Guard News - The National Guard

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.

NY Guard’s 42nd Division bloodied in battle 75 years ago
December 31, 2019 — TROY, N.Y. – In the earliest days of 1945, Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division, now a part of the New York Army National Guard, fought furiously against German tanks and paratroopers during... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division prepare a defensive position at their log and dirt bunker near Kauffenheim, France, Jan. 8, 1945. The Soldiers, assigned to Company I, 242nd Regiment, held off the German offensive in Alsace, France, called Operation Nordwind without the division’s artillery or support elements. The actions of one division Soldier, Master Sgt. Vito Bertoldo, were highlighted in the 2018 Netflix documentary “Medal of Honor.”

NY National Guard Airmen helping NORAD track Santa this year
December 20, 2019 — ROME, N.Y – New York Air National Guardsmen and Royal Canadian Air Force personnel from the Eastern Air Defense Sector will play a key role Christmas Eve as the North American Aerospace Defense... MORE

Airmen at the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) train in preparation for Santa’s Christmas Eve flight at EADS headquarters in Rome, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2019. Pictured are, from right, Senior Airman Timothy Destito of the New York Air National Guard; Capt. John Byeon, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Capt. Sarah Atherton, New York Air National Guard. Atherton and Destito are members of the 224th Air Defense Squadron and Byeon is a member of the Canadian Detachment at EADS.

Volk Field evolves to continue legacy of service dating to 1888
December 19, 2019 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. – As 2019 draws to a close, so too does Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center’s (CRTC) commemoration of its 65th year as an airbase. But Volk Field and the military reservation... MORE

1st. Lt. Jerome Volk, seen at his F-80 Shooting Star fighter jet in October 1951 while deployed in support of the Korean War. Volk, the first Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot to die in the line of duty during the Korean conflict, was shot down during a combat sortie against communist forces Nov. 7, 1951, and his remains have never been recovered. In 1957 the Wisconsin Legislature renamed the portion of Camp Williams used by the Wisconsin Air National Guard as Volk Field.

Florida Youth ChalleNGe changes lives for the better
December 18, 2019 — ORANGE PARK, Fla. – On Dec. 17 at the Thrasher-Horne Center, 144 cadets of class 37 of the Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy completed the first stage of their journey toward a successful future.The... MORE

Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy class 37 valedictorian Michael Caldwell from Clearwater addresses his fellow cadets during their graduation ceremony Dec. 17 at Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park. Caldwell joined the program as a sophomore at risk of failing, and after enduring a rigorous five-and-a-half-month residential phase, he now has his GED and is looking forward to attending community college.

Missouri Airman returns to flight with one eye
December 18, 2019 — ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – U.S. Air Force Maj. Ed Fattmann, a pilot assigned to the 180th Airlift Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, took his first flight as an aircraft commander with one eye Sept... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Ed Fattmann, a pilot assigned to the 180th Airlift Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, takes his first flight as an aircraft commander with one eye, above St. Joseph, Missouri, Sept. 4, 2019.

Soldiers serve in childhood town as commander, 1st sergeant
December 17, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Robert Taylor and 1st Sgt. Derek Clemence share a similar past: they grew up in the small town of Mountain Home, Idaho, and both shipped off to basic... MORE

Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Robert Taylor and 1st Sgt. Derek Clemence serve in their childhood town of Mountain Home, Idaho, as commander and first sergeant of A Company, 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion. They grew up in the small town and are graduates of Mountain Home High School.

Maine Army Guard Engineers Build Communities, Readiness

Iowa Army Guard Soldiers Train at Tigerland

Idaho Guard Engineers Aid Redwood Park Restoration

Oregon Army Guard Helps Design Future Medevac Technology

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Five Distressed Boaters