Guard News - The National Guard

Pennsylvania Guard members pitch in during pandemic
February 23, 2022 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – It’s been nearly two years since the Pennsylvania National Guard began supporting COVID-19 medical missions.During that time, Pennsylvania National Guard members have helped... MORE

Spc. Han Thach, left, a combat medic with the Pennsylvania National Guard, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a patient in Enola, Pa., March 26, 2021. Thach was part of the Guard mission to vaccinate Pennsylvania teachers, child-care workers and other staff.

Virginia National Guard unit prepares for overseas mission
February 23, 2022 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 576th Engineer Utilities Detachment, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, trained Feb. 3-19 for an overseas... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 576th Engineer Utilities Detachment, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, train on engineer skills during two-week premobilization annual training Feb. 8, 2022, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The unit, which was stood up in 2017, is preparing for its first overseas mobilization, to the Central Command area of operations, this spring.

California Air Guard medevacs stroke victim from cruise ship
February 23, 2022 — MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. – A cruise ship passenger who fell ill hundreds of miles at sea is back on land after a rescue mission by the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue... MORE

A U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II aircraft from the 129th Rescue Wing flies over the Ruby Princess cruise ship 345 nautical miles from San Francisco Feb. 11, 2022. The Airmen evacuated an ill passenger who needed transportation off the ship.

Connecticut Guardsmen now part of contingency response force
February 22, 2022 — HARTFORD, Conn – Soldiers from the 143rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion handle a variety of missions. However, this may be their most important mission yet.The 143rd CSSB of the Connecticut Army... MORE

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Oliver Simon, a military intelligence officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 143rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard, at Camp Nett, Niantic, Connecticut, Feb. 12, 2022. Simon works as the intelligence officer in the battalion S-2.

Alaska Army Guard aviation recognized for ‘Rescue of Year’
February 18, 2022 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Four members of the Alaska Army National Guard’s Golf Company, Detachment 1, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, received the... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bradley Jorgensen, Sgt. 1st Class Damion Minchaca, Capt. Cody McKinney, and Staff Sgt. Sonny Cooper, all members of Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, in front of an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Feb. 17, 2022. The crew received the DUSTOFF Association 2021 Rescue of the Year award for their efforts in a rescue completed Sept. 15, 2021.

Oklahoma Airmen teach land navigation skills
February 18, 2022 — OKLAHOMA CITY – The 137th Combat Training Flight (CTF) taught 33 students land navigation, radio communication and radio programming skills during Mission Sustainment Team (MST) training at Will... MORE

Oklahoma National Guard Mission Sustainment Team students use binocular night vision goggles during a field exercise in Oklahoma City Feb. 10, 2022. The students used the night vision devices to learn how to observe their surroundings and conceal their movement in the dark.

NY Air Guard 106th civil engineers train at Silver Flag
February 17, 2022 — FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – New York Air National Guard Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing's Civil Engineering Squadron (CES) deployed to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City,... MORE

New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing firefighters extinguish live-fire training props at a Silver Flag exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Fla., Jan. 6, 2022. Nineteen Airmen from the 106th Civil Engineering Squadron traveled to Tyndall AFB for a 10-day exercise, where they trained and tested their readiness in preparation for deployment.

Nebraska Guard assists with civilian airplane emergency
February 17, 2022 — LINCOLN, Neb. - A Nebraska Army National Guard crew flying a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a nighttime training flight responded immediately to assist civilians who notified air traffic control they... MORE

A Nebraska Army National Guard UH-60 crew chief and flight medic assist civilian copilots, both of whom were unharmed, after their small airplane made an emergency landing Feb. 10, 2022, in a cornfield outside Lincoln, Neb. The UH-60 crew had been on a nighttime training flight at the time of the emergency and were able to locate the crash site and relay the location to first responders.

Legacies of Excellence: Mountain Warfare School instructors
February 17, 2022 — CAMP ETHAN ALLEN TRAINING SITE, Vt. – Service members from French desert commandos to U.S. Special Forces operators have sung the praises of U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School instructors.The Vermont... MORE

Staff Sgt. John Hampson, an instructor at the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School, demonstrates a casualty evacuation system to students at the school’s Basic Military Mountaineer Course at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site, Vermont, Jan. 22, 2022. U.S. and foreign service members learn basic, advanced and specialty mountain warfare skills at the school.

Humble Beginnings: U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School
February 17, 2022 — CAMP ETHAN ALLEN TRAINING SITE, Vt. – The U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School was established April 5, 1983, in a mobile home next to a tin shack on a small hill in Jericho, Vermont. The tin shack still... MORE

Pictured from left, the aid station that accompanied a mobile home (which no longer exists) where the first Army Mountain Warfare School courses were run when it was established in 1983; the current AMWS building, which was built in 1987, and the new $30 million facility scheduled to house students and instructors and support courses in April 2022.

Beyond the Basics: U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School
February 17, 2022 — CAMP ETHAN ALLEN TRAINING SITE, Vt. – The education at the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School doesn’t end at the Basic Military Mountaineer Course.From the four advanced and specialty courses taught in... MORE

Students at the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School’s Advanced Military Mountaineer Course in Jericho, Vermont, drag mountaineering equipment on sleds as they leave the site where they camped in temperatures that plunged to -29 degrees with windchill Jan. 27, 2022.

NY Guard trains on frozen lake to prep for polar missions
February 16, 2022 — GREAT SACANDAGA LAKE, N.Y. – Twenty Airmen assigned to the New York National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing are honing their skills as members of the Polar Camp Ski-way Team (PCST) on the Great Sacandaga... MORE

Airmen assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing prepare to set up camp on the ice of the Great Sacandaga Lake near Northville, New York, Feb. 15, 2022. The Airmen were training on the tasks involved with creating an ice "ski-way" to land massive ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft on ice in the polar regions.

Virginia National Guard combat medics refresh skills
February 16, 2022 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – More than 20 Virginia Army National Guard combat medics conducted refresher training at the State Military Reservation Jan. 25-29. The Virginia Army National Guard Medical... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard combat medics conduct refresher training Jan. 27, 2022, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Twenty-seven Soldiers participated in the training, conducted by the Virginia Army National Guard Medical Command.

Alaska National Guard to kick off exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot
February 16, 2022 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard will host the joint exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 to train with interagency partners for the homeland security and emergency... MORE

Members of a search-and-extraction team of national, state and local agencies assessed, decontaminated and prepared to treat "casualties" of a simulated helicopter crash during exercise Arctic Eagle 2020 on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Feb. 24. The training is designed to improve interoperability while conducting sustained operations in extreme cold.

Hundreds of Oregon Guardsmen help overwhelmed hospitals
February 16, 2022 — MEDFORD, Ore. – Oregon National Guardsmen are assisting more than 40 hospitals across the state struggling with heavy patient loads and short staffing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Guardsmen handle... MORE

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Donna Prigmore, Oregon Air National Guard commander, visits Senior Airman Nathan Turpen, a 173rd FW hydraulics mechanic, while he washes dishes at Providence Medford Medical Center Feb. 4, 2022. Nearly 1,200 Oregon Guardsmen are activated around the state of Oregon to help hospitals cope with heavy patient loads and low staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Utah National Guard supports hospitals facing COVID surge
February 15, 2022 — ST. GEORGE, Utah – For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, Utah National Guard members are providing direct hospital support in non-medical roles. Service members are transporting... MORE

Utah National Guard Sgt. Bracken McKinlay changes sheets and cleans a room after a patient is moved out of the emergency room at St. George Regional Hospital. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, Utah National Guard members of the COVID-19 Joint Task Force are providing direct hospital support in non-medical roles.

More U.S. troops deploying to Europe, Guard leaving Ukraine
February 15, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Another 3,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will move to Europe, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is temporarily repositioning 160 Florida National Guard troops... MORE

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, stand in formation during a handover/takeover ceremony at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, Feb. 11, 2022. The ceremony demonstrated NATO's continued commitment to the collective defense and security of our allies on NATO's eastern flank.

ANG director emphasizes readiness, change with Hawaii Airmen
February 14, 2022 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The director of the Air National Guard made his message clear while visiting Hawaii Air National Guard Airmen Feb. 8 — members at every step of the chain are... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, director, Air National Guard, is greeted by Lt. Col. Blythe Jeanne Itoman, commander, 204th Airlift Squadron, Hawaii National Guard, Feb. 8, 2022, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Loh met with Hawaii ANG leaders and participated in a town hall presentation.

Army National Guard welcomes 13th command sergeant major
February 11, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, the director of the Army National Guard, hosted a change of responsibility ceremony for the Army Guard’s top senior enlisted position at the Herbert R. Temple... MORE

Army Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, the director of the Army National Guard, presents the sword of the noncommissioned officer to Command Sgt. Maj. John Raines, welcoming him as the Army Guard’s top senior enlisted member during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Herbert R. Temple Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington, Va., Feb. 9, 2022.

NY National Guard Airmen begin returning from Antarctic mission
February 11, 2022 — SCOTIA, NEW YORK – Seventy-three Airmen and three LC-130 "Skibirds" assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing are expected to begin returning from Antarctica to Stratton Air... MORE

The 109th Airlift Wing supported the 34th season of Operation Deep Freeze at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, from October 2021 through February 2022.

Texas Guard Members Bolster Border Patrol Efforts along Rio Grande

Washington Army Guard Soldiers Participate in Norwegian Foot March

Florida National Guard Conducts Operation Mustang

In Maine, Raines Highlights National Guard Readiness, Family Support and Global Reach

Georgia's 165th Airlift Wing Hosts Response Exercise TOXIC PEACH 2025