Guard News - The National Guard - Category News Features

A Georgia Guardsman’s journey from Kyrgyzstan to citizenship
November 17, 2021 — ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Senior Airman Asylbek Dzhapashov, a personnel specialist with the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Mission Support Group, was born and raised in Kyrgyzstan, a small... MORE

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Asylbek Dzhapashov, personnelist with the 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, at

Obstacles don't slow Pennsylvania Guard chaplain assistant
November 10, 2021 — MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Over snaking slant walls and treacherous jumps, under menacing barbed wire and slogging up a steep climb with a 50-pound sack of sagging sand, Master Sgt. Joshua March pushed through... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua March, chaplain assistant of the 193rd Chaplain Corps, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Nov. 9, 2021. March, a drill status Guardsman, is a world champion in obstacle course racing outside of his service with the Air National Guard.

Vietnam Air Force vet tours Mississippi airbase
November 8, 2021 — KEY FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Miss. - With Veterans Day approaching, the 186th Air Refueling Wing was honored to host and provide a tour to a Vietnam veteran Nov. 6.James William Roberts, 82,... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Schultz, 186th Air Refueling Wing boom operator, shows James Roberts, a former U.S. Air Force boom operator, the controls in the boom pod of a KC-135R aircraft, Nov. 6, 2021, at Key Field Air National Guard Base, Mississippi. Boom operators are highly trained experts who pump thousands of gallons of fuel to other aircraft midflight.

29th ID cadet continues family's long legacy of service
November 8, 2021 — NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Upon swearing into the Virginia Army National Guard Aug. 20, 2021, Cadet Ethan Pulket began adding to his family's legacy of more than 200 years of combined military service. For... MORE

Cadet Ethan Pulkit swears into the Virginia Army National Guard in front of family, friends and peers during a ceremony Aug. 20, 2021, at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia. Pulket will be following in his family's footsteps and be part of the fourth generation to continue the legacy of military service to the nation and the 29th Infantry Division.

Arctic Guardian HH-60 pilot draws on service as Recon Marine
November 4, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - As the sun was setting across the Anbar Desert in December 2006, a Humvee gun truck driver spotted a slight glint strung across the road from a vehicle on the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Captain Seth Peterson, a helicopter pilot assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson, Alaska, stands in front of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter in a hanger at JBER Nov. 3, 2021. Capt. Peterson commissioned as an U.S. Air Force officer after serving as a U.S. Marine with the 4th Battalion.

PRANG Profile: Airman 1st Class Kenia Coreano
November 3, 2021 — CAROLINA, Puerto Rico – Airman 1st Class Kenia Coreano, a Security Forces journeyman with the 156th Security Forces Squadron, brings a wealth of knowledge to her section.Coreano has been in security... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kenia Coreano, a Security Forces journeyman with the 156th Security Forces Squadron, at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, Oct. 26, 2021.

Washington National Guard vocalist realizes dream at MLB game
October 28, 2021 — SEATTLE – As players, coaches and fans rose at a Seattle Mariners baseball game the night of Sept. 10, 2021, all eyes were on Sgt. Tricia Scheer, a vocalist in the Washington Army National Guard's... MORE

Sgt. Tricia Scheer, a vocalist with the 133rd Army National Guard Band, Washington Army National Guard, sings the national anthem before the Seattle Mariners play the Arizona Diamondbacks at T-Mobile Park, Seattle, Wash., Sept. 10, 2021.

ChalleNGe Academy initiative gives cadets job skills
October 28, 2021 — RANTOUL, Ill. – Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy is reaching beyond academics and offering its cadets vocational job skills and certifications that can help put them on the path to a bright future."For... MORE

Lincoln’s ChalleNGe Academy cadets work together during a GAF Roofing Academy class to learn basic roofing skills in Rantoul, Illinois. The Academy is administered by the Illinois National Guard.

HC-130 crew chief gets on-the-job training with 176th AMXS
October 20, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – A 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King isn’t your everyday C-130.Configured for combat search and rescue (CSAR), the King is packed with sensors designed... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Brad Payton, an HC-130J Combat King II crew chief with 176th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, inspects a 211th RQS HC-130 engine exhaust Oct. 4, 2021, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Payton recently completed mission-essential skills training following technical school and is pursuing a civilian career in aviation maintenance.

Minnesota Guard father, daughter serve together
October 12, 2021 — FORT RILEY, Kan. – For many, joining a military unit is like becoming part of a family. That figurative idea became very literal for Spc. Emma Brown when she found out her first duty assignment would... MORE

Minnesota National Guard Spc. Emma Brown and her father, Maj. David Brown, shown at Fort Riley, Kansas, are both assigned to Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, and are participating in Warfighter Exercise 22-1.

Innovation nothing new to Fabrication Flight Arctic Guardian
October 7, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Before he ever put on a uniform, Alaska Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Shawn McDermott, an aircraft metals technician with the 176th Maintenance Squadron... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Shawn McDermott, an aircraft metals technician with the 176th Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight, operates a consumer-grade 3D printer Sept. 28, 2021, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Arctic Spark Innovation Lab. In the course of his regular duties, McDermott operates industrial-grade 3D printers to fabricate parts for 176th Wing’s aircraft.

Titan of Air Force history honored in Pennsylvania hometown
October 7, 2021 — BOYERTOWN, Pa. - Pennsylvania’s prominence in U.S. Army history and its role in today’s force is well known - from watershed events at Valley Forge and Gettysburg to being the home of the U.S. Army... MORE

Brig. Gen. Michael Regan, Pennsylvania deputy adjutant general-air, right, with Gen. Carl Spaatz re-enactor Chris Boswell following a road dedication ceremony in Boyertown, Pa., June 28, 2018. Spaatz, the first chief of staff of the newly formed Air Force following the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947, grew up in Boyertown and is touted as one of its greatest citizens.

Operation Allies Welcome cultivates multicultural calling
October 5, 2021 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N. J. - It would be easy to overlook Air Force Staff Sgt. Sharon Queenie, inconspicuous in her OCP uniform, N-95 mask and orange safety vest, blending in with nearly... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Staff Sgts. Sharon Queenie, left, and Judy Phommathep, assigned to the 176th Air Defense Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, during a break as public safety team members at TF Liberty Village 3, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Sept. 19, 2021.

New York National Guard Airman helps deliver Afghan baby
October 4, 2021 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – The woman’s foot pressed into the top of the Airman’s collarbone where it connected at her right shoulder.In the Airman’s other hand was a cell phone hoisted... MORE

New York Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Scarlett Yates, assigned to the 106th Air Rescue Wing, sorts through donated books for Afghan children at the temporary medical isolation dormitory at Liberty Village, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Sept. 27, 2021.  Yates helped deliver an Afghan baby at the base Sept. 7.

Face of Defense: Leading the D.C. National Guard
October 4, 2021 — WASHINGTON – Flying fascinated Air Force Maj. Gen. Sherrie McCandless when she was a child, so it was no big surprise that in 1991 she joined the military after college to pursue her dream of being a... MORE

Air Force Maj. Gen. Sherrie McCandless, commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, waves to the crowd after throwing the ceremonial first pitch during National Guard Day at Nationals Park in Washington, Aug. 13, 2021. The Washington Nationals dedicate a special game each season to honor and celebrate each branch of the military.

Sword fighting as 'strategy in blink of an eye'
September 30, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – The metallic clash and clang of two swords striking each other echoed throughout the small room. Tension and anticipation filled the air as the opponents moved swiftly back and forth,... MORE

Lt. Col. Robert G. Childs, 234th Intelligence Squadron commander, poses for a competitor portrait Feb. 18, 2018, at Huntington Beach, California. Childs competes as a martial arts sword fighter throughout the world, and became a world champion in the open rapier and dagger category at Swordfish XIV, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Virginia National Guard officer assumes post in Colombia
September 27, 2021 — RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia National Guard officer has taken up a unique post in South America after graduating from the Spanish-immersive Command and General Staff College course at the Western... MORE

Maj. Angel Pastrana is serving as a bilateral affairs officer for U.S. Southern Command at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, after graduating from the Spanish-immersive Command and General Staff College course at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Tennessee National Guardsman revives pedestrian with CPR
September 27, 2021 — LAREDO, Texas – On Sept. 20, Tennessee Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Christopher Hurley rushed to resuscitate a person on the Gateway to the Americas port of entry bridge.While conducting... MORE

Staff Sgt. Christopher Hurley, a resident of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee assigned to the 913th Engineer Company of the Tennessee National Guard, at the Laredo International Bridge in Texas. Hurley revived a pedestrian Sept. 20, 2021, by performing CPR while supporting the Department of Defense's Southwest Border mission.

Soldier aids crash victims on drive home
September 13, 2021 — ST. PAUL, Minn. - She was driving south of Interstate 35E just south of St. Paul on a Friday afternoon when out of the corner of her eye, something caught her attention. She looked over and saw that a... MORE

A vehicle is wedged under an overpass off of I-35 in Minnesota after it crashed Aug. 20, 2021. Minnesota National Guard 1st Sgt. Christopher Reed, the joint operations center noncommissioned officer in charge and first sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, helped the two passengers, who were OK.

Airman uses deployment training to resuscitate drowning child
September 13, 2021 — HAMPTON, Va. – Situations can change in an instant. We’ve all heard that. But for Master Sgt. Keona Newsom, a commander’s support staff noncommissioned officer in charge with the 192nd Operations... MORE

Master Sgt. Keona Newsom, 192nd Operations Group commander’s support staff noncommissioned officer in charge, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Aug. 24, 2021, as she recounts saving a child’s life. Newsom performed CPR on a drowning 4-year-old girl, saving her life.

Pennsylvania National Guard Hosts Inaugural Keystone Combatives Tournament

Alaska Air Guard Conducts Nighttime Medical Evacuation

Connecticut National Guard Teams Drive Innovation

Air National Guard Captain Helps Deliver Baby in Hospital Parking Lot

Arizona National Guard Conducts Life-Saving Rescue in Yavapai County