Guard News - The National Guard

Alaska Air National Guardsman excels in marksmanship
June 8, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Larson, a security forces member with the 268th Security Forces Squadron, Clear Air Force Station, was awarded... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Larson, a security forces member with the 268th Security Forces Squadron, poses for a photo after the annual Adjutant General Match, May 16, 2021. Larson took first place in the open rifle marksmanship competition, was added to the state team to compete in the regional competition, and was awarded the Governor's Twenty tab, which is generally awarded to the top 20 marksmen in the state.

VTNG Soldier completes French desert commando course
June 4, 2021 — DJIBOUTI – Vermont National Guard Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes completed the demanding French Desert Commando Course. An 11B infantry Soldier with Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (Mountain),... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes, an 11B Infantry Soldier assigned to 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Vermont National Guard, moving through an obstacle during the French Desert Commando Course in Djibouti May 16, 2021.

Michigan Air Guard member follows path to England
June 1, 2021 — RAF MOLESWORTH, England – With four stars on his shoulder, he was the highest-ranking officer U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sydney Suwannarat had ever seen. The staff was called to attention, the room... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sydney Suwannarat, an all-source intelligence analyst with the 217th Air Operations Group, 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Michigan, stands outside RAF Molesworth, England, May 7, 2021. Suwannarat is serving a multiyear tour at RAF Molesworth’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Europe (JIOCEUR) Analytic Center.

Iowa Army National Guard Soldier earns PhD while deployed
May 27, 2021 — UNDISCLOSED LOCATION – Pursuing a doctorate usually requires countless hours dedicated to research, exams, colloquium and dissertations. Accomplishing this even in the most ideal setting can be a... MORE

Capt. Thackery Faugstad of Lakeville, Minn., acting executive officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Iowa Army National Guard, in front of his battery’s land-based phalanx weapon system (LPWS) at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations on May 12, 2021. Faugstad earned a doctorate while deployed.

Soldier's journey from refugee to pilot goes full circle
May 26, 2021 — FARKE AIRFIELD, Albania – If there is someone who knows about hard work and determination, it's 2nd Lt. Valdeta Mehanja, a pilot with the 1-131st Aviation Regiment. Mehanja is an Albanian native born... MORE

2nd Lt. Valdeta Mehanja, a pilot with the 1-131st Aviation Regiment, posed for a photo in her flight helmet May 26, 2021, in Albania. Mehanja is an Albanian native born in Kosovo and a U.S. citizen; she never thought she would get to see Albania before participating in DEFENDER-Europe 21.

101st ESB Soldiers train for cooking competition
May 19, 2021 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Steam billows from under a small tarp out in the woods as Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion receive their... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Fatima S. Edwards, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, cooks chicken during training for the next Philip A. Connelly Competition at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., May 15, 2021. The competition provides recognition for excellence in the preparation and serving of food in Army troop dining facilities and field kitchens.

MING Soldier helps at vaccination events with sign language
May 17, 2021 — MARINE CITY, Mich. – During a recent COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Bill Fitrakis, assigned to the 1460th Transportation Company as a truck driver, was able to put his... MORE

Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Bill Fitrakis, 1460th Transportation Company, certified in American Sign Language, explains the COVID-19 vaccine process during a vaccination clinic at the Marine City Middle School in Marine City, Michigan, April 27, 2021. Due to most of sign language being a visual language, he cannot wear a mask as it would not impart the message.

Missouri Airmen mother, daughter join in fight against COVID
May 14, 2021 — ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri National Guard Senior Airman Terra Waitl from the 139th Logistics Readiness Squadron's material management office was activated for food bank missions in May last year.But... MORE

Senior Airman Terra Waitl, right, who is assigned to the 139th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s material management office, Missouri Air National Guard, outside the Nutrition Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, Nov. 12, 2020. The Missouri National Guard has been assisting at food banks across the state as part of Missouri’s COVID-19 response.

Michigan Air National Guardsman pursues kickboxing gold
May 13, 2021 — BATTLE CREEK, Michigan – U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Destiny “Diesel” Taylor has qualified to compete for a spot in the World Games 2022 as a result of her recent gold win at the World Association of... MORE

Michigan Air National Gjuard Master Sgt. Destiny Taylor, 110th Wing finance specialist, spars with a teen boy during a youth training class in Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 22, 2021.

Michigan National Guard Soldier on the offense against COVID-19
May 12, 2021 — MARQUETTE, Mich. – Throughout 2020, Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. John Toomey helped defend his community in his role as a civilian nurse practitioner in the intensive care unit treating COVID-19... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. John Toomey, assigned to the COVID-19 Vaccination Testing Team Task Force North, Michigan National Guard, conducts administrative procedures during a vaccination event in Marquette April 29, 2021.

Soldiers shave their heads to support battle buddy's sister
May 11, 2021 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – An overseas deployment to an austere location where the heat, workload and OPTEMPO are high can be challenging. Knowing that a loved one back home has cancer can make a... MORE

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), shaved their heads and posed for a picture at North Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to the Middle East with Task Force Phoenix. They shaved their heads in support of Staff Sgt. Brandon Stafford's sister, who was going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment after having a brain tumor removed.

Guard marathoners compete while expecting
May 7, 2021 — LINCOLN, Neb. – Serving in the National Guard, raising a family, and keeping up a marathon training regimen would be a lot to manage under normal circumstances. Still, two women in the ranks have... MORE

Maj. Amanda Schmid, a helicopter pilot and full-time administrative officer with the Nebraska Army National Guard's 1-376th Aviation Battalion, runs the Lincoln half-marathon in Nebraska, May 2, 2021.

Sisters and brother-in-law follow brother, join Washington Guard
May 5, 2021 — PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – After graduating from high school, Mark James admits he was a little lost. “I did an early program and I graduated high school a year and a half early,” said Mark. “I looked... MORE

From left to right with Staff Sgt. Tramal Williams: Kelsey James, Balint Moreland, Courtney James, Caitlin James join brother Mark James as a member of the Washington Army National Guard.

Pennsylvania Guard medic administers vaccine to father
April 28, 2021 — LANCASTER, Pa. - Spc. Mariah Redwood, a combat medic assigned to Company C, 328th Brigade Support Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, never imagined she'd... MORE

Spc. Mariah Redwood, a combat medic assigned to Company C, 328th Brigade Support Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, following an interview April 15, 2021, in Lancaster, Pa. Redwood administered the COVID-19 vaccine to her father.

Deployed Washington Guard captain embraces opportunities
April 23, 2021 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Deployments are often spent surrounded by fellow Guardsmen, which makes the time away from home much easier. Sometimes, they’re spent alone. “I have been a bit of a lone survivor... MORE

Capt. Theodore Tatum, a logistician with the Washington National Guard, prepares for a supply air drop in support of Special Operations Task Force-North West Africa. Tatum is stationed at Baumholder, Germany, and has been supporting the mission for 15 months.

California Guardsman honors mother with vaccination mission
April 15, 2021 — LOS ANGELES – As deaths due to COVID-19 surpass half a million in the United States, it’s difficult to find someone not personally affected by the pervasive contagion. Daughters lost fathers, brothers... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Larry Guillen, a fire support specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard, supports the COVID-19 vaccination effort at California State University Los Angeles April 6, 2021. Guillen's mother died of the coronavirus in January.

Siblings serve in Idaho Guard as Citizen-Soldier, Airman
April 9, 2021 — BOISE, Idaho – Maj. Christopher Lavelle and his younger sister, Master Sgt. Kerry Lavelle, are known on Gowen Field as "the Lavelles." They have served on base as full-time technicians for several... MORE

Maj. Christopher Lavelle and his younger sister, Master Sgt. Kerry Lavelle, are known on Gowen Field as “the Lavelles.” They have served on base as full-time technicians for several years and as traditional Guardsmen in the Idaho National Guard for nearly 20 years.

Fathers celebrate Month of the Military Child
April 9, 2021 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The term "military brat" is a badge of honor claimed for many generations by people who grew up in military families. This month, the Defense Department celebrates the more than 1.6... MORE

Father and son share the Army Unit Patch Multinational Forces-Iraq after their deployments to Iraq. Staff Sgt. John ‘Jordan’ Travis, domestic operations management support, emergency operations center, NCOIC, deployed in 2009. His father, retired Col. William ‘Terry’ Travis, deployed in 2006.

National Guard therapy dog awarded Alaska Commendation Medal
April 1, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Sweetface Shelton, a well-loved and valued therapy dog in the Alaska National Guard, has received the Alaska Commendation Medal. Affectionately known as... MORE

Sweetface "Nyx" Shelton, a therapy dog, attends an Alaska National Guard meeting after being awarded the Alaska Commendation Medal, Mar. 18, 2021, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Nyx provides provides emotional support to service members as part of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program and Warrior and Family Services.

Guardsman is 1st scholar in residence at Army history center
March 31, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – "The National Guard has played a critical role in the history of our Army; it's impossible to be able to tell that story without talking about the National Guard," said Maine National... MORE

Capt. Jonathan Bratten, command historian for the Maine National Guard, gives a presentation in 2020 to a high school history class as part of the Maine Army National Guard's History Outreach Program. Bratten has been selected as the U.S. Army Center of Military History's first scholar in residence.

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