Guard News - The National Guard

Father, son team up at Satellite NCO Academy
January 5, 2010 — McGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn., - A father and son from the New York Air National Guard were among 130 Airmen from 14 units, who graduated from the Satellite Noncommissioned Officer (NCO)... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Adam C. Helligrass, left, and his father, Tech. Sgt Robert J. Helligrass, both aerospace maintenance craftsmen with the 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, N.Y., graduate together from the Satellite Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy Class 10-2 at The I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center, Dec. 15, 2009.

Kentucky aviation unit trains with Greek force in Kosovo
January 5, 2010 — CAMP RIGAS FEREOS, KOSOVO, - Members of a Kentucky NationalGuard aviation unit offered up its time and helicopters recently to helptrain peacekeeping partners from another nation here in Kosovo.The... MORE

Greek Soldiers board a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the Kentucky National Guard during hot/cold load training recently held at Camp Rigas Fereos near Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

KFOR drawing down to 10,000 troops
January 5, 2010 — CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The Kosovo Force will transition from about 14,000 to 10,000 NATO forces by Jan. 31, due to improvements in security, said the commander of Multi-National Task... MORE

Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann, a North Dakota National Guardsman and commanding general of Multi-National Task Force-East, answers a question from media in Ferizaj/Urosevac, Kosovo on Dec. 30, 2009.

Minnesota Guardsman aims to scale Earth's highest peak
January 5, 2010 — CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE, Basra, Iraq, - Toward the end of every soldier's deployment comes the time to decide what's next.Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Bari, a medic serving here with the 34th Infantry... MORE

Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Bari, shown here in front of Mount Rainier, said he plans to climb Mount Everest in 2012. Bari climbed a portion of Mount Rainier while preparing for his deployment to southern Iraq.

Servicemember voting laws reflect changes
January 5, 2010 — WASHINGTON, - Laws have changed and servicemembers who want to vote need to be aware of these changes, the director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program said.Generally, military personnel who want... MORE

Three ADTs return from agricultural odyssey
January 4, 2010 — CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., - Agribusiness Development Teams (ADTs) from the Indiana, Tennessee and Texas National Guard returned to the United States during the holidays after year-long deployments to... MORE

Soldiers from the Texas Agribusiness Development Team unload and separate their supplies in the shipment yard at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center Dec. 28, 2009, before they leave for home. The Texas ADT arrived at Camp Atterbury on Christmas Day for demobilization processing after a year-long deployment in Afghanistan.

Virginia bobsledder takes America's Cup Podium
January 4, 2010 — LAKE PLACID, N.Y, - Virginia Guardsman Mike Kohn was victorious in four out of five competitions in the Lake Placid America's Cup competitions held from Dec. 18-20.Although five-man bobsled teams... MORE

Sgt. Mike Kohn, an infantryman with the Virginia Army National Guard, contemplates ways he can improve his run while competing in the bobsleedding trials at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics Training Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y., earlier this year. He was victorious in four out of five competitions in the Lake Placid America's Cup competitions held from Dec. 18-20, 2009. Kohn will rest during the holidays before meeting up with the U.S. team in Germany for the second half of the 2009-2010 World Cup tour to collect additional points towards his qualification for the Winter Olympic Games.

Pentagon sends H1N1 vaccine to Central Command area
November 5, 2009 — WASHINGTON - U.S. Central Command has received half of the vaccine needed to inoculate its forces against the H1N1 virus, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. The vaccines arrived in... MORE

Like body armor, flu vaccine aims to protect troops
November 4, 2009 — WASHINGTON - Like protective equipment issued to troops downrange, the H1N1 flu vaccine is a measure the Defense Department is taking to safeguard U.S. military forces, a defense official said. "We... MORE

DoD experts to answer H1N1 questions online
November 3, 2009 — FALLS CHURCH, Va. - The Military Health System will host a Web-based, town hall-style meeting Nov. 10 from 3 to 4 p.m., EST to respond to questions about H1N1 influenza. Military members, their... MORE

DoD receives first H1N1 vaccine shipments
November 3, 2009 — WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has started receiving H1N1 vaccines and will begin distributing doses in the coming weeks. The Health and Human Services Department is distributing the vaccines,... MORE

Tricare announces H1N1 immunization policy
November 3, 2009 — FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Immunizations against the H1N1 virus will soon be available, and people are eager to take precautions. Tricare Prime, Standard and Extra beneficiaries can get their shots from... MORE

Chief: National Guard that proved itself after 9/11, Katrina faces new challenges
September 14, 2009 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The National Guard proved its relevance, value and accessibility after the manmade disaster of Sept. 11, 2001, and after the natural disaster named Katrina that hit almost four... MORE

Gen. Craig R. McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, addresses the 131st National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 11, 2009. "The 21st century is going to be a tough one but the National Guard will be there, ready and resilient," McKinley said.

Deployed firefighters, Soldiers remember 9/11
September 11, 2009 — JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, - More than 340 New York City firefightersdied on Sept. 11, 2001. Task Force 38 Citizen-Soldiers, who are firefightersback home, remember that day vividly."I think about it all... MORE

Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson of the New York National Guard patrols at Penn Station in Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 25, 2009. Wilson is serving with Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which has been continuously providing military support to civilian authorities since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

ANG bands build 'bonds of friendship' through music
May 20, 2009 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. - Collectively they are armed with everything from bass guitars and drum sticks to keyboards and microphones. They are Airmen ... better yet, they are rock band Airmen.Their mission... MORE

Airman 1st Class Johanna Brooks, Air National Guard - Band of the Northwest member, sings a pop song as part of their concert practice following a full day of pre-deployment training at Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, Wis., April 17. Two other bands participated in the training which readies 30 ANG band members to deploy overseas to aid a strained active duty band element this summer.

Highlander Infantry Soldiers promote good fun
May 20, 2009 — JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Washington Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment Soldiers took time off from the roads to enjoy camaraderie while promoting unit cohesion during the... MORE

Capt. David N. Redmond, of Everett, Wash., with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, leads the Highlander pack at the start of the 5K run during the Highlander games at Joint Base Balad, Iraq April 30.

KFOR removes barriers in Kosovo
May 20, 2009 — CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Imagine a life in which you lived in fear of bombs falling from the sky and mines littering the ground. You would not feel very safe and would constantly worry about your home... MORE

Soldiers with the Alpha Company Aztecs, 79th BSTB, Task Force Nightstalkers, and with Liaison Monitoring Team One Task Force LMT move sandbags from a Hercules Engineering Solutions Consortium (HESCO) barrier during a mission to beautify the Kamenica Cultural Center in Kamenica/Kamenice, Kosovo.

Biden announces expansion of Pentagon housing program
May 19, 2009 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Vice President Joe Biden today announced the Defense Department's plan to expand its housing assistance program with $555 million devoted to servicemembers forced to sell their... MORE

New manpower chief vows to strengthen Army family
May 19, 2009 — ARLINGTON, Va. - President Barack Obama's nominee for assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs said May 12 at his confirmation hearing that he is aware of the concerns about... MORE

Retired Col. Thomas Lamont was unanimously confirmed May 18 as assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He served more than 25 years with the Illinois National Guard, retiring in 2007 after serving as the staff judge advocate general.

Virginia Guard assists with flood clean up in West Virginia
May 19, 2009 — CEDAR BLUFF, Va. - About 30 Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard's 1033rd Engineer Company departed their home armory here May 18 headed for West Virginia, where they are scheduled to assist with... MORE

Private Justin Bean of Tazewell adds water to the coolant system of a 5-ton dump truck May 17 in preparation for a convoy movement to West Virginia. The Virginia National Guard's 1033rd Engineer Company based in Cedar Bluff, Va., departed May 18 to assist with debris removal and flood recovery in West Virginia. The unit is scheduled to be on duty for up to 30 days.

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