Guard News - The National Guard

Honoring with Dignity: Michigan’s Longest Serving Honor Guard Member
March 13, 2023 — LANSING, Mich. - The U.S. Air Force honor guard uniform features epaulets, white gloves, service caps and the silver cord but not the name of the person wearing it. This symbolizes that honor guard... MORE

Master Sgt. Carmen LaGuardia poses for photos at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., Feb. 5, 2023. LaGuardia is Michigan’s longest serving and most decorated honor guard member, having performed more than 2,000 military details.

New Hampshire National Guard Revives Biathlon Program
March 10, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Four years ago, when Tom Echelberger, a former high school and college cross-country skier, was working in a New Hampshire ski shop, he never dreamed he would have a full-time job... MORE

Members of the New Hampshire National Guard’s biathlon team pose for a photo after winning third place in the 2023 Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s Biathlon Championships at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vt., Feb. 22. From left, U.S. Army Spc. Jimmy Small, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Bryce Murdick, U.S. Army Spc. Tom Echelberger, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Parent, U.S. Army Maj. Rob Burnham, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Englehardt, U.S. Army Capt. Pamela Donley.

Virginia Guardsman Named Top Enlisted Ranger School Graduate
March 10, 2023 — RICHMOND, Va. – After months of grueling effort, Staff Sgt. Matthew Dawson, a sniper team leader in the Virginia Army National Guard, completed Ranger School, earned the coveted Ranger Tab and was... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Dawson graduates Ranger School as the enlisted honor graduate during a ceremony Jan. 27, 2023, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dawson is assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as a sniper team leader and completed Ranger School immediately following his deployment to the Horn of Africa.

Georgia National Guard Women Compete to be Best Warrior
March 8, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. – Eighteen National Guardsmen compete in the Georgia Army National Guard 2023 Best Warrior Competition March 5-10 to determine the state’s best Soldier and noncommissioned... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Mary Ruiz, an aviation operations specialist representing the 78th Aviation Troop Command, crawls under barbed wire during the obstacle course portion of the 2023 Georgia National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 6, 2023. The competition tested readiness and adaptiveness of Georgia's best Soldiers.

Guard Soldiers Make History at International Culinary Event
March 7, 2023 — FORT LEE, Va. – Eleven Iowa and Rhode Island Army National Guard Soldiers are making history at the 47th Joint Culinary Training Exercise this week. It’s the largest military culinary event in North... MORE

Iowa and Rhode Island National Guard Soldiers pose for a photo during the 47th Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Lee, Virginia, March 5, 2023. The Soldiers made history by being part of the first Army National Guard team to participate in the largest military culinary event in North America.

Former Tanker Recalls his Past During Promotion Ceremony in Germany
March 2, 2023 — GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - In 2004, Staff Sgt. Angelo Gelster enlisted in the New York Army National Guard to be an M1 Abrams main battle tank crewman.However, in 2006, his unit, the 1st Battalion, 127th... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Angelo E. Gelster, an ammunition specialist assigned to Task Force Orion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, is promoted during a ceremony atop an M1A2 Abrams tank in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Feb. 20, 2023. Gelster, a former armor crewmember who operated M1A1 Abrams tanks with the now-disbanded 127th Armor Regiment, is deployed to Germany in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine mission to ensure the combat effectiveness of Ukrainian military personnel training in Germany.

Persistence Pays off for History-Making Air Guardsman
March 2, 2023 — BRADLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Conn. - “I never thought that I couldn’t do anything,” said Tech. Sgt. Petra Chesanek.Thinking back to her childhood, Chesanek, an aeromedical technician with the... MORE

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Petra Chesanek, an aeromedical technician with the 103rd Medical Group, Connecticut Air National Guard, at Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn., Aug. 6, 2022. Chesanek, a career firefighter with the New Britain Fire Department, made history alongside firefighter Lauren Burns when they became the department’s first female firefighters promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Fallen Army Guard Sniper Honored in Memorial Competition
March 1, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – When Jane Horton laid her husband, Spc. Christopher Horton, to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, she had just two lines to describe the love of her life. She chose “valiant... MORE

Spc. Chris Horton, a sniper with 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, in Paktia, Afghanistan, in 2011. He died in an ambush Sept. 9, 2011.

Kansas National Guard Combat Medic Puts Her Training to Use
February 28, 2023 — Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Alligood is the readiness noncommissioned officer and a combat medic with the Kansas Army National Guard's 1077th Ground Ambulance Company at the Lenexa armory. As a combat... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Alligood is the readiness noncommissioned officer and a combat medic with the Kansas Army National Guard’s 1077th Ground Ambulance Company at the Lenexa armory.

Wisconsin Air Guard Firefighter Earns National Honors
February 22, 2023 — MADISON, Wis. - Whether a civilian or military firefighter, ensuring the safety of others isn’t always easy. Luckily, for Master Sgt. Colin Pierce, the assistant fire chief of training with the 115th... MORE

Air Force Master Sgt. Colin Pierce, the assistant fire chief of training at the 115th Fire and Emergency Services flight, Truax Field, Madison, Wis., trains Airman Kody Cummings, a fire prevention specialist with the 115th, on the functions of an aircraft rescue firefighting truck Feb. 2, 2023. Pierce is the 2022 Air National Guard Military Fire Officer of the Year.

Twins Follow Dad into the Idaho Army National Guard
February 21, 2023 — BOISE, Idaho - Col. Jim Hicks, director of the Idaho National Guard’s Human Resource Office, enlisted his 19-year-old twin sons into the Idaho Army National Guard Feb. 16. The twins will serve in the... MORE

Idaho National Guard Col. Jim Hicks with his 19-year-old sons, Grayson, right, and Riley, Feb. 16, 2023, shortly after Hicks enlisted his sons into the Idaho Army National Guard at the Idaho Military Entrance Processing Station in Boise. The twins will serve in the same unit and military occupational specialty.

Guard Senior Spouse Recognizes DCNG Family Readiness Program
February 10, 2023 — WASHINGTON - Kelly Hokanson, spouse of the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Sherrie L. McCandless, District of Columbia National Guard commanding general, recognized... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Sherrie L. McCandless, left, commanding general, District of Columbia National Guard, and Kelly Hokanson, spouse of the chief of the National Guard Bureau, watch a video at the District of Columbia Armory in Washington Feb. 9, 2023. Hokanson and McCandless recognized the DCNG Family Readiness Program for supporting more than 26,000 Soldiers and Airmen during the Capitol Response.

ANG Brings Childhood Friends Full Circle as top Achievers
February 9, 2023 — RICKENBACKER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio - Michael Zinsmeister and Lance Perone were just two young boys from a small town near Zanesville, Ohio, who rode the school bus together. Mutual friends led... MORE

Senior Master Sgt. Lance Perone, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Zinsmeister, both with the 220th Engineering Installation Squadron, stand for a portrait Jan. 20, 2023, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. Perone and Zinsmeister are still serving together after being in the same basic training flight over 33 years ago.

Ohio Air Guard Member Wins Jiu-Jitsu World Championship
January 13, 2023 — COLUMBUS, Ohio – When Wendy Kuhn first walked into a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class seven years ago, she didn’t know what to expect. She had no idea she would become a world champion.Tech. Sgt. Kuhn, an... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Wendy Kuhn, an Ohio Air National Guard public affairs specialist at the 121st Air Refueling Wing, stands for a portrait Dec. 4, 2022, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. Kuhn recently won her second gold medal in Las Vegas at the World Master International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Pennsylvania Airman Puts Military Medical Training to Work at Home
January 10, 2023 — MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Pennsylvania Air National Guard Master Sgt. Kenneth Rivera-Ithier used his military medical training to help save a life over the holidays.While visiting his wife’s family in New... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master. Sgt. Kenneth Rivera-Ithier, left, a Deployed Aircraft Ground Response Element member with the 193rd Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, teaches Airmen how to dress wounds during a Tactical Combat Casualty Care course Jan. 8, 2023, in Middletown, Pennsylvania. Rivera-Ithier used his military training to help save the life of a family member over the holidays.

West Virginia Soldier Responds to 2 Emergencies in one Night
January 10, 2023 — LEWISBURG, W.Va. – West Virginia Army National Guard Sgt. Bradley Parker Walls responded to two emergencies Dec. 26, reporting a neighbor’s house fire and providing lifesaving aid at a two-vehicle... MORE

West Virginia Army National Guard Sgt. Bradley Parker Walls responded to two emergencies Dec. 26, 2022, while commuting to his State Active Duty position in Beaver, West Virginia. Walls called 911 after noticing a neighbor’s house fire, then provided life-saving assistance at a two-vehicle accident on his way to work.

New Hampshire Guardsmen Assists Injured Driver
January 3, 2023 — CONCORD, N.H. – Staff Sgt. Dante Davis was stuck in traffic when he spotted an overturned SUV against the Interstate 93 South guardrail in Manchester at night on Dec. 15.He immediately pulled over,... MORE

Staff Sgt. Dante Davis, an operations noncommissioned officer with 54th Troop Command, poses for a photo on Dec. 21, 2022, in the atrium of the Edward Cross Training Complex in Pembroke, New Hampshire.

Massachusetts Guardsman Wins CENTCOM Innovation Contest
December 28, 2022 — WASHINGTON - Before deploying this summer with his Massachusetts Army National Guard unit, Sgt. Mickey Reeve had little idea he’d be on a world tour just a few months later talking about innovation in... MORE

Massachusetts Army National Guard Sgt. Mickey Reeve speaks to service members from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain about the importance of innovation in the military Nov. 22, 2022. Reeve recently won the U.S. Central Command’s Innovation Oasis contest and went on a world tour with CENTCOM leadership to discuss his experience.

New York National Guard Airmen Ready to Track Santa Claus
December 20, 2022 — ROME, N.Y. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command defends the North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.On Dec. 24, NORAD will add one element to its mission... MORE

Air Force Master Sgt. Brian Burgess, standing, and Maj. Bonnie Bosworth of the New York Air National Guard’s 224th Air Defense Squadron train for Santa tracking operations on Dec. 16, 2022, at Eastern Air Defense Sector headquarters in Rome, N.Y.

NC Soldier Recognized by Coast Guard for Lifesaving Actions
December 20, 2022 — FORT BRAGG, N.C. - U.S. Army Maj. Kenneth Leahy, a North Carolina National Guard dental officer, was awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal Dec. 3.The Coast Guard recognized Leahy in a ceremony... MORE

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Matt Baer, right, sector commander of North Carolina, presents U.S. Army Maj. Kenneth Leahy, left, the North Carolina National Guard state dental officer, with the Coast Guard Commendation Medal at the NCNG Medical Readiness Detachment on Dec. 3, 2022. Leahy was recognized for his heroism in saving a distressed 10-year old child from drowning in the ocean over 200 yards from shore.

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