Guard News - The National Guard

Alaska Army National Guard rescues stranded hunter
September 17, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Medevac aircrew from the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued a hunter stranded on a 3-by-3 ledge near Cottonwood... MORE

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter departs Bethel, Alaska, returning to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, April 9, 2021.

167th Airlift Wing firefighters train on disaster response
September 16, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – They changed the tires on their equipment trailer, prepped their communication devices, loaded their urban search and rescue kits and headed south from Martinsburg to Charleston... MORE

Technical Sgt. Robert Laidlow, 167th Fire and Emergency Services, monitors and keeps account of the firefighters assigned to his team during collapsed structure training as part of Exercise Vigilant Guard 2021 Aug. 27, 2021.

100th Missile Defense Brigade assists with MDA flight test
September 16, 2021 — VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – The 100th Missile Defense Brigade's Detachment 1 provided the necessary human-in-the-loop to execute the Missile Defense Agency's successful launch of a... MORE

A ground-based Interceptor missile, an element of the nation’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, was launched from North Vandenberg in California Sept. 12, 2021, by Space Launch Delta 30 officials, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and U.S. Northern Command.

Puerto Rico Guard helps Louisiana with Hurricane Ida relief
September 16, 2021 — FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico – Bridge engineers with the 190th Engineering Battalion of the Puerto Rico National Guard mobilized to Louisiana Sept. 16 to support Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. Gov... MORE

Members of the Puerto Rico National Guard, 190th Engineering Battalion, head to Louisiana Sept. 16, 2021, to assist with Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. The PRNG sent 43 engineers to help assess damage to Louisiana bridges and roads in the aftermath of the storm.

Kentucky Air Guard augments hospital workers battling COVID
September 16, 2021 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. – More than 40 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard reported to Baptist Hospital East Sept. 14 to provide logistical support for medical staff fighting a rising tide of... MORE

Airman 1st Class Audrey Parios, a C-130 crew chief in the Kentucky Air National Guard, reports to Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 14, 2021, to provide logistical support to medical staff struggling to keep pace with the rising number of critically ill COVID patients. She is one of 310 Kentucky Army and Air National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who were activated by Gov. Andy Beshear to provide non-clinical support to 21 hospitals across the commonwealth.

NJNG Soldiers rescued 9 motorists stranded by Ida flooding
September 15, 2021 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Hurricane Ida caused extensive damage as a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in Louisiana and, even after it was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone,... MORE

Left to right, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Albert Sbarro, Staff Sgt. Anthony Marotta, Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Witts, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Quentin Hastings in front of their UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter at the New Jersey National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Sept. 14, 2021. They are part of a five-man crew that rescued nine people after catastrophic flooding in northern New Jersey from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Astronaut recovery task force conducts airlift exercise
September 15, 2021 — MOFFETT FEDERAL FIELD, Calif. – Airmen with the Hawaii and California Air National Guard enhanced their ability to recover astronauts during search and rescue training out of Moffett Federal Airfield... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Brandon Ducosin, 204th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, accesses C-17 Globemaster III controls Sept. 9, 2021, at Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif. A Hawaii Air National Guard aircrew flew to California to validate their ability to train alongside Guardian Angel pararescue jumpers from the 131st Rescue Squadron. The combined participants form a Personnel Recovery Task Force that can aid splashed down astronauts far into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Louisiana National Guard prepares for new storm
September 15, 2021 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard staged assets to respond to Tropical Depression Nicholas while continuing statewide emergency operations after Hurricane Ida.More than 5,000 Louisiana... MORE

Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTV) assigned to the Louisiana National Guard’s 527th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, lead a convoy of dump trucks and flat-bottom boats to be staged in advance of Tropical Storm Nicholas at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Sept. 13, 2021.

Texas National Guard conducts validation exercise during NS
September 14, 2021 — GRAYLING, Mich. – Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Sustainment Brigade seized an opportunity during Northern Strike 21 to get battle-ready, conducting their validation exercise.NS 21... MORE

Soldiers with the 294th Quartermaster Company, 338th Quartermaster Company, Texas Army National Guard, the 3rd Special Forces Group, soldiers with the Latvian Army’s Special Forces Group and British Army’s 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), jump out of a C-130 Hercules aircraft over Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Grayling, Michigan, Aug. 13, 2021. The service members conducted joint airborne training during Northern Strike 21.

All Guard Combat team named marksmanship champions
September 13, 2021 — NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Six four-person teams consisting of top shooters from the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves competed in the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting (AFSAM) Aug. 28-Sept... MORE

Army Sgt 1st. Class Michael Bautista, Idaho National Guard, examines his target during a rifle match Sept. 3, 2021, at the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. Established in 1991, the Armed Forces Skills at Arms Meeting (AFSAM) is a multinational and interservice competition created to promote marksmanship training and competition between the different components and services of U.S. military forces and allied nations.

Arkansas, North Dakota Guardsmen win rifle, pistol competition
September 13, 2021 — NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Fifty-three four-person teams from across the National Guard competed in the 50th Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Championship Aug. 28-Sept. 2."We are truly honored to... MORE

Staff Sgt. James Dansie, Utah National Guard, fires his pistol Sept. 2, 2021, during the General George Patton Combat Pistol match of the 50th Winston P. Wilson and the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Championships, hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, held at the Robinson Joint Maneuver Training Center, North Little Rock, Ark.

After Ida: La. Guardsmen assist with recovery, rebuilding
September 13, 2021 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard is conducting emergency operations throughout coastal Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida while continuing COVID-19 response missions. More than... MORE

The 159th Medical Group Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package sets up mobile medical stations at the Terrebonne General Health System in Houma to augment a badly damaged hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Sept. 6, 2021.

Alaska Air National Guard rescues ATV riders
September 13, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The Alaska Air National Guard’s Rescue Coordination Center and the 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued two all-terrain vehicle riders in... MORE

HH-60G Pave Hawk aircrew of 210th Rescue Squadron simulate combat search-and-rescue tactics by locating and evacuating a simulated downed pilot in southcentral Alaska Jan. 21, 2021, as part of Operation Noble Defender. The exercise is a North American Air Defense Command Arctic air defense operation.

Governor recognizes New York National Guard's 9/11 response
September 13, 2021 — NEW YORK – On the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, members of the New York National Guard were recognized by Gov. Kathy Hochul for their service during and after that tragic... MORE

Gov. Kathy Hochul recognizes the New York National Guard for its service responding to the 9/11 terror attacks on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 in remarks at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Maryland National Guard remembers 9/11
September 13, 2021 — BALTIMORE – Sept. 11, 2001, was a day without comparison for most Americans, and the Maryland National Guard was one of the first responders in the days the followed to provide support to a nation in... MORE

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Aarion Franklin, Maryland National Guard, is greeted after returning from deployment to Afghanistan Jan. 28, 2014, at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. Franklin was among the many MDNG members who responded to the attacks on Sep. 11, 2001.

New York National Guard remembers 9/11 with ceremony
September 10, 2021 — LATHAM, New York – New York National Guard headquarters personnel marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in a ceremony Sept. 10 before a backdrop of 2,977 small American flags — one for every... MORE

The color guard presents the flag during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, New York Sept. 10, 2021. The ceremony took place in front of a backdrop of 2,977 small American flags representing each of the people killed during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Hokanson: Names in bronze one of the reasons the National Guard keeps our promise to be Always Ready, Always There
September 10, 2021 — NEW YORK – As Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson ran his fingers over the letters spelling out one of the names cut into the 9/11 Memorial here Wednesday, he pondered the consequences of the terrorist attacks... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, places a flag and pauses to remember U.S. Military Academy classmate Douglas Gurian, among the almost 3,000 names engraved in the 9/11 Memorial. “It was an attack on our nation, and deeply personal to so many of us,” Hokanson said. The National Guard transformed from a strategic reserve to an operational force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This image was acquired using a cellular device.

Pennsylvania Guard responded in force on 9/11
September 10, 2021 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – At approximately 10:03 a.m. Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania. Within hours, Soldiers and Airmen from the Pennsylvania... MORE

Left to right, Maj. Gen. William Lynch, Pennsylvania National Guard adjutant general; Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge; and Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Paul Evanko leave a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the Pennsylvania National Guard's Company G, 104th Aviation Regiment, at the Flight 93 crash site in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Sept. 11, 2001. (Photo by Terry Way/Commonwealth Media Services)

Army fields final unit with disaster response comms kit
September 10, 2021 — LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Louisiana Army National Guard used its Disaster Incident Response Emergency Communications Terminal tool suite, known as DIRECT, to provide interagency first responder... MORE

Soldiers from the New Jersey Army National Guard 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team use a radio bridging voice cross-banding system that is part of the Disaster Incident Response Emergency Communications Terminal (DIRECT) tool suite, on Aug. 20, 2021, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

National Guard members reflect on 9/11 experiences
September 10, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – On Sept. 4, 2001, then-Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Redmond was starting his first day as an assistant district attorney in New York City.One week later, recalled the Green Beret with the... MORE

A graphic illustration of the World Trade Center Twin Towers coming out of the Pentagon with a keystone on the bottom. The towers’ gradient from blue to red symbolizes the lives lost on 9/11. As the nation commemorates the tragic day 20 years ago, National Guard members and retirees reflect on their experiences, and how the day’s events changed the course of the Guard.

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

Puerto Rico Air Guard Tests Flexible Communications in Evaluation

Pennsylvania Guard Medical Unit Gains Vital Experience During Field Exercise

California Air National Guard Hosts Reaper Smoke 2025

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training