Guard News - The National Guard

Alaska trains with Kyrgyzstan search and rescue team
July 23, 2010 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - The Alaska National Guard teamed up with a Kyrgyzstan Search and Rescue Team to train on procedures and techniques in mountain rescue this May on Mt. McKinley.The opportunity to... MORE

Senior Master Sgt. Johnny Davis, 212th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard (right) trains members of Kyrgyzstan search and rescue team in glacier travel techniques. Davis also provided rope work, risk assessment, ice climbing and crevasse rescue training.

Mississippi Guard complete air quality tests along coastline
July 23, 2010 — BILOXI, Miss., - The Mississippi National Guard on Friday found no abnormal readings after it completed monitoring the air quality this week at 20 different locations along the coastline in... MORE

Army, Air Guard adjust recruiting goals
July 22, 2010 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Both the Army and Air National Guard missed their recruiting goals for June, however, recruiting activities were adjusted and those goals were intentionally missed as a way to keep... MORE

Louisiana engineers reinforce land bridge at Thunder Bayou
July 21, 2010 — GRAND ISLE, La., - The Louisiana National Guard’s 527th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, completes reinforcement work on a land bridge on Elmer’s Island, La., in support of the Deepwater... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jimmy Lynch of the Louisiana Army National Guard’s, 844th Horizontal Engineer Company, 527th Engineer Battalion, operates a John Deere 650J Bulldozer to level sand on a land bridge behind a rock wall on Elmer's Island, La., July 14, 2010. Soldiers use the smaller dozer, rather than their larger, heavier dozers, because of the increased mobility.

Guardmembers help wounded warriors through turbulent water
July 20, 2010 — ARLINGTON, Va., - With some trepidation, Douglass Rink rolls his kayak over and disappears under the water. He frees himself, emerges a short time later and assures his instructor, “I was a scuba... MORE

Ashley Crandall was serving in Iraq last year as a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic with the Utah National Guard’s 2-211th Aviation Regiment, when she was wounded and medically evacuated. While recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, she got involved with the non-profit Team River Runner and used kayaking to rehabilitate. Now she is helping other wounded warriors find therapy on the water.

Guard Soldiers, spouses discuss reintegration programs
July 19, 2010 — TUCSON, Ariz. - Guard and Reserve members, much like their active duty counterparts, deploy routinely in service to their country. When they do, spouses remain to take care of the household. For... MORE

Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch gives an overview of “The Senior Enlisted and Spouses Reintegration Professional Development Workshop” to fellow Soldiers and Army Guard spouses at the Westin La Paloma resort in Tucson, Ariz., July 13. The week-long conference highlighted several family support and professional development programs available to Guardsmen and families.

Chief, governors visit Guardsmen in Middle East
July 19, 2010 — CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan, - Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and governors from five states visited National Guard Soldiers and Airmen throughout the Middle East last... MORE

Alan Bersin, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection; John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, announce the deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops along the international border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California at the Pentagon on July 19, 2010.

Seven miles of barrier guard Cameron Parish
July 16, 2010 — HOLLY BEACH, La., - Soldiers from Louisiana National Guard’s 225th Engineer Brigade finished emplacing the first phase of a more than seven mile long Hesco barrier wall along the coast near Cameron,... MORE

Louisiana Guard tops Myrtle Grove’s levees with 22,000 sandbags
July 16, 2010 — PINEVILLE, La., - Soldiers of the Louisiana Army National Guard's 528th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, finished emplacing more than 22,000 sandbags in Myrtle Grove, La., July 16.The... MORE

More than 22,000 sandbags were laid by the Louisiana National Guard's 528th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, to reinforce the back levee between La Reussite and West Pointe à la Hache, in Myrtle Grove, La., over the last three weeks. "It was a joint operation between the parish and National Guard,” said Blair Rittiner, Plaquemines Parish land department superintendent. “We filled and delivered the sandbags, and the Guard unloaded and placed the bags. We couldn't have done it without the help of the National Guard."

Air Guard invades Times Square today
July 15, 2010 — ARLINGTON, Va., - Beginning today, the Air National Guard will be featured prominently at the crossroads of the world.Capt. Rondal Perry, the chief of ANG’s marketing and advertising branch, said two,... MORE

Oklahoma Guard transports firewood to reservation
July 15, 2010 — RAPID CITY, S.D., - As quickly as the U.S. Forest Service felled trees here in the Custer National Forest of South Dakota, Soldiers of Oklahoma National Guard’s 1245th and 1345th Transportation... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Bradley MacEntire, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 1245th Transportation Company of 90th Troop Command secures a load of felled trees and brush during training exercises in Custer National Forest near Rapid City, S.D. The 1245th and its sister unit, the 1345th Transportation Company, moved cut bush and trees from the Custer National Forest to the Oglala Sioux reservation for use as firewood.

Illinois Guardsman retires after 56 years
July 15, 2010 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill., - A young man working on a farm in Illinois decided to enlist in the National Guard in March 1953 after he received a challenge from his friend and employer. The Korean War's... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Nelson "Gene" Blakey retired in June after 56 years of service with the Illinois Army National Guard.

No more C-17s, defense officials tell Congress
July 15, 2010 — WASHINGTON, - The military has more than enough large transport planes, and the appropriation of any more in the next budget year will force some into premature retirement, Defense Department... MORE

Air Guard to sponsor NASCAR race in Richmond
July 15, 2010 — ARLINGTON, Va., - Better known for its airpower than its horsepower, the Air Guard is picking up speed in an effort to increase its public awareness. At Richmond International Speedway on Sept. 11,... MORE

Oregon Guard supports state's first responders
July 14, 2010 — SALEM, Ore., - The Department of Defense announced Oregon will be amongst several states to establish a National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosives Enhanced... MORE

Wisconsin Air Guard to support oil spill response efforts
July 14, 2010 — MILWAUKEE, - Four Airmen with the Wisconsin Air National Guard are expected to depart this week to support response operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Airmen - all noncommissioned officers - will... MORE

Future athletes develop character, serve community through Guard, NFL partnership
July 14, 2010 — PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Athletes are expected to be leaders both on the field and off. The National Football League’s High School Player Development program, which is sponsored by the National Guard,... MORE

Soldiers from the Florida National Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's rear detachment assist participants in the NFL's High School Player Development program in operating simulated weapons while touring the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Pinellas Park, Fla. The HSPD and 53rd IBCT rear detachment teamed up to assemble care packages for deployed Florida National Guardsmen, July 9.

Egress Airmen ensure 'last chance for life'
July 14, 2010 — LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - If something goes wrong in a fighter jet flying at 30,000 feet, the pilot needs a reliable way to escape danger ... and fast. When all else fails, the pilot relies on the... MORE

Staff Sgt. Ronald Kavanaugh and Airman 1st Class William Stanton inspect an ejection seat from an F-22 Raptor at Langley Air Force Base, Va., May 12, 2010. Each ejection system undergoes a final inspection every 30 days, where technicians physically inspect every component of the system they can touch. Kavanaugh is an egress technician with the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing. Stanton is an egress apprentice with the 1st Component Maintenance Squadron.

Arizona Air Guard moves important cargo aerially
July 14, 2010 — PHOENIX, Ariz., - Good things come in all sorts of different packages: large, small, heavy and light. This is especially true when the package contains essential equipment for a servicemember to... MORE

Members of the 161st Aerial Port Flight of the Arizona Air National Guard guide a K-Loader closer to a KC-135R at Phoenix Sky Harbor Air National Guard Base in Pheonix, Ariz., July 11, 2010. They conducted the training during a real world mission.

With several green initiatives, Guard facilities are using less energy
July 14, 2010 — The Air National Guard is working to lower its utility bill or at least slow the increase over the next few years.Last year, it paid $82 million for power to its 100 or so bases and 77 geographically... MORE

Maryland Air Guard Conducts Combat Search and Rescue Training in Wisconsin

Missouri Airmen Go Analog in Cyber Attack Simulation

Idaho Army National Guard, Boise Fire Department Conduct Water Rescue

Pennsylvania Guard Aviation Partners with Coast Guard

Arizona National Guard’s Task Force SAFE Strengthens Border Security