Guard News - The National Guard

Michigan National Guard public health specialist chooses to help
February 14, 2020 — ALPENA, Mich. – Six years ago, Staff Sgt. Tim Frasier made a bold decision.“I got handed my first restaurant at age 19 – being a manager was good for that part of my life, but I was going to school... MORE

Staff Sgt. Timothy Frasier, public health manager of Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, at the Alpena CRTC clinic in Michigan Jan. 24, 2020, during Northern Strike 20-2. Alpena, Mich.

Georgia National Guard Soldier won Daytona in 1950
February 13, 2020 — ATLANTA – The annual Daytona 500 race in Daytona Beach, Fla., heralds the start of the NASCAR Cup Series. In 1950, nearly a decade before the construction of Daytona International Speedway, the... MORE

Capt. Harold Kite of the Georgia Army National Guard poses with his 1949 Lincoln and victory trophy from the 1950 Daytona stock car race. Kite, who commanded the Atlanta-based 201st Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company, won the race with a record time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, 30 seconds.

Pilot is first to fly F-15 Eagle with cervical prosthetic disc
February 12, 2020 — PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, Ore. – On a rainy December afternoon, pilots are suiting up for their afternoon sorties. Among them is Col. Todd Hofford, a 27-year National Guard member and F-15 Eagle... MORE

Col. Todd Hofford, 142nd Fighter Wing vice commander and newly reinstated F-15 Eagle pilot, Feb. 6, 2020, Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. Hofford recently completed a nearly three-year process of obtaining a waiver to pilot a high G aircraft with a prosthetic disc in his neck, making him the first in the world to do so.

Middle East deployment is family affair for NY Guard Soldiers
February 12, 2020 — FORT HOOD, Texas – Deploying with the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division is a family thing for three members of the Valenza family from Queensbury, N.Y.Maj. Julie Valenza, her... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt Andrew Valenza, right, joined by his parents, Maj. Julie Valenza and Sgt. 1st Class William Valenza, as they prepare to deploy together during the 42nd Infantry Division farewell ceremony Jan. 11, 2020, at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. All five members of the Valenza family are serving. A son is already deployed in Afghanistan and a daughter is in the New York Army National guard as well.

Maryland Army National Guard member wise beyond her rank
February 7, 2020 — BALTIMORE, Md. – Warrant officers: They are the technical experts of the U.S. Army. They are tasked with the invaluable responsibility of becoming subject-matter-experts in their career field and... MORE

Airman serves in multiple fire protection roles
February 6, 2020 — MCLAUGHLIN AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, W.Va. – Senior Airman Nate Arthur is a fire protection craftsman assigned to the 130th Fire and Emergency Services, West Virginia Air National Guard, who also holds... MORE

Senior Airman Nate Arthur, a fire protection craftsman assigned to the 130th Fire and Emergency Services, West Virginia Air National Guard, shown Jan. 14, 2020, at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va.

104th Fighter Wing dental technician winds up 40 years of service
February 3, 2020 — WESTFIELD, Mass. – The 104th Fighter Wing is full of hardworking Airmen who get the job done. The 104th Medical Group has a history of success preparing Barnestormers to be mission ready and fit to... MORE

As she nears retirement, Master Sgt. Terrylee Lois Crowther with the 104th Fighter Wing's Medical Group, Massachusetts National Guard, says the highlight of her 40-year career was helping people at emergency medical clinics while deployed to Honduras, Paraguay and Kenya.

Newly commissioned 2nd lieutenant is AFVentures Fellow
February 3, 2020 — BALTIMORE – Air Force 2nd Lt. Sarah Soliman discovered what it meant to serve while working as a contractor for the military in Southwest Asia. After recently commissioning, she was awarded an... MORE

Air Force 2nd Lt. Sarah Soliman, member of the 175th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, recently commissioned into the Maryland Air National Guard and was selected to attend this year's AFVentures Fellows program in San Francisco.

AZ Airman earns black belts, articulates discipline concepts
January 31, 2020 — GOLDWATER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ariz. – For Senior Master Sgt. Scott Newberger, a dedication to mastering martial arts put him on a path for success, where discipline became a principle that... MORE

Minnesota Guard Soldier honors family’s military history
January 28, 2020 — CHAMPLIN, Minn. – Sgt. Maj. Katie Blackwell’s brother, uncles, grandfather and great grandfather served in the military. Her family’s military legacy goes back to the American Revolution.On Jan. 12,... MORE

Minnesota National Guard Soldier Katie Blackwell honored her family's legacy of military service dating back to the American Revolution by having her grandfather, Ford Elliott, help to promote her to the rank of sergeant major on his 90th birthday at a January 2020 ceremony in Champlin, Minn.

International military friendship extends to 2nd generation
January 28, 2020 — GEILENKIRCHEN, Germany – They say history has a way of repeating itself, and for the Smith and Radke families, that is certainly true.In 1984, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lee Smith, a navigator with the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Troy Smith poses with German Air Force Capt. Wolf-Soren Radke Nov. 19, 2019, at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen. Smith and Radke are continuing a friendship their fathers, who were also military members, started years ago.

103rd SFS builds resilience through jujitsu
January 27, 2020 — EAST GRANBY, Conn. – A red mat hits the floor, and a large area that typically serves as Bradley Air National Guard Base’s emergency management classroom becomes a makeshift gym for Airmen of the... MORE

Master Sgt. Ian McMahon, top, 103rd Security Forces Squadron flight chief and combatives instructor, grapples with Tech. Sgt. Brian Davies, 103rd Security Forces Squadron, during an informal jujitsu session at Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Conn. Jan. 23, 2020.

For First Army plans officer, an unconventional career
January 24, 2020 — ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Imagine having lived not one but two full careers – a 25-year career in the civilian world, and 36 years in uniform serving the Army National Guard and Active Army. But,... MORE

Lt. Col. Kendall Workman, plans officer, First Army, is going into his 36th continuous year in the military. Workman started his military career as a National Guard Soldier, reaching the rank of staff sergeant before attending Officer Candidate School. Before entering the Active Guard Reserve, Workman worked for 25 years at Boeing Commercial Airplane Group.

Pa. Guard chaplain taking running career to new heights
January 23, 2020 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Chaplain 1st Lt. Justin Thomas didn’t necessarily set out to become an elite runner; it just happened. Thomas, a chaplain for the 628th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB),... MORE

Chaplain 1st Lt. Justin Thomas with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, based at Fort Indiantown Gap, is a member of both the Pennsylvania National Guard Marathon Team and the All-Guard Marathon Team.

'Wizard' takes flight as High Rollers’ first pilot for a day
January 13, 2020 — RENO, Nev. – Every pilot gets a call sign, but they don't get to pick.Within hours of his commission, Capt. Tennyson William Hunter, 13, received four finalists for his call sign: Kittens Mittens,... MORE

Capt. Tennison Hunter, call sign "Wizard," 152nd Airlift Wing pilot, during his National Guard Pilot for a Day event. The 152nd Airlift Wing honored "Wizard" on Dec. 16, 2019.

Texas National Guard Soldier turns his life around
January 9, 2020 — AFGHANISTAN – Sgt. James Green's path to the U.S. Army could be described as rocky.He was born in San Angelo, Texas, as a "military brat," the son of an Air Force tech sergeant. During his formative... MORE

Sgt. James Green, assigned to the 1st Armored Division Mobile Command Post Operational Detachment, Texas National Guard, stands outside his work location Dec. 30, 2019, at Task Force-Southeast Headquarters in Afghanistan. Green credits his Army service for helping him change his life around for the better.

NY Air Guard customizes shipping boxes for 25-foot-long skis
January 8, 2020 — STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Scotia, N.Y. – Good skis are expensive. So it’s always a good idea to protect them when they’re shipped. It’s an even better idea to protect them when the skis are 25... MORE

Airmen with the 109th Airlift Wing's Logistical Readiness Squadron, New York National Guard, designed and built new crates to carry 25-foot-long skis the wing's LC-130s use to land on snow and ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, to replace older versions that were no longer serviceable. A crate is shown at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, N.Y., in December 2019.

'Family vibe' defines Michigan Air National Guard service
January 6, 2020 — BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – For Staff Sgt. Marcee Lettinga, a services technician with the 110th Force Support Squadron, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, seven years of service in the Michigan ANG have... MORE

Ohio National Guard member volunteers at wildlife center
January 2, 2020 — COLUMBUS, Ohio – For many people, more than 27 years of service to the nation would be enough volunteer work. For Maj. Gwendolyn Hoogendoorn, it was just a start. For two decades, she has volunteered... MORE

Volunteers with the Ohio Wildlife Center release a rehabilitated bald eagle back into the wild Nov. 11, 2018, in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Maj. Gwendolyn Hoogendoorn (left), a member of the Ohio National Guard, has volunteered with the OWC for more than 20 years.

Citizen-Warrior: Guard Soldier melds military, gridiron experience
January 1, 2020 — ATHENS, Ohio – Army 2nd Lt. Devin King puts on his uniform when on duty with the Ohio Army National Guard's Battery C, 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery Regiment. He puts on a different uniform... MORE

2nd Lt. Devin King commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Ohio Army National Guard through Ohio University’s Army ROTC program. He also is the long snapper on the school's football team.

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In

Colorado Army National Guard Conducts Aviation Training for Wildfire Season

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise