Guard News - The National Guard

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

Camp Atterbury native remembers post history
July 14, 2010 — Camp Atterbury was born from Indiana farmland, rising from the fields of two townships that once provided families with crops and livestock, and used the soil to train men to fight, feeding the World... MORE

Air Guard releases new ESOH sustainability statement
July 14, 2010 — ARLINGTON, Va., - The Air Guard Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Council recently released a joint Environment, Safety and Occupational Health sustainability statement, outlining a... MORE

DoD, Guard establish eight Homeland Response Force units
July 13, 2010 — WASHINGTON, - Eight more homeland response force units will be established in fiscal year 2012, Defense Department and National Guard Bureau officials said here today.The units are regional forces... MORE

A member of the Alaska National Guard 103rd Civil Support Team collects a sample during a training exercise. The 103rd Civil Support Team mission is to assess hazards, advise civil authorities, and facilitate military support during emergencies and incidents of suspected weapons of mass destruction.

Guard luge athlete braves heat at Fort Jackson
July 13, 2010 — FORT JACKSON, S.C., - Before coming here to train in the sweltering heat, Army Pfc. Joseph Mortensen spent his days sliding down frozen luge tracks around the world.Mortensen, 21, Company E, 1st... MORE

Army Pfc. Joseph Mortensen, a luge athlete, now spends his days with his fellow basic combat training soldiers of 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Louisiana Guardsmen help with three school projects in Haiti
July 13, 2010 — PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, - Soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard's 1021st Engineer Company from the 205th Engineer Battalion will construct three school projects for the communities of Diaquoi,... MORE

Soldiers of the 1021st Engineer Company, 205th Engineer Battalion prepare braces for the school walls, that will be filled with concrete in order to construct a roof for the Diaquoi School Project in Haiti on July 12, 2010.

VA eases claims process for veterans with PTSD
July 13, 2010 — WASHINGTON, - The Veterans Affairs Department will publish a final regulation tomorrow intended to ease the claims process and improve access to health care for veterans with post-traumatic stress... MORE

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