Guard News - The National Guard

Alaska National Guard Airmen rescue injured mountain biker
July 15, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guardsmen of the 176th Wing rescued an injured mountain biker near Girdwood July 14.The biker, riding an electric bike, was reported to... 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.

VTNG supports COVID response from strategic stockpile
July 14, 2021 — COLCHESTER, Vt. – Termination of Vermont's COVID-19 state of emergency has led to a shift in priorities for Soldiers and Airmen supporting the state's Strategic National Stockpile.Distribution of... MORE

Airman 1st Class Abas Kallon from the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, retrieves personal protective equipment to fill an order at the Strategic National Stockpile Warehouse, Aug. 27, 2020. Airmen from across the 158th Fighter Wing have supported operations at the warehouse since March 2020.

NHNG practices combat marksmanship in annual competition
July 14, 2021 — FORT DEVENS, Mass. – The New Hampshire National Guard held its annual combat marksmanship match July 8–11 at Fort Devens.Soldiers and Airmen competed in team and individual small-arms events,... MORE

Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, New Hampshire adjutant general, hurls a hatchet downrange during the New Hampshire National Guard's annual combat marksmanship competition July 10, 2021, at Fort Devens, Mass. The four-day match featured 14 teams and 75 marksmen competing in pistol, rifle, shotgun and even hatchet-throwing events.

NY Air Guard helps train Air Force Reserve port specialists
July 13, 2021 — SCOTIA, N.Y. – The New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing is hosting two Air Force Reserve Airmen from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base while they complete their hands-on training as aerial... MORE

Daniel Guthrie, Polar Field Services cargo supervisor, works with Senior Airman Ian Chisholm, left, and Airman 1st Class Trevor Cornelius to secure a pallet of cargo at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, N.Y. The Air Force Reserve Airmen from the 87th Aerial Port Squadron are being trained by air transportation specialists assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing.

152nd CES firefighters train at Volk Field in Wisconsin
July 13, 2021 — VOLK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Wis. – Fire protection specialists with the Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Civil Engineer Squadron participated in multiple firefighting training exercises June... MORE

Nevada Air National Guard 152nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire protection specialists utilize an Oshkosh Striker with a mounted water turret to extinguish a fire on a C-130 aircraft frame during a live-burn exercise at Volk Field Air National Guard Base in Wisconsin July 7, 2021.

New York National Guard closing down mass vaccination site
July 12, 2021 — NEW YORK – New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen began winding down their mission at the country's largest COVID-19 mass vaccination site July 9, as the last shot was administered at the Jacob... MORE

Emma L. Jenks, 21, of Millerton, New York, gets one of the last vaccinations at the Jacob K Javits mass vaccination site in Manhattan July 9, 2021. Jenks, the daughter of New York Army National Guard Sgt. Major Robert, received her second Pfizer vaccination from nurse Christina Davis-Riley and New York Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Mark Manual, a member of the 105th Airlift Wing, who served as the data entry technician. Representatives from the agencies that comprised Joint Task Javits witnessed the occasion.

121st FA HIMARS train at Camp Ripley
July 9, 2021 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. – The Milwaukee-based 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, which consists of Alpha Battery, Bravo Battery, the 108th Forward Support Company and its Headquarters Battery, conducted... MORE

National Guardsmen from the 121st Field Artillery Regiment conduct a live-fire exercise with HIMARS at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minn., in June 2021. Based out of Wisconsin, the 121st completed annual training at Camp Ripley for the first time.

Oregon Guard dual status commander leads vaccination clinic
July 9, 2021 — CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – The goal was straightforward – deliver free COVID-19 vaccines to the people of southern Oregon. There were already vaccination clinics across the state, but what made the Jackson... MORE

U.S. Air Force Brig. General Mark Crosby, Joint Task Force Oregon dual status commander, checks in with Civil Air Patrol volunteers during the Jackson County Vaccination Equity Project April 21, 2021, at Central Point, Oregon. Crosby, the assistant adjutant general for air for the Oregon National Guard, was the first Oregon National Guard dual status commander leading approximately 120 people from all branches of the Armed Forces on the two-month mission to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to people in southern Oregon.

506th Military Police train to develop new Soldiers
July 9, 2021 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – For the Citizen-Soldiers of the 506th Military Police Detachment, this year’s annual training was a chance to return to collective unit training and develop new Soldiers'... MORE

Washington National Guard Soldiers with the 506th Military Police train on a high-risk traffic stop as part of their annual training June 14, 2021, at Camp Murray, Wash. The 506th Military Police focused annual training this year on developing the skills of newer Soldiers.

Hawaiian Raptors, French Air Force advance interoperability
July 8, 2021 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam completed international air combat training July 5, with several training sorties focused on interoperability... MORE

A Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptor flies in formation with a French Air and Space Force F3-R Rafale June 30, 2021, near Oahu, Hawaii. FASF aircraft, maintenance, and support personnel traveled to Hawaii for exercise Wakea as part of the bilateral cooperation in the Pacific between the United States and France.

Lone Star Gunfighters use experience to train F-16 pilots
July 8, 2021 — SAN ANTONIO – The 182nd Fighter Squadron stands as one of the premier fighter training units in the nation. The job of its instructor pilots is to take inexperienced fighter pilots and teach them how... MORE

First Lt. James Demkowicz, a student pilot assigned to the 149th Fighter Wing, Air National Guard, conducts preflight checks prior to launch during Coronet Cactus, Feb. 28, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The annual training event deploys members of the 149th Fighter Wing, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, to another environment to familiarize them with accomplishing mission objectives in an unfamiliar location.

Georgia Guard helps vaccinate tens of thousands of Georgians
July 7, 2021 — ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - Over 100 Georgia Air National Guard Airmen with the 116th Air Control Wing completed a COVID-19 response mission where over 170,000 Georgians were vaccinated.The 116th... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brenda Franklin, left, a public health specialist with the 116th Medical Group, conducts a medical examination with Tech. Sgt. Dewayne Bembry, an aerospace propulsion craftsman with the 116 Maintenance Squadron, after he returned from a COVID-19 vaccination mission, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 1, 2021. Airmen and Soldiers from the Georgia National Guard vaccinated more than 170,000 people.

1109th TASMG brings new life to battle-damaged helicopters
July 7, 2021 — GROTON, Conn. – The Connecticut National Guard’s 1109th Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Group (TASMG) has a unique mission as one of only four Army units designated for large-scale rotary-wing... MORE

The shell of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter that was battle-damaged from a hard landing while serving in Iraq sits in the maintenance bay of the Connecticut National Guard's 1109th Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Group in Groton, Conn., Sept. 3, 2019. The restoration of the aircraft was part of an initiative by the unit to restore inoperable aircraft and get them back in the Army's operational fleet.

Virginia Guard aviation crews train on rooftop rescue hoists
July 6, 2021 — CHESTERFIELD, Va. – Virginia National Guard aviation crews and Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team members trained on rescue hoist operations June 8-10. The VNG... MORE

Virginia National Guard aviation crews and Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team members train on confined-space rescue hoist operations June 10, 2021, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. During quarterly training, the team practiced rescue hoists from rooftops, balconies and vehicles.

Alaska Air Guard rescues 7 people in separate incidents
July 6, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guardsmen of the 176th Wing rescued seven people in two incidents, aiding plane crash victims and hikers. On July Fourth, a single-engine... MORE

Pararescue personnel with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th Rescue Squadron used an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter like this one in the search for 12 mountaineers stranded in poor weather on Klutlan Glacier southeast of Mt. Bona in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. The mountaineers were rescued June 1 after the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, dispatched an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook with a paramedic from the 2nd Battalion, 211 Aviation Regiment.

Guam National Guard participates in Exercise Orient Shield
July 2, 2021 — DEDEDO, Guam - One Sergeant, three Specialists, and a Senior Airman in a room with a few laptops might not look like much. But in the realms of Electronic and Cyber Warfare, small teams like this can... MORE

From left, Sgt. Randy Ngirmekur, Spc. Ken Clark, Spc. Avery Tyquienco, Senior Amn. Ryan Martinez, and Spc. Jeremy Munoz participates remotely in the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense portions of Exercise Orient Shield 21-2 in Dededo, Guam, on June 30.

Pennsylvania National Guard vaccination mission ends
July 1, 2021 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – After over three months and more than 80,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, the Pennsylvania National Guard's public vaccination mission has come to an end.Operation... MORE

Spc. Christopher Valencia, combat medical specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 112 Infantry Regiment administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Romero Sergio at the Esperanza Community Vaccination Center in Philadelphia on May 17, 2021.

Cyber Shield enhances partnerships as cyber threats continue
July 1, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Guard plays a critical role in defending computer networks and mitigating cyber-attacks that occur almost daily, said Guard senior leaders during a roundtable discussion... MORE

Army 2nd Lt. Curtis Rookard, a cyber-operations officer with the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 175th Cyber Protection Team, participates in Cyber Shield 2020 in Smyrna, Tennessee, Sept. 22, 2020. For Cyber Shield 2021, more than 750 National Guard members will participate in the yearly exercise that tests their knowledge of network defenses, forensic analysis, reporting and mitigation, and incident response

211th Combat Engineer Company conducts explosives training
June 30, 2021 — GUERNSEY, Wyo. – The 211th Combat Engineer Company conducted training with demolition explosives and grenades during the Golden Coyote training exercise June 19.Soldiers from the 211th honed their... MORE

Soldiers with the 211th Engineer Company train on the grenade range during the Golden Coyote exercise in Guernsey, Wyo, June 19, 2021.

Washington National Guard prepares for wildfire season
June 30, 2021 — RAINIER, Wash. – With the summer months in full swing, the Washington National Guard is preparing for what could be a busy fire season.“We successfully trained 180 Guardsmen during the four academies... MORE

Washington National Guard Pfc. Xavier Cha, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, practices with a flare during wildfire training with the Washington Department of Natural Resources June 24, 2021, in Rainier, Wash. About 250 Washington National Guard members received firefighter training this spring in preparation for wildfire season.

Guard Soldiers Train with Civilian Experts in Cyber Discovery Exercise

Alaska Guard Works to Contain Fires

Air Guard Engineers Build Roads, Skills in Assateague Island Project

Maine Army Guard Engineers Build Communities, Readiness

Iowa Army Guard Soldiers Train at Tigerland