Guard News - The National Guard

176th Wing recognized for heroic rescue mission
September 29, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The 176th Wing’s operations and maintenance groups were recognized with the 2021 Jolly Green Rescue Mission of the Year accolade. Over Memorial Day weekend,... MORE

Members of the Jolly Green Association present the Jolly Green Mission of the Year award to Maj. Rebecca Altenburg, 176th Wing, Sept. 11, 2021, at Fort Walton, Fla. Altenburg represented the wing as one of the many aviators, maintenance professionals and aircrew flight equipment Airmen during simultaneous rescue missions in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Vermont Guardsman solves M17 training round extraction issue
September 28, 2021 — COLCHESTER, Vt. – Shortly after the U.S. Army adopted the M17 service pistol in 2017, new individual weapons qualifications required the use of dummy, drilled, inert (DDI) practice rounds before... MORE

1st Lt. Anna Kretzer, a platoon leader assigned to the 527th Military Police Company, qualifies on the new M17. The U.S. Army started fielding Military Police units with the new SIG Sauer M17 pistol to replace the M9 Beretta.

Cyber units secured joint networks during Northern Strike
September 28, 2021 — LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Air National Guard's 272nd Cyber Operations Squadron trained with the Texas National Guard's 273rd COS to secure networks during Northern Strike 21."An exercise like... MORE

Maj. Richard Frantz, 272nd Cyber Operations chief of training, explains the Threat Cloud program to Senior Airmen Kelsie Hubbart and Micah Sage, cyber operators on the operations floor at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Michigan, Sept. 14, 2020. Threat Cloud was used to improve traffic conditions for the state of Michigan during Operation Resilience, Innovative Readiness Training.

New York National Guard funeral honors Korean War MIA
September 28, 2021 — SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. – Maj. Gen. Michel Natali, the assistant adjutant general of New York, joined New York Army National Guard Soldiers Sept. 20 to salute a Korean War Soldier whose remains were laid... MORE

New York Army National Guard Capt. Eric Samson, left, presents the American flag to Douglas Smead, brother of Korean War MIA Cpl. Walter Smead, as part of the military honors for Smead’s funeral ceremony Sept. 20, 2021, at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, N.Y. Smead returned home after 71 years listed as missing in action following his death in North Korea near the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950.

Michigan Army Aviation partners with first responders
September 27, 2021 — IONIA, Mich. – Soldiers with the Michigan National Guard (MING) Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) conducted cold-load and aircraft familiarity training with local fire and EMS personnel Sept... MORE

Michigan Army National Guard’s Sgt. 1st Class John Sheehan, the state standardization instructor for Joint Forces Headquarters in Lansing, talks with first responders in Ionia, Michigan, about items carried in the Black Hawk helicopter Sept. 15, 2021. The Army Aviation Support Facility conducted cold-load and aircraft familiarity training with civilian partners during a pre-accident plan rehearsal.

La. Guard builds bridges, clears roads to recovery after Ida
September 24, 2021 — NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Ida blew ashore Aug. 29th, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that breached New Orleans’ levees and devastated the Gulf Coast. Ida made landfall as a... MORE

Louisiana National Guard members with the 2225th Multi-Role Bridge Company ferry emergency responders and equipment from Lafitte to Barataria to assist locals with recovery efforts, Jean Lafitte, La., Sept. 4, 2021. The only bridge to Barataria was damaged during Hurricane Ida and was rendered inoperable.

Indiana Guardsman serves as link between Americans, Afghans
September 23, 2021 — EDINBURGH, Ind.— An Indiana National Guard Soldier, who’s working in support of Operation Allies Welcome at Camp Atterbury, serves as a critical link between his fellow Soldiers and Afghan... MORE

Indiana National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Stringer interprets for an Afghan guest during medical screening, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, at Camp Atterbury in Indiana.

Louisiana Guard continues to distribute supplies after Ida
September 23, 2021 — NEW ORLEANS – Behind every disaster response operation to help community members affected by Hurricane Ida stands the Unified Logistics Element (ULE). This Louisiana National Guard element ensures... MORE

Louisiana National Guardsmen distribute food and water to the community during the recovery from Hurricane Ida, in Lockport, La., Aug. 31, 2021, during the recovery from Hurricane Ida.

Oregon Airmen conduct joint familiarization training
September 22, 2021 — PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, Ore. – Members of the U.S. Navy Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 10 joined up with the 123rd Fighter Squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing to conduct... MORE

Members of the U.S. Navy Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 10 joined up with the 123rd Fighter Squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing to conduct ongoing familiarization training. More than seven coordinated training flights have been conducted between the two groups at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon throughout 2021.

National Guard teams up with active duty, reserve to support Operation Allies Welcome
September 21, 2021 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N. J. – Since August 2021, Afghan evacuees have been arriving at several U.S. military installations across the country. These secure locations are an entry point for... MORE

Washington Air National Guard Master Sgt. Andy Remis, assigned to the 116th Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Murray, Wash., lends a helping hand, holding an Afghan child at the Task Force Liberty Village medical station, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Sept. 11, 2021.  The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening, and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities, in permanent or temporary structures, as quickly as possible. This initiative provides Afghan personnel essential support at secure locations outside Afghanistan. (National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John Hughel, Washington Air National Guard)

Air Guard Airmen assist in emergency delivery of baby born to Afghan guest
September 20, 2021 — McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Air Force Base, N.J.—The symbol of our country is a woman, a mother, who would sacrifice anything for the sake of her children. This symbol is no accident. Through a stroke of... MORE

Wyoming Air National Guard Administrative Specialists Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Ballenger and Tech. Sgt. Shyloh Vallot with New York Air Guard, 2nd Lt. Kristin Harosia just after they assisted the emergency delivery of a baby born to an Afghan guest of Operation Allies Welcome at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Air Force Base, New Jersey.

Vermont National Guard supports medical warehouse
September 17, 2021 — COLCHESTER, Vt. – Soldiers and Airmen of the Vermont National Guard are helping distribute COVID-19 vaccines and personal protective equipment from Vermont's Medical Countermeasures Warehouse to... MORE

Members of the Vermont National Guard at the Vermont Medical Countermeasures Warehouse Sept. 18, 2020. Guard members continue to work at the site in September 2021, distributing COVID-19 vaccines and personal protective equipment throughout Vermont.

179th AW to host 1st Air National Guard cyberspace wing
September 17, 2021 — MANSFIELD, Ohio – Mansfield-Lahm Air National Guard Base is the preferred location for the first Air National Guard cyberspace wing in the country.The Department of the Air Force announced the... MORE

A site survey team visits the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, Ohio, as part of the Air Force site selection process for a cyber warfare wing. The Air Force announced the selection of the base for the Air National Guard's first cyber wing Aug. 25, 2021.

NYNG artillery battery recognized by Field Artillery School
September 17, 2021 — NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. – The New York Army National Guard's Alpha Battery of the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, has been recognized as the most outstanding Guard artillery battery in the country by... MORE

Brig. Gen. Andrew D. Preston, left, the commandant of the Field Artillery School and Army chief of artillery, joins Capt, Daniel Rogers, the commander of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery in affixing an award streamer to the company guidon during a ceremony honoring the unit in New Windsor, New York, Sept. 11, 2001. The battery received the Hamilton Award, which recognizes the outstanding artillery battery in the Army National Guard.

Oklahoma Guard completes Hurricane Ida relief mission
September 17, 2021 — RESERVE, La. – Following the devastation Hurricane Ida caused in Southern Louisiana, nearly 500 Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard members volunteered to give up their Labor Day weekends to come to... MORE

Oklahoma National Guard Spcs. Michael West, left, and Gage Stone, truck drivers with Alpha Company, 120th Engineer Battalion, 90th Troop Command, distribute water, ice and food to those affected by Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, Louisiana, Sept. 7, 2021. Oklahoma National Guardsmen drove throughout neighborhoods to distribute supplies directly to residents.

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.

Iowa Air Guard’s 132nd Security Forces Squadron Conducts Annual Training in Hawaii

Wisconsin Air Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing Partners With UW Health for Medical Airmen Training

Connecticut Army Guard Partners With Coast Guard to Dislodge Beached Buoy

Minnesota Guard Among First to Field Army’s Newest M250 Automatic Rifle

Soldier’s Medal Awarded to Georgia Guardsman Who Pulled Driver From Burning SUV