Guard News - The National Guard

Oklahoma Guardsman Receives Star of Valor for Heroic Actions
March 8, 2024 — MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Oklahoma Army National Guard Spc. Alexander Weimer was awarded the Oklahoma Star of Valor in a ceremony at the Muskogee Armed Forces Reserve Center March 3. Weimer earned the award... MORE

Spc. Alexander Weimer, assigned to Bravo Company, 545th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, speaks with Col. Andrew Ballenger, commander of the 45th IBCT, at his Oklahoma Star of Valor ceremony at the Muskogee Armed Forces Reserve Center, Muskogee, Oklahoma, March 3, 2024. Weimer was recognized for his bravery and compassion while assisting civilians involved in a vehicular collision while on his way to drill.

The Harlem Hellfighters: A Legacy of Lasting Impact
March 7, 2024 — NEW YORK - In the past few years, the name Harlem Hellfighters evoked confusion for some, intrigue for others and great pride for those who know the stories of valor and triumph. Lesser known are the... MORE

The granddaughters of legendary Harlem Hellfighter James Reese Europe — Patricia Europe Pearson, Lynn Europe Cotter, and Theresa Europe — pose with senior officers of the 369th Sustainment Brigade for a photo in front of a mural during a visit to the Harlem Regiment Armory in New York Feb. 24, 2024. They were given a tour of the armory by New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Leyland Jones, Col. Patrick Clare, and Lt. Cols. David Myones and Peter Fish.

New Army National Guard General Officer Reflects on Career
March 5, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - At the command “attention to orders,” Robin Hoeflein steadfastly assumed the position of attention — shoulders squared, head and eyes facing directly ahead, fingers curled against... MORE

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robin Hoeflein, vice director of the Operations Directorate at the National Guard Bureau, looks on as her husband, Ray, affixes her rank to her uniform during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, where she was promoted to her current rank Feb. 29, 2024.

Cobra Gold 24 Brings Washington Guardsman Back to Roots
March 5, 2024 — CAMP RED HORSE, Thailand – Sgt. 1st Class Sotheara Chum has spent time as a Green Beret and an Army Ranger, with deployments worldwide. This time, Chum is training in Thailand at Exercise Cobra Gold... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Sotheara Chum, readiness and operations noncommissioned officer with the Special Operations Detachment - Pacific, 56th Theater Information Operations Group, Washington Army National Guard, at Exercise Cobra Gold 2024, March 4, 2024. Cobra Gold is the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia and is a concrete example of the strong alliance and strategic relationship between Thailand and the United States.

Oregon National Guard Airmen Recognized for Bravery
February 28, 2024 — PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, Ore. - In May, during a casual drive over a mountain toward Three Rivers Marina on Lake Billy Chinook, Staff Sgt. Mara Fenwick and Senior Airman Bailey Buck, both weapons... MORE

Col. David Christensen, 142nd Maintenance Group commander, presents 142nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Staff Sgt. Mara Fenwick with a meritorious service medal for acts of bravery Feb. 25, 2024, at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. Fenwick and a fellow Airman intervened when a truck went off the road in Eastern Oregon in May 2023.

From Marine to Virginia Guard, Soldier's Journey Across Continents
February 27, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. – Staff Sgt. Joshua Johnson’s journey into the military began with a casual invitation from a friend to go “hang out” at the local U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station. His friend had... MORE

U.S. Army Infantrymen assigned to the East African Response Force (EARF) participate in an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) to provide security at the U.S. Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia, April 22, 2022.

Heroic Airman Receives Vanguard Award for Life-Saving Actions
February 26, 2024 — FORT SMITH, Ark. – In a remarkable display of courage and quick thinking, Master Sgt. Greggorey Brewer, a readiness and emergency manager with the 188th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES), has been honored... MORE

Maj. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs, the Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory White, senior enlisted leader of the Arkansas National Guard presented the Vanguard award to Master Sgt. Greggorey Brewer, at the Enlisted Association of Arkansas National Guard and the National Guard Association of Arkansas (AANG/NGAA) Joint State conference Saturday, Feb. 24 to acknowledge his extraordinary acts of heroism.

South Carolina General Excels in Guard, at Home and at Work
February 9, 2024 — COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Olympic-level balancing act demanded of National Guard service members and their families is well known to anyone who has ever woken up Saturday morning to put on a uniform and... MORE

The South Carolina National Guard conducts a ceremony to recognize U.S. Army Col. David Jenkins, South Carolina National Guard assistant adjutant general-Army, on his promotion to brigadier general at the Dorn VA auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 3, 2019.

Journey of an Airman: From The Gambia to Nebraska Guard
February 9, 2024 — LINCOLN, Neb. - During his upbringing in Banjul, Gambia, Ebrima Minteh balanced his time between school and assisting his family at the nearby market. He played soccer with friends and aided... MORE

Senior Airman Ebrima Minteh, structural journeyman with the 155th Civil Engineer Squadron, stains a shadowbox display case Feb. 2, 2024, at the National Guard air base in Lincoln, Nebraska. Minteh, originally from The Gambia, joined the Nebraska Air National Guard in 2021 after receiving his degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha and obtaining his five-year green card.

NY Guardsman Ends Career as NCO, Officer and Warrant Officer
January 30, 2024 — LATHAM, N.Y. – A New York National Guard Soldier who served as a sergeant, a lieutenant colonel and a chief warrant officer 4 ended his 42-year military career Jan. 26 during a retirement ceremony at... MORE

New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Albert Thiem, left, who also served as a sergeant and a lieutenant colonel, receives a retirement gift from Maj. Gen. Thomas Spenser during a ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2024.

New Hampshire Guard Member Helps Man with Dementia
January 19, 2024 — NEWINGTON, N.H. - A New Hampshire Guardsman with the 157th Air Refueling Wing was driving down a dark and winding back road along the Piscataqua River on her way to the gym at 5:30 a.m. Jan. 3 when... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Yvonne Bartoszak, a member of the Traffic Management Office with the 157th Logistics Readiness Squadron, poses in front of the New Hampshire flag Jan. 17, 2024, at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire. Bartoszak helped an elderly man with dementia in Newington Jan. 3.

Nevada Army Aviator Moves to Finance, Logistics Management
January 19, 2024 — CARSON CITY, Nev. – Lt. Col. Andrew Wagner’s career flight path is set to divert from rotary-wing aviation to financial and logistics management Jan. 19 when he succeeds Col. Mary Devine as the U.S... MORE

Lt. Col. Andrew Wagner, a longtime Army aviator, on Jan. 19, 2024, becomes the 10th U.S. property and fiscal officer for Nevada since the conclusion of World War II. He is shown on Jan. 17 next to memorabilia saved from Lt. Col. Michael Norton’s stint as the first USPFO for Nevada following the global conflict.

New Year Brings New Focus on Airmen Fitness
January 16, 2024 — SIOUX CITY, Iowa – As the new year begins, post-holiday realities of too much eating and too little activity begin to set in. Many Americans choose this time of year to refocus their attention on... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Technical Sgt. Devon Parr, a 185th Air Refueling Wing aerospace propulsion technician, demonstrates a forearm plank

New Hampshire Army Guard Pilot Injured in Iraq Returns to Cockpit
January 12, 2024 — CONCORD, N.H. - After receiving intel of a potential Iranian attack on Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, Capt. Brendan Meehan began calling units from the operations tent, warning them to seek... MORE

Capt. Brendan Meehan poses for a photo at the New Hampshire Army Aviation Support Facility in Concord, New Hampshire. Meehan was injured during an Iranian missile strike Jan. 8, 2020, in Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. After about two years of extensive treatment, the pilot is now flying again and commanding a unit.

Oregon Airman Lives Her Dream to Serve
January 4, 2024 — KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The call to serve one’s country is different for each of us. Airman 1st Class Kellie Marshall chose to serve by joining the 173rd Fighter Wing as a Citizen-Airman.“I always... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kellie Marshall, a traditional Guardsman with the 173rd Fighter Wing, prepares to conduct a magnetic particle inspection Dec. 15, 2023, at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The inspection finds cracks in material preventing potential part failure and aircraft mishaps.

Kentucky National Guard Posthumously Honors World War II POW
December 22, 2023 — CYNTHIANA, Ky. - There can be little doubt that the spirit of U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jack Henry Owen is alive and well nearly 11 years after the former World War II bomber pilot died at the age of... MORE

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jack Henry Owen served in the Kentucky Air National Guard for more than 24 years after his time as a prisoner of war during World War II. He is shown in the cockpit of a Kentucky Air National Guard RF-101 Voodoo aircraft in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

New York Air National Guard Members Help Track Santa Claus
December 21, 2023 — ROME, N.Y. - New York Air National Guardsmen assigned to NORAD's Eastern Air Defense Sector will help track Santa as he makes his way around the world on Christmas Eve.Each year, the North American... MORE

Airman 1st Class Kyle Larsen, a member of the New York Air National Guard assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, New York, keeps an eye on the sky over the eastern United States while preparing for Christmas Eve, when the sector’s Airmen will help in the annual NORAD Tracks Santa effort.

Army National Guard Recruit Saves Residents From House Fire
December 21, 2023 — NUTLEY, N.J. - New Jersey Army National Guard Pvt. Anthony Del Tufo was recognized by the Nutley School Board of Education Dec. 11 for assisting residents of a home threatened by fire.Del Tufo... MORE

U.S. Army Pvt. Anthony Del Tufo, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard, receives a state award from the Nutley Board of Education at Nutley High School in Nutley, New Jersey, Dec. 11, 2023, for helping residents of a home threatened by a fire.

Pennsylvania Air National Guardsman Honors the Fallen
December 20, 2023 — PITTSBURGH - An Airman from the 171st Air Refueling Wing honors fallen veterans by cleaning headstones and placing wreaths on their graves during the holiday season.Tech Sgt. Robert Hasenflu, an... MORE

Volunteers placed wreaths in front of headstones at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies as part of Wreathes Across America, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, Dec. 16, 2023.

South Carolina Guardsman Conquers French Desert Commando Course
December 20, 2023 — DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti - For nearly 50 years, French soldiers stationed in Djibouti have made their way to the Arta Mountains for the grueling, five-day French Desert Commando Course to test their... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Liliana Munday, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina National Guard, holds her French Desert Commando pin Dec. 19, 2023, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. Munday was one of 40 U.S. service members and the only female to go through the most recent iteration of the French Desert Commando Course.

New York Guard Helps Floridians Recover from Hurricane

New Mexico National Guard Helps Rescue Flood Victims

From Ohio to Alaska, Airmen Unite for Space Intelligence

National Guard Bureau Hosts Cybersecurity Awareness Panel

Alaska Air Guard Conducts Communications Out Exercise