Guard News - The National Guard

Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers honored for aiding crash victim
May 12, 2020 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Two Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers were recognized for stopping to render first aid to a seriously injured motorcycle crash victim along Interstate 78.Pfc. Alyssa... MORE

Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers Pfc. Alyssa Cinquemani, a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic, and Cpl. Christopher Eppler, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic, stopped to render first aid to a motorcycle crash victim along Interstate 78 near Fort Indiantown Gap May 1, 2020.They were recognized for their actions with a coin presentation by Command Sgt. Maj. Harry Buchanan III, the Pennsylvania National Guard’s senior enlisted leader.

Massachusetts Air Guard Mom on Mission
May 10, 2020 — WESTFIELD, Mass. - Some moms will be away from their children and their moms while serving in response to COVID-19 this Mother’s Day. Master Sgt. Lauren Gallagher of the 104th Fighter Wing is one of... MORE

Mother and daughter hug sitting on the floor while mother puts boots on for work.

Nursing and the National Guard run in this family
May 7, 2020 — LAURENS, Iowa – John Fansega, Mikenzy Fansega and Noah Anderson, a father and two siblings from Laurens, have the unique opportunity to serve their community as a family. All three are in the Iowa... MORE

Capt. John Fansega, his daughter, Spc. Mikenzy Fansega, and his son, Spc. Noah Anderson, serve together in the Iowa National Guard. John is a civilian nurse and Mikenzy and Noah are in nursing school.

Former MLB pitcher reflects on National Guard career
May 6, 2020 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – When Geoff Zahn was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968, he knew he wanted to play baseball professionally but felt the need to serve his country as well. Not sure what the... MORE

Left to right: Staff Sgt. Geoff Zahn, Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Reed and Airman 1st Class Gary Martz during their promotion ceremony. Zahn and Martz both played professional baseball and served in the Washington Air National Guard.

NH National Guard Soldier makes mission happen with a smile
May 6, 2020 — PLYMOUTH, N.H. – When Spc. Jacob Barrington enlisted in the New Hampshire Army National Guard in 2018, he never thought he’d be called up for state active duty to support a worldwide pandemic. Despite... MORE

With a combat medic background, Spc. Jacob Barrington of the New Hampshire National Guard is supporting COVID-19 swab testing at a field-testing site in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

Maryland National Guard member stands tall against COVID-19
May 5, 2020 — FORT MEADE, Md. – Justin Lee was just 6 years old when doctors diagnosed his mother with multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable disease that impacts the central nervous system and disrupts the flow of... MORE

Second Lt. Justin Lee, a medical-surgical nurse with the 104th Medical Company Area Support, speaks to the director of nursing and the director in training at the Crofton Care & Rehabilitation Center in Crofton, Md., April 9, 2020. (Sgt. James Nowell)

Father-daughter loadmaster duo keeps family flying tradition
May 5, 2020 — LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. – The Air National Guard is known for its Guard family mentality. While this means many different things, you will often find generation after generation of families... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Gary Hendrickson and Senior Airman Ashlyn Hendrickson, both loadmasters assigned to the 154th Training Squadron, inside a C-130H at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The father-daughter duo love flying and provide vital support in their role as C-130H loadmasters.

Guard Soldier responds to 3rd NYC emergency in 20-year career
May 5, 2020 — NEW YORK – For the third time in his career, New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Maloney is back in New York City responding to an emergency.In 2001, Maloney was one of the 3,000 New... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Maloney at the Javits New York Medical Station in New York, May 3, 2020. Malone is on his third emergency deployment in New York. He responded to the 9/11 attacks and to the response to Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Michigan Airman provides PPE to frontline workers
May 4, 2020 — BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – With the COVID-19 outbreak, many people are trying to keep busy and stay safe. For some, it’s getting more exercise, cleaning the house and ensuring they have the essentials to... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jacob Rader, an operations intelligence analyst, 110th Operations Group, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Michigan, provides comfort to those on the front line by using his 3D printer and donating his time and resources to create face shields for those in need.

Iowa Guard Soldier helps community with virtual instruction
May 4, 2020 — DES MOINES, Iowa – On a sunny afternoon downtown, Spc. Taylor Lenhart is doing exactly what she joined the Iowa National Guard to do: helping her local community in times of crisis as a... MORE

Spc. Taylor Lenhart, a military police Soldier with the 186th Military Police Company, Iowa Army National Guard, helps move a traffic barrier in Des Moines April 27, 2020. Lenhart is one of 60 military police Soldiers supporting the first drive-through COVID-19 testing site in Iowa. Before duty, Lenhart helps her community as a karate instructor by providing virtual classes.

104th Fighter Wing Wellness Team answers the call for help
May 4, 2020 — WESTFIELD, Mass. – The 104th Fighter Wing Wellness Team brings resources to members and families of the wing throughout the year, and they've been answering the call to action during the COVID-19... MORE

Lisa Potito, wellness team coordinator, right, and Mary Keeler, sexual assault response coordinator, left, The 104th Fighter Wing Wellness Team, help distribute food at a nonprofit farmers market that is free for the military, April 4, 2020.

Shared online workouts lift spirits during home isolation
May 1, 2020 — FRIENDSVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the Air National Guard training and education center are not taking their seclusion for the pandemic sitting down but instead exercising via... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center in East Tennessee complete an online workout together, May 1, 2020, while following stay-at-home guidelines for COVID-19 mitigation.

Children personalize medals for Florida Guard and partners
May 1, 2020 — PEMBROKE PINES, Fla.- Memorial Healthcare Systems Memorial Foundation partnered with We Finish Together to supply donated medals to children so they could decorate them for Florida National Guard... MORE

Florida National Guard Spc. Zachary Snyder, 2-124th Regiment 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, receives a donated and decorated medal from a Memorial Healthcare Systems employee at C.B. Smith Park Community- Based Testing Site.

Chaplains reach out to Cal Guard members fighting COVID-19
April 30, 2020 — MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. – Members of the chaplain corps from the 163d Attack Wing and the 195th Wing are visiting seven facilities across the Inland Empire to support members of the California... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Edward Ganigan, center, a chaplain from the 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, prays for soldiers of the California Army National Guard’s 315th Vertical Construction Company and staff members of the FIND Desert Regional Food Bank in Indio, California, April 29, 2020.

Iowa State grads dominate National Guard COVID-19 task force
April 30, 2020 — JOHNSTON, Iowa – In mid-March, the Iowa National Guard was ramping up its response to COVID-19 when it established Task Force Central at Camp Dodge to direct efforts in some of the most populated... MORE

Capt. Theodore Knust, personnel officer at the 734th Regional Support Group, participates in a briefing at the Task Force Central command post in Johnston April 29, 2020. Knust received his commission with the Cyclone Battalion at the Iowa State University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program more than 10 years ago. Now he’s working alongside seven other former Cyclones during the Iowa National Guard’s response to COVID-19.

KC-135 boom operator supports Washington food banks
April 29, 2020 — ISSAQUAH, Wash. – Staff Sgt. David Stefaniak is one of over 200 Washington Air National Guard members who have stepped up to volunteer to help shore up food banks across the state during 2019... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. David Stefaniak, a boom operator with the Washington Air National Guard's 116th Air Refueling Squadron, sorts food at the Issaquah Food Bank April 15, 2020. Stefaniak is supporting multiple food banks in the Puget Sound area as part of the state's COVID-19 response.

Dogs ease stress for COVID-19 response troops in New York
April 29, 2020 — NEW YORK – New York National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and active duty and civilian medical providers on duty fighting COVID-19 in New York are getting the benefit of a wagging tail and licks to lift... MORE

Spc. Amber Freeman from Kingston, N.Y., assigned to the New York Army National Guard, poses for a picture and pets Sophie, a Labrador retriever service dog provided by Puppies Behind Bars in New York City, April 23, 2020. Puppies Behind Bars is a nonprofit organization that trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, as well as explosive-detection canines for law enforcement.

NY National Guard Soldier beats COVID-19 and joins the fight
April 28, 2020 — NEW YORK – New York Army National Guard Warrant Officer Christopher Gallant has seen both sides of the fight against COVID-19. After surviving the disease, Gallant is back on duty at the Javits New... MORE

Army Warrant Officer Christopher Gallant, assigned to Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, New York Army National Guard, tested positive for COVID-19 in March, recovered, and is working as the safety officer at the Javits New York Medical Station in New York April 21, 2020.

Cal Guard's 40th ID honors WWII veteran on 105th birthday
April 28, 2020 — LAKEWOOD, Calif. – World War II veteran Sam Sachs watches from the front porch of his home as a Humvee, a sheriff’s patrol car, and fire trucks roll through the usually quiet street. He smiles and... MORE

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Sam Sachs watches a parade from his front porch during a celebration in honor of his 105th birthday in Lakewood, California, April 26, 2020. Sachs was an officer with the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and landed his glider on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day.

NY's 42nd Infantry Division liberated Dachau 75 years ago
April 27, 2020 — LATHAM, N.Y. – April 29, 1945, was a cold, sunny Sunday afternoon as Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 42nd Infantry Division came face to face with the worst of Nazi Germany at the notorious Dachau... MORE

An American Soldier is surrounded by survivors at the newly liberated Dachau concentration camp, April 29, 1945, in Dachau, Germany. American Soldiers of the U.S. 7th Army, including members of the 42nd Infantry and 45th Infantry and 20th Armored Divisions, participated in the camp’s liberation.

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