of the Minnesota Air National Guard consult their Airman's Manual to confirm the presence of simulated unexploded ordnance from a safe distance. Sixteen members of the 208th along with three U.S. Marines from the Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 U.S. Naval- Marine Corps Reserve Readiness Center are taking part in a field training exercise at William O'Brien State Park on the St. Croix River in Minnesota Apr. 13, 2012.

Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers help with Special Olympics
April 25, 2012 — GRANTHAM, Pa. - Some came to give back to the communities where they grew up. Others attended to show support for friends and fellow Soldiers. All said they learned a valuable lesson - the amount they... MORE

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Shawn Rouvre, a human resources sergeant form the Pennsylvania National Guard, congratulates 15-year-old Jocelyn Nava as she finishes first in a 400-meter run during the Special Olympics Area M Games at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., April 19, 2012.

Officials announce new sexual assault reporting policies
April 24, 2012 — Panetta issued guidance April 20 withholding "initial disposition authority" from any officer who is below the O-6 - colonel or Navy captain - level and who does not hold special court-martial... MORE

Kentucky Air Guard to support, participate in Thunder Over Louisville
April 20, 2012 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing is scheduled to support the 2012 Thunder Over Louisville Air Show April 21, providing logistic and maintenance support for... MORE

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighters taxi into the Louisville Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. April 18, 2012 prior to the 2012 Thunder Over Louisville Air Show. The Raptor Demo Team, based out of Langley Air Force Base, Va., will be one of the show's marquee events. The Kentucky Air Guard is once again supporting military aircraft for Thunder, which has grown to become one of the largest air shows in North America, organizers say.

Wyoming Guard supports Utah during major earthquake exercise
April 20, 2012 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Members of the Wyoming National Guard supported their neighbors in Utah recently as they helped them train and prepare for potential natural disasters, specifically those that could... MORE

Defense Department honors Guard member, DOD personnel for combating sexual assault
April 19, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The Defense Department Wednesday honored the men and women who are on the front lines of the battle against the crime of sexual assault, including Colorado Army National Guard Maj. Alisa... MORE

Maryland Army Guard unveils newest helicopter in its arsenal
April 19, 2012 — CAMP FRETTERD, Md. - The Maryland Army National Guard unveiled Wednesday its first of four UH-72A Lakota helicopters - which will replace the older OH-58A Kiowa as their premier aircraft for civil... MORE

The first of four UH-72A Lakota helicopters - that will be part of the
Maryland Army National Guard's fleet used for civil support, search and rescue and homeland security missions - takes off at Camp Fretterd, Maryland with senior members of the Maryland National Guard aboard for the inaugural flight April 18, 2012. The flight was crewed by Army Lt. Col. Michael Whelan, commander for the Maryland Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Renonzo Belcher, a Lakota pilot and a Baltimore police flight officer and Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Beale, who was the flights crew chief.

Alaska Guard, active-duty service members, Reservists serve rural communities
April 18, 2012 — NOME, Alaska - Blanketed with ice and snow on the Bering Sea coast, most villages here are isolated by miles of open landscape and accessible only by snowmobile and air transportation.However, 285... MORE

Air Force Senior Airman Keisha Eanes, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, administers an eye exam at the Alaska National Guard armory in Nome, April 16, 2012. Optometrists have performed 1,697 procedures, assisting 582 patients during Arctic Care 2012.

Arizona Air Guard members cream of the crop in Air Guard culinary
April 18, 2012 — TUCSON, Ariz. - For only the third time in 18 years, the men and women of the 162nd Force Support Squadron who feed nearly 800 Airmen every training weekend at Tucson International Airport will bring... MORE

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Santos Flores, of the 162nd Force Support Squadron at Tucson International Airport, adds a little "zing" to sheet pans of chicken pieces during the unit's training weekend Feb. 11, 2012. Flores and his fellow foodservice Airmen at the 162nd Fighter Wing captured the 2012 Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth W. Disney Award, and will be traveling to Chicago to receive their honors in May.

Wyoming Air Guard unit conducts annual MAFFS training
April 18, 2012 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Select C-130 Hercules cargo plane crews with the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing began preparing for their mission to fight fires from the air with a new training... MORE

Airmen assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, prepare to load a U.S. Forest Service Modualar Airborne Firefighting System II onto a Wyoming Air Guard C-130 Hercules, April 13, 2012. The annual training maintains currency and upgrade qualifications for pilots, aircrew and ground crews in preparation for the fire season

Ohio Air Guard members win Air Transportation awards
April 17, 2012 — MANSFIELD, Ohio - Recently, two members of the Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing were selected for the Air National Guard's Transportation Senior Noncommissioned and Noncommissioned Officer... MORE

Panetta, Dempsey announce initiatives to stop sexual assault
April 17, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The Pentagon's top civilian and military leaders took their campaign to stop sexual assault in the military to Capitol Hill Monday, where they announced new initiatives to combat the... MORE

From left to right: Congressman Michael Turner (Ohio), General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (California) hold a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. on April 16, 2012. Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey along with Representatives of the Women's Caucus addressed new measures to combat sexual assault in the military. (DoD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo)

Air Guard units close chapters, begin anew
April 16, 2012 — STARKE, Fla. - In the span of a few moments one Florida Air National Guard unit became part of the past, and another became the way of the future.On April 12, the Florida Air Guard's Weather Readiness... MORE

Florida Air National Guard State Command Chief Master Sgt. Robert Lee (left) and Senior Master Sgt. Cory Brown (right) unveil the new official colors for the 131st Training Flight at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, April 12, 2012. The Florida Air National Guard's Weather Readiness Training Center was deactivated and replaced as the 131st Training Flight was activated.

Army Guard top enlisted leader makes time to visit deployed Soldiers
April 16, 2012 — FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan - Far off the beaten path in the mountains of southern Afghanistan is typically not the place you would expect to find Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J... MORE

Army Command Sgt. Richard J. Burch, the Army National Guard command sergeant major, awards a coin for outstanding performance to Army Spc. Jonathon Richards during a visit with the Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development Team 4 on April 4, 2012 in southern Afghanistan.

Kenyan native gives back to new home through service in National Guard
April 16, 2012 — KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Army Pvt. Paul Baiywo has only been in the United States for about five years, but this Kenyan native has made the decision to serve in the Missouri Army National Guard as a means... MORE

Army Pvt. Paul Baiywo (right) takes his first physical fitness assessment at the Raytown High School track while his recruiter, Army Sgt. Jerry Simons, encourages him to do as many push-ups as he can April 16, 2012.

Wisconsin Airman hits the ground running for marathon team try-out
April 16, 2012 — MADISON, Wis. - In 2010, Airman 1st Class Robert Miles ran only the second marathon of his life – he won.Now, nearly two years and six marathons later, he's 26.2 miles away from a chance at making the... MORE

Airman 1st Class Robert Miles, assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard, runs the 1.5 mile portion of his annual physical fitness assessment April 15, 2012. Miles is also training for the Lincoln National Guard Marathon scheduled to take place May 6 in Lincoln, Neb., for a chance to make the National Guard Marathon Team, the Guard's top runners who then travel with the team and compete in various events throughout the year.

South Dakota Guard Civil Support Team trains with civilian first responders
April 13, 2012 — KEYSTONE, S.D. - The South Dakota National Guard 82nd Civil Support Team worked through a new training scenario involving the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation's bomb squad and personnel... MORE

Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcia Hento, from the 82nd Civil Support Team, decontaminates Riley Cook, a member of the South Dakota's Division of Criminal Investigation bomb squad, after he collected samples from a package leaking a hazardous chemical during an emergency response training exercise at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, April 11, 2012. The DCI bomb squad partnered with the South Dakota National Guard's 82nd CST to test equipment and procedures while working together. The CST specializes in chemical, biological and radiological detection and the DCI has expertise with the disposal of explosive ordnances.

National Guard Supports Wildfire Suppression Efforts From the Midwest to West Coast

Puerto Rico Guard Airmen Build Force Support Readiness

National Guard Awards Contract to Support Mobilized DC Troops

West Virginia Guard Activated to Assist With Flood Response

Idaho Guard Rescues Injured Hiker