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Obama, Panetta Praise Military Veterans' Service
November 10, 2011 — WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today joined President Barack Obama in recognizing the contributions veterans have made throughout U.S. history and the sacrifices U.S. military members... MORE

National Guard, local agencies train for disaster at Vigilant Guard
November 10, 2011 — PHOENIX - Firefighters and civil support team members donned hazardous materials suits in response to a simulated building collapse when a nuclear bomb detonation downtown, generating thousands of... MORE

National Guard members of the 270th Military Police Company from the California National Guard prepare to transport a role-play victim from a decontamination tent to medical triage after a simulated nuclear explosion during Vigilant Guard here, Nov. 4. Vigilant Guard is a three-day practical exercise, simulating an improvised nuclear device detonating, and evaluates military and civilian agency cooperation and communication in a time of disaster.

JSLC: Defense cuts an opportunity for National Guard, McKinley says
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - An era of deep defense cuts is an opportunity for the National Guard, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Monday.Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are drawing... MORE

ir Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, introduces Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the National Guard 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 8, 2011.

JSLC: Last decade another shining moment in Army Guard's 375-year history
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Army Guard members have contributed one of the finest decades of service in the Guard's 375-year history, the acting director said here... MORE

Army Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter, acting director of the Army National Guard, gives an overview of the state of the Army Guard during the 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at Gaylord National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Md. Nov. 7, 2011.

Title: JSLC: Strongest-ever National Guard vital to war effort, Panetta says
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - At its strongest in its 375-year history, the National Guard has been indispensable to the warfight, the secretary of defense said here Tuesday."As we approach the milestone of... MORE

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta talks with Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, at the National Guard 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., Nov. 8, 2011.

JSLC: Dempsey gives National Guard leaders vision of 2020 military strategy
November 7, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey gave National Guard leaders the CliffsNotes version of U.S. military strategy for 2020 during a talk at the Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and Air Force. Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, during the National Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 7, 2011.

JSLC: Military must work to keep America's trust, Dempsey tells National Guard
November 7, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The military is among the most admired institutions in America, and service leaders must work to ensure that continues, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, speaks to National Guard members, during the National Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference Nov. 7, 2011.

Vigilant Guard: California National Guard Homeland Response Force prepares for worst
November 7, 2011 — PHOENIX - They're the last in line in any catastrophe, but the first to be relied upon to bring closure.During the 2011 Arizona Statewide Vigilant Guard Exercise in Phoenix, National Guard Airmen from... MORE

Airmen from the California and Arizona National Guard combine to form a Fatality Search and Recovery Team on Nov. 4, 2011, during the 2011 Arizona Statewide Vigilant Guard Exercise in Phoenix. During a recovery training assignment, they prepare to load a simulated nuclear blast victim onto a gurney. Shown: Senior Airman Jonathan Massey, Staff Sgt. Margarita Chavez, Tech. Sgt. Jacob Sulwer and Staff Sgt. Aaron Bisher.

Air Guard, Reserve benefit from off-the-shelf equipment solutions
November 4, 2011 — WASHINGTON - By using ideas from recently deployed Airmen and off-the-shelf technology, the reserve components have developed new equipment that saved lives and led to highly successful combat... MORE

Air Force Col. Eric Mann, the Air National Guard director of requirements, addresses congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28, 2011. The National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriations, the reserve components' primary way of modernizing their forces, was discussed. Officials said this special funding results in a streamlined process that saves lives, increases combat capability and speeds high-tech acquisitions.

Army Guard Soldier makes different kind of sacrifice for battle buddy
November 4, 2011 — FARGO, N.D.- Army Spc. John Chase wasn't feeling his best when he came home on a two-week leave from his second Afghanistan deployment in May 2010. Soon after a family vacation and just before he was... MORE

Army Spc. John Chase undergoes kidney dialysis treatment Sept. 23, 2011 at a dialysis center Grand Forks, N.D., as Army Sgt. Francisco Raatz looks on. Both Soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, of the North Dakota Army National Guard. Raatz would soon be donating a kidney to his battle buddy as a result of Chase's kidneys failing him about 17 months earlier.

Indiana Guard members save lives, credit military training with fast response
November 4, 2011 — INDIANAPOLIS,- Two Indiana National Guard Soldiers helped save the lives of more than 20 people on a September evening when the apartment across from where they live went up in flames.Army Spc... MORE

An apartment building burns during a fire in which two Indiana members helped save the lives of more than 20 people in September 2011. Army Spc. Michael Conley and Spc. Caleb Goldsberry of the 384th Military Police Company acted quickly and attribute their quick responses to their National Guard training.

Army Guard sees unexpectedly high retention rate
November 2, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Department announced recruiting and retention numbers for the 2011 fiscal year recently, stating that the Army National Guard intentionally achieved only 95 percent of its... MORE

Burch, SMA, Army Reserve CSM visit sends "one Army" message
November 2, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - During what has been viewed as a significant and historic trip, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, recently spent time... MORE

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J. Burch, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, visits with Soldiers of the 230th Signal Company, Tennessee Army National Guard, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, to discuss the future of the Army National Guard and answer Soldiers' questions Oct. 20, 2011.

Study: No relationship found between service members' health and burn pits
November 2, 2011 — WASHINGTON - No evidence was found between exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and long-term health problems, according to a study released here Monday by the Institute of Medicine.A... MORE

Army secretary: Balance needed as wars draw down
November 2, 2011 — WASHINGTON - With the drawdown of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, talented Soldiers will need to be retained while Army infrastructure draws down, and the American people and warfighters need to... MORE

Roy: Guard members should tell their story
October 31, 2011 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Air National Guard is in the fight and it is up to each and every Guard member to tell their story to their families, employers and fellow service members, the chief master... MORE

Guard mobilizes after severe October snowstorm
October 31, 2011 — MILFORD, Mass. - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick mobilized the Massachusetts National Guard late Saturday evening in the largest single-state response to a rare October snowstorm that dumped nearly... MORE

Army National Guard Spc. Seth Tuper, a combat engineer, 379th Engineer Company, 101st Engineer Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, directs traffic around a tree that had fallen on Springfield Street in Wilbraham, Mass., blocking half the road and creating a potential traffic hazard on Oct. 30, 2011. As Tuper, a resident of Florida, Mass., directed traffic, other Soldiers from his unit used chain saws to quickly cut down the tree.

Muncy: Guard members should use three key steps to deal with change
October 31, 2011 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Resiliency, flexibility and preparation are three key steps for Guard members preparing for potential changes coming to the Defense Department, the Air National Guard's command... MORE

Chief Master Sergeant Christopher Muncy, command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard, addresses 1,000 Guard Airmen at the Enlisted Leadership Symposium in Nashville, Tenn.

Air Force BDU officially history today
October 31, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - There are two things you should not see Nov. 1 - Halloween costumes and the Air Force Battle Dress Uniform.In 2006, the Airman Battle Uniform became authorized for wear and a date was... MORE

Nevada National Guard photo illustration

Earnhardt remains in ninth with only four races left
October 26, 2011 — Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s strategy in Sunday's race was to power to the front with drafting partner and teammate Jimmie Johnson in the closing laps, but a green-white-checkered finish left them without... MORE

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard racecar, signs autographs for fans before race day at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. Oct. 15, 2011.

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