Guard News - The National Guard

Texas Guard 'biggest player" in Panamax exercise
August 19, 2008 — PANAMA CITY, Panama - The scenario threatened to bring world economies to their knees: A fictional terrorist group took control of an island off Panama, planted mines at approaches to the Panama Canal... MORE

Combat vets prepare Guardsmen for war zone
August 19, 2008 — FORT DRUM, NY - When Maj. Donald McArdle deployed to Iraq with the 42nd Infantry Division in October 2004, he was afraid that he wasn't really ready for war.The training he'd gone through at Fort Drum... MORE

Cpl. Nicholas Sbano, a New York Pre-Mobilization Assistance Element Observer Controller/Trainer, discusses proper procedures before moving deploying Soldiers through a barbed wire obstacle course at Ft. Drum on August 8, 2008.

Predator passes 400,000 flight hours
August 19, 2008 — LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - The MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system surpassed 400,000 flight hours during a mission in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Aug. 18.Members of the 15th... MORE

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft assigned to the Arizona Air National Guard's 214th Reconnaissance Group is parked in a hanger at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., following the unit's activation in August 2007.

Florida National Guard prepares for Tropical Storm Fay
August 18, 2008 — TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida National Guard activated about 125 Soldiers and Airmen for its planning cells and alerted other units in preparation for Tropical Storm Fay as the storm approached Cuba... MORE

Members of the Florida National Guard prepare for a shift change at the Joint Emergency Operations Center in St. Augustine. The center has been supporting operations in advance of Tropical Storm Fay since Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order on Saturday.

Poland's "Peace Sky" at home in Arizona
August 18, 2008 — TUCSON, Ariz. - In the transition from Soviet-built MiG-29s and Su-22s to American-built F-16s, Poland takes on one of NATOs most aggressive fighter up-starts known as "Peace Sky."A new generation of... MORE

First Lt. Adam Jantas (left), a Polish Air Force student pilot, goes over his morning sortie with F-16 instructor pilot Maj. Julian Pacheco on the 162nd Fighter Wing flightline.

National Guard Soldiers learn benefits of logistics systems
August 18, 2008 — BISMARCK, N.D. - More than 100 Soldiers from 13 states and territories spent last week here at the Raymond J. Bohn Armory learning about the benefits of Logistics Enabler Systems.The National Guard... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer Tom Marsh (left) and 1st Sgt. Kyle Heidenreich work on a preliminary deployment kit during a Logistics Enablers Overview Course Aug. 15 in Bismarck, N.D. Marsh uses the laptop to write information to the green tag, which will track equipment. The kit is one of several pieces of equipment covered during the weeklong course that included Soldiers from across the United States.

Air Guard Predator pilots increase combat air patrols
August 18, 2008 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Although they are some of the busiest pilots in the U.S. military, Air National Guard pilots who are now flying unmanned aircraft from the ground said they still climb into the... MORE

California Air National Guard MQ-1 Predator pilots meet in their hanger at March Air Reserve Base in November 2006 following the activation ceremony for the 196th Reconnaissance Squadron. The Air Guard squadron operates three combat air patrols in Iraq from the squadron's base operations center.

Building capable allies, strong bonds
August 15, 2008 — TUCSON, Ariz. (AFPN) - Over European castles, Middle Eastern deserts and Pacific islands, F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots are soaring in ever-increasing numbers.Their landscapes, nationalities and... MORE

From the end of the runway at Tucson International Airport, an F-16 Fighting Falcon instructor pilot with the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing prepares to take off with his wingman, an international student pilot training with the Guard unit.

Texas Air Guard conducts medical training in Hawaii
August 15, 2008 — KAHUKU, Hawaii - In a plastic chair in the back of the room, a young man of no more than seventeen sits. He is intensely watching the man in front of him speak. The speaker is dressed in the new... MORE

Capt. Paul Ferguson Jr., of the Texas Air National Guard listens to patients at the Bobby Benson Center in Kahuku, Hawaii. Ferguson is part of a 51-person group of physicians, nurses and support personnel from the 149th Fighter Wing Medical Group in San Antonio, Texas working with the Hawaii ANG in support of the E Malama Kakou (To care for all) humanitarian program serving the medically underprivileged in Hawaii.

U.S. Air Guardsmen, Bosnians Restore Monument to Americans Killed in Sarajevo
August 15, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Next to a dirt road cut into the hillside of Mount Igman, southwest of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, U.S. Air National Guard and Bosnian troops recently repaired a monument marking... MORE

Air Force Master Sgt. Robert A. Gordon and Tech. Sgt. Shaun Blische of the Maryland Air National Guard's 175th Civil Engineer Squadron, restore a monument at Mount Igman, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The monument memorializes three American diplomats and their French driver, who were killed at the site in 1995. The memorial is being restored as part of a humanitarian civic action project under the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

Air Guard pilot cheers for his brother in 2008 Olympics
August 15, 2008 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Like two jet fighters in formation, Justin Dumais and his younger brother, Troy, perfectly executed their turns and spins in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.As competitors in the... MORE

Troy, left, and 1st Lt. Justin Dumais of the South Carolina Air National Guard finished sixth in the men's synchronized three-meter springboard diving event in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. This year, Dumais is an F-16 student in the Night Systems Training Course at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. And his younger brother is in Beijing alone.

Louisiana National Guard's Task Force Voodoo returns to Iraq
August 14, 2008 — JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - It's technically the battalion's second deployment in the past five years. The first began in December, 2003 - in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. During that stint they... MORE

Alabama National Guard holds first Yellow Ribbon program
August 14, 2008 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama National Guard held its first Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) last weekend here at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center.The YRRP is designed to provide... MORE

Company focuses on families to support military employees
August 13, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Kim Robinson knows that when military members deploy, they face a lot of stress overseas on top of worrying about their families at home. To help alleviate that stress, Robinson has... MORE

Study spurs reassessment of alcohol awareness programs
August 13, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are assessing ways to better prepare servicemembers, particularly members of the reserve and National Guard, for the stresses of combat so they're better able... MORE

National Guard detachment trains at NFL preseason game
August 13, 2008 — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Reporting from the sidelines of an NFL preseason game is not typical duty for military journalists, but for 15 members of the Florida Army National Guard it was good training for... MORE

Spc. James Cornwell (left) and Staff Sgt. Blair Heusdens of the 107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment videotape and shoot photos of the Jacksonville Jaguars pre-season NFL game at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 9, 2008.

Alaska National Guard Rescues Injured Climber
August 12, 2008 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - The Alaska Air National Guard rescued an injured climber off Root Glacier in the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park Wednesday.An Alaska Wilderness guide called the National Park... MORE

Official travelers can claim reimbursement for excess baggage fees
August 12, 2008 — WASHINGTON - Servicemembers traveling for official business, including deployments, will continue to receive full reimbursement for reasonable, authorized excess baggage fees, defense officials said.A... MORE

Pilots provide emergency close air support
August 12, 2008 — BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - For F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt pilots deployed here, joint terminal attack controllers, or JTACs, play a vital role in the close air support... MORE

Two A-10 Thunderbolt II jets taxi out to the runway July 26 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The jets are experts at close air support missions and have proven to be invaluable despite being well past their expected useful lifespan.

New York National Guard and British Soldiers Aid Afghans
August 12, 2008 — UD KHEIL VILLAGE, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (08/12/2008) - More than 1000 residents of Ud Kheil village were treated by Afghan medical staff and received medicine, vitamins and personal items through a joint... MORE

Captain Joseph Merrill from Binghamton, NY and commander of SECFOR Delta works with a translator to direct a father seeking medical attention for his son.

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