Guard News - The National Guard

Michigan Guard Members Prepare for President Ford's Burial
December 29, 2006 — WASHINGTON - Hundreds of Michigan National Guardsmen are preparing to welcome home President Gerald R. Ford, who died Dec. 26 at age 93 at his residence in Rancho Mirage, Calif.Ford grew up in Grand... MORE

A makeshift memorial is set up in front of the Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mortar Operations in Fallujah, Iraq
December 28, 2006 — CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - In just a couple of minutes, Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 136th Combined Arms Battalion, can make the enemy have a bad day.That is the time it takes four Soldiers... MORE

Spc. Anthony Sanborn of Alexandria, Minn., (center) checks the fuse setting of a 120 millimeter mortar as Spc. Steven Luitjens of St. Cloud, Minn., (right) tells him which setting to use during a drill earlier this month at Camp Fallujah, Iraq. Spc. Chris Colliflower of Roseau, Minn., is at the left. All Soldiers are from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 136th Combined Arms Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division.

Puerto Rico Guardsmen experience combat up close
December 27, 2006 — SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) - As luck would have it, Staff Sgt. Victor Vega and his C-130 Hercules aircrew were just about to take off when the attack started. The 198th Airlift Squadron transport had just... MORE

Pilot First Lt. Jose Fernandez (left) and loadmaster Staff Sgt. Victor Vega stand before their C-130 Hercules at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico, Dec. 15. The Airmen had just returned home after a four-country mission to Central and South American and the Caribbean. The two were also among the first members of the 156th Airlift Wing to deploy their cargo planes to Afghanistan.

Deployment in Iraq is a family affair for Kentucky National Guard unit
December 27, 2006 — Like many units in the Kentucky National Guard, the 410th Quartermaster Company, based in Danville, Ky., considers itself family. When you eat, sleep, and work with the same people day in and day out,... MORE

Sgt. Chris Tarter and Staff Sgt. William Wagoner

370th birthday painting captures Guard’s history since 9/11
December 21, 2006 — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - “It’s a gift to Soldiers in the Guard and their families,” said Springfield native John Fulton, creator and artist of a watercolor painting presented to the Missouri National... MORE

Springfield, Mo., artist John Fulton and his wife Billie display "Our Legacy is Freedom", a watercolor they created to honor the men and women of the Army National Guard and their families.

National Guard aids victims of holiday winter storm
December 21, 2006 — ARLINGTON, Va - The first day of winter hammered the Midwest, and the National Guard helped to soften the blow.More than 60 Colorado National Guard members and their equipment jumped into action Dec... MORE

Military Aircrews Continue Supporting Mount Hood Rescue Effort
December 19, 2006 — WASHINGTON - After finding the body of one missing climber on Mount Hood, Ore., members of the Oregon Army National Guard, Nevada Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve continued the search Monday... MORE

Lt. Col. Caesar Garduno receives coordinates while flying over Mt. Hood, Ore., Dec. 16. Colonel Garduno and his Air National Guard crew were joined by an Air Force Reserve pararescueman searching for three missing climbers. The colonel is a C-130 pilot from the 152nd Airlift Wing in Nevada.

Defense secretary recognizes Guard's Katrina response
December 15, 2006 — ARLINGTION, Va. - Donald Rumsfeld, during his final week as secretary of defense, recognized Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal... MORE

Donald Rumsfeld awards the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, at the Pentagon Dec. 13 during Rumsfeld's final week as secretary of defense. Rumsfeld paid tribute to the National Guard's overwhelming response to Hurricane Katrina in September 2005.

Montenegro partners with Maine National Guard
December 14, 2006 — PODGORICA, Montenegro - The ripples from the first muster of Dec. 13, 1636, have reached the shores of the Adriatic Sea, where the world’s youngest country on Dec. 7 joined America’s oldest military... MORE

Maj. Gen. John Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, and LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, present a book about Maine to Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic in Podgorica, Montenegro, on Dec. 7, 2006. The Maine National Guard and Montenegro formally announced their pairing in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program on Dec. 7.

Readiness center ceremony marks National Guard's 370th birthday
December 14, 2006 — ARLINGTON, Va. - About 200 people gathered in the atrium of the Army National Guard Readiness Center Dec. 13 to mark the 370th anniversary of the National Guard.Before the birthday cake could be cut,... MORE

Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, and Gene McDaniel, who recently surpassed 50 years of federal service, teamed up, with a sword, of course, to cut the cake during the National Guard's 370th birthday Dec. 13 at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va.

Excitement Heating Up Over New Extended-Cold-Weather Gear
December 14, 2006 — FORT GREELEY, Alaska - Members of the Alaska Army National Guard here are sizzling with excitement about their new cold weather gear that keeps them toasty warm even when temperatures dip to double... MORE

Army Sgt. Seth Paul (left) and his wife, Sgt. Katja Paul, both military police officers with the Alaska Army Guard's 49th Missile Defense Battalion at Fort Greely, call the Army's new Generation III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System the perfect answer to extreme conditions they face in Alaska.

National Guard Museum opens OIF/OEF exhibit
December 13, 2006 — WASHINGTON - A new interactive exhibit that showcases the National Guard’s participation in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom went on display Dec. 6, a week before the National Guard... MORE

Jason Hall, director of the National Guard educational foundation and National Guard Association of the United States museum curator speaks at the opening of new exhibit that displays National guard artifacts from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom Dec. 7. The Soldiers and Airman to his left donated the items displayed.

Army Guard takes charge of Capital region's air defense
December 13, 2006 — WASHINGTON - The South Carolina Army National Guard has assumed command and control of the air defense mission for the National Capital Region (NCR) from the active Army.The South Carolina Guard's... MORE

Along the southwest border, one size does not fit all
December 11, 2006 — SAN LUIS, Ariz. - The U.S. border with Mexico here is flat. There is no river between the two countries, and the Yuma Desert stretches to the east.But the borderland terrain is considerably different... MORE

Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with citizen-soldiers and airmen and with Border Patrol agents at the U.S. border with Mexico near San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 27, 2006, during a visit to troops participating in Operation Jump Start. Up to 6,000 National Guard members are helping the Border Patrol secure the nation's southern border.

Operation Jump Start a success, officials say
December 11, 2006 — EL PASO, Texas - The National Guard’s support to the Border Patrol is reaping results for both institutions and for the nation, officials said during a late November tour of the country’s 1,300-mile... MORE

Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief, National Guard Bureau, talks with Border Patrol agents during a visit to the U.S. border with Mexico near Columbus, N.M., on Nov. 29, 2006. Up to 6,000 National Guard troops are helping the Border Patrol secure the nation's southern border in Operation Jump Start.

National Guard Birthday Message from the Chief, National Guard Bureau
December 11, 2006 — On December 13, 2006, the National Guard will celebrate its 370th birthday.When the settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered on December 13, 1636, in the early days of our great nation, the... MORE

Air Guard launches new era with Predator mission
December 8, 2006 — MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. - After years of preparation and months of training, the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing in late November became the first Guard unit to... MORE

South Carolina NCO is Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year
December 8, 2006 — ARLINGTON, Va. - South Carolina Army Guard Sgt. Maj. Swinton Hudson Jr. was cited as the Army National Guard Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year (EOA) for his contributions in human relations and... MORE

Illinois Army National Guard generates warm hearts during the aftermath of 'historic' snow, ice storm
December 8, 2006 — A snow and ice storm of “historic proportions” hit the Midwest hard Thursday. So hard, in fact, that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich declared 49 of 102 counties disaster areas.More than 250 Soldiers... MORE

From rush hour traffic into rushing water: Soldier saves man from drowning
December 5, 2006 — When Sgt. Kristi J. Artigue joined the Connecticut Army National Guard the summer before her senior year of high school, it was a chance to broaden her experiences. “I’ve always been a risk taker,”... MORE

New York 42nd Infantry Division Heads to Warfighter Exercise

National Guard Soldiers Prepare for Funeral Honors Duty

New Jersey Guard Hosts U.S. Northern Command Joint Staff Training

National Guard to Support Presidential Inauguration

Lankford Center Hosts 1st ALS Commandant Conference