Guard News - The National Guard

Conversation in Diner Solidifies Texas Gustav Support
September 2, 2008 — BEAUMONT, Texas - Rescue efforts in a large state like Texas and a large neighboring state to the east take many levels of support and cooperative efforts, and sometimes a simple conversation struck... MORE

Bush Praises Cooperation in Hurricane Response
September 2, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Cooperation among federal, state, local governments and non-governmental agencies has been much better as Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast than it was when Hurricane Katrina hit in... MORE

President George W. Bush personally thanks Airman of the Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing and the 59th Medical Wing for their volunteer efforts in processing over 700 evacuees displaced due to Hurricane Gustav Sept.1 at Port San Antonio, Texas.

Mississippi BCT conducts 'knock' mission along state's coast
September 2, 2008 — GULFPORT, Miss. - As Hurricane Gustav made its way towards the Gulf Coast Aug. 30, about 1,500 Soldiers of the Mississippi Army National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team were here to assist in... MORE

Specialist Robert Wilson, of Pontotoc Miss., leaves a flyer on a FEMA travel trailer in Gulfport during notification operations in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Gustav. Wilson is a member of the Pontotoc-based A Troop, 1st Battalion, 98th Cavalry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard. More than 2,500 members of the Mississippi National Guard are on state active duty, assisting civil authorities in preparing the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Mississippi Guard unit helps with Hurricane Gustav preparations
September 2, 2008 — KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. - When Jamie Jobe heard the knock on her door, she thought nothing of it. Having lived in Gulfport, Miss. most of her life, she was used to her neighbors coming over for... MORE

Army National Guard Sgt Thomas Brown, right, and Staff Sgt Cory Brown, notify mobile home resident Charlotte Wright about a mandatory evacuation order in Gulfport, Miss. Aug. 31. All Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer residents in Gulfport are under a mandatory evacuation order in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav making landfall. Both guardsmen are from A Troop, 1-98 Cavalry Regiment, Pontotoc, Miss.

National Guard Emergency Operations Ready
September 2, 2008 — JACKSON, Miss. - Tracking Hurricane Gustav and making preparations for a possible devastating landfall was being made as early as Aug. 28 for Mississippi National Guard emergency operations center... MORE

Lt. Col. Philip Parker of Summit, Miss., and Lt. Col. Charles Rhoads of Byram, Miss., monitor information for the Rear Emergency Operations Center, which kept track of the various missions conducted by the Mississippi National Guard on the Gulf Coast prior to landfall of Hurricane Gustav on Sept. 1.

Guard Aids New Orleans Evacuation, Braces for Storm Mission
September 2, 2008 — BATON ROUGE, La. - With the full force of the Louisiana National Guard activated, more than 7,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen are assisting local authorities with evacuation and security efforts in... MORE

Members of the Louisiana Air National Guard medical team assist a special-needs resident at the Union Passenger Terminal Station in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2008, as she prepares to be evacuated prior to the arrival of Hurricane Gustav.

Chertoff: Guard vital to hurricane relief efforts
September 2, 2008 — BATON ROUGE, La. - As Hurricane Gustav made landfall on the Gulf Coast, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security praised the men and women of the Air Force and the National Guard for their... MORE

Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, in red shirt, and Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, talk to crew members from the 118th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of Nashville, Tenn. He thanked the crew for its rapid response and support to Hurricane Gustav. The crew operated from the New Orleans Lakefront Airport beginning on Aug. 31.

20th Special Forces Group rescues stranded residents
September 2, 2008 — GULFPORT, Miss. - Shortly after Hurricane Gustav made landfall, several members of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group of the Mississippi Army National Guard launched a search and rescue... MORE

Members of the 20th Special Forces Group of the Mississippi Army National Guard launched rubber boats fitted with outboard motors to rescue residents of the flooded Jordan River Shores subdivision in Kiln, Miss., on Sept. 1. Six teams from the Jackson, Miss., based unit searched for anyone who remained in the subdivision, which flooded as a result of a tidal surge from Hurricane Gustav.

Air Guard members airlift, assist thousands of Gustav displaced
September 2, 2008 — ARLINGTON, Va. - With tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents in the potential path of Hurricane Gustav during the Labor Day weekend, Air National Guard members put aside their last minute school... MORE

Litter patients are carried from a Texas Air National Guard C-130 Hercules Aug. 31 to awaiting ambulances at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio following their aeromedical flight from Beaumont, Texas. In the potential path of Hurricane Gustav's landfall, a multi-state aeromedical Air Guard team from Texas, Delaware, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Tennessee helped airlift at least 247 patients to safety Aug. 30-31.

Hurricane Gustav Slams Into Louisiana
September 1, 2008 — WASHINGTON - With Hurricane Gustav hitting the southwestern Louisiana coast, all preparations have been made. "Now, we pray," said an official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency today.More... MORE

National Guard better equipped for hurricanes this year
September 1, 2008 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Double the amount of available equipment will strengthen the National Guard's response to hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, Maj. Gen. William Etter, the director of domestic operations... MORE

Air Force Maj. Gen. Bill Etter, director of domestic operations for the National Guard Bureau, briefs members of the media on the National Guard preparations for Tropical Storm Gustav, Friday, Aug. 29, 2008, at the Federal Emergency Managment Agency in Washington, D.C. In preparation for Gustav, the National Guard has more than 5,000 Soldiers and Airmen on standby and has pre-positions units in areas most likely to be affected by the storm.

National Guard Youth Foundation teams up with Rotohog.com for fantasy football promotion
August 29, 2008 — Alexandria, VA - The National Guard Youth Foundation (NGYF) has teamed up with the fantasy sports Web site, Rotohog.com, to create a National Guard branded fantasy football game. For each user who... MORE

The National Guard Youth Foundation (NGYF) Fantasy Football League

National Guard, NorthCom Prepare for Gustav Response
August 29, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Thousands of National Guard troops are mobilizing as Tropical Storm Gustav moves toward the Gulf Coast, where it is expected to make landfall within days as a Category 3... MORE

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (end of table) meets with Army Maj. Gen. A.C. Blalock, the Alabama National Guard's adjutant general (center, left) and other state agency leaders Aug. 27, 2008, to discuss preparations for Tropical Storm Gustav, which is expected to be a Category 3 hurricane when it makes landfall. Thousands of National Guard members from states along the Gulf Coast have been mobilized or put on alert as the tropical storm gains strength and heads toward the United States.

Louisiana National Guard Gears Up for Gustav
August 29, 2008 — BATON ROUGE, La. - As Tropical Storm Gustav gains strength and approaches the Gulf Coast, about 3,000 Louisiana citizen-soldiers and -airmen have been activated in support of emergency operations and... MORE

Army Sgt. Michael Slayter of Winnfield, La., tosses a hose to Army Spc. Joseph P. Gauthier of Natchitoches, La. The Louisiana National Guard soldiers are members of Detachment 1, A Company, 199th Leadership Brigade Support Battalion, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, in Colfax, La.

States supporting states: National Guard gears up for possible hurricane
August 29, 2008 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Through Emergency Management Assistance Compacts, National Guard members from around the country are signing up to support states in the path of Tropical Storm Gustav. "EMAC provides... MORE

Checking the signal: Tech. Sgt. Bill Smith, left, practices aligning a satellite with the help of Staff Sgt. Scott Roach. The men are members of the Arkansas Air Guard's 154th Weather Flight, which provided weather support to the Arkansas Army Guard's 1st Battalion, 114th Security and Support during their recent annual training. The 154th is tasked to support the 114th with a five-man crew in the event of a call up to the Gulf Coast states in response to natural disaster. "This [annual training] will give us a chance to exercise our abilities to support them in the event of a deployment or call up," said Master Sgt. Paul Wilkerson, 154th Weather Flight NCO-in-charge (NCOIC).

Interactive Web Site Helps Pilots "See and Avoid" Midair Collisions
August 28, 2008 — WASHINGTON - General aviation officers and military safety officers are using an interactive Web site created and run by the Air National Guard to help eliminate midair collisions and close calls... MORE

Michigan Sheriff's Office Earns Award for Military Support
August 28, 2008 — WASHINGTON - In Oakland County, Mich., every day is Veterans Day, thanks to strong military support from Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department.The department is one... MORE

America Supports You: Mayor Asks Counterparts to Support Guard, Reserve
August 28, 2008 — WASHINGTON - The mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, has asked his fellow mayors around the nation to publicly declare their support for their military employees."Today, more than ever, we must do everything... MORE

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has challenged more than 1,300 other mayors who belong to the U.S. Conference of Mayors to sign an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support. The statements ask the signers to pledge support for employees who also serve in the National Guard or reserves, and their families.

America Supports You: Group Awards Spouses Record Number of Scholarships
August 28, 2008 — WASHINGTON - More military spouses than ever before are heading back to school this year, and they've earned some financial help to study for their chosen degree, National Military Family Association... MORE

From Vietnam to Iraq, Illinois Soldier retires after life-long service
August 28, 2008 — GALESBURG - A tour in Vietnam, flood duty in 1993 and 2001, a tour in Iraq from 2005 to 2006, and flood duty in 2008. That is only part of the highlight reel for a 58-year-old Oquawka man who is about... MORE

Staff Sgt. Crooks prepares to fire a final ceremonial howitzer round while the Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery performed Annual Training at Fort McCoy, Wis. in July 2008.

Arizona National Guard’s Task Force SAFE Strengthens Border Security

Idaho Guard Airmen Push Limits in Joint Field Training

Pennsylvania Guard Competes in Governor’s Twenty Marksmanship Competition

N.Y. National Guard Aircrews Train with Forest Rangers to Prep for Wildfires

Idaho Army National Guard Hosts Region VI Best Warrior Competition