Guard News - The National Guard - Category News Features

Bolt the therapy dog breaks the ice at Alaska's 176th Wing
March 29, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – When Bolt, a honey-colored golden retriever, saunters into a 176th Wing office suite, the Airmen greet him like a star quarterback or a celebrity. Because... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Amanda Plazio, 176th Force Support Flight, greets therapy dog, Bolt, Jan. 23, 2019, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Bolt works closely with 176th Wing Director of Psychological Health, Diann Richardson, as part of the licensed clinical social worker’s outreach to the wing.

Oregon Soldiers push themselves toward medical careers
March 26, 2019 — SALEM, Oregon – Citius, Altius, Fortius is the motto for the Olympic games. Translated from Latin, it means, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” encompassing the gains in human accomplishment and one’s... MORE

Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers and Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) medical students Capt. John Avery Harrell, left, and Sgt. Zach Bolte pause for a photograph together at the OHSU Life Sciences Building, following afternoon classes on March 5, 2019, at the OHSU campus in Portland, Oregon. Harrell and Bolte both deployed and served together during Operation Inherent Resolve in 2017, and attended the University of Oregon for their undergraduate studies at the same time before beginning their medical school studies in August of 2019 at OHSU.

World War I: Enormous parade honored New York Guard Soldiers
March 25, 2019 — NEW YORK – On March 25, 1919, 20,000 men of the New York National Guard’s 27th Division owned the streets of Manhattan. Two million people turned out to see the division march five miles up Fifth... MORE

Soldiers of the 27th Division Headquarters Detachment march up Fifth Avenue past 42nd Street during the massive welcome home parade for the New York National Guard Soldiers on March 25, 1919, in New York City. About 20,000 members of the 27th Division, which was made up of National Guard Soldiers from around New York, took part in the parade up Fifth Avenue.

Service in New York's 'Fighting 69th' is a family tradition
March 21, 2019 — NEW YORK — For New York Army National Guard Capt. Richard Reilly, family traditions and regimental history go hand in hand at the 69th Infantry Regiment. Reilly, commander of Delta Company, 1st... MORE

New York Army National Guard Capt. Richard Riley, the Delta Company commander, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, leads his Soldiers through Manhattan on March 16, 2019. Riley was leading his Soldiers through the 69th’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Brazilian-American Guard NCO translated Partnership ceremony
March 20, 2019 — NEW YORK—When the New York National Guard signed a State Partnership Program agreement with Brazil on March 14, Staff Sgt. Norma Saderi was front and center, alongside two four-star officers and a... MORE

New York Army National Guard Soldier Staff Sgt. Norma Saderi, Joint Task Force-Empire Shield, translates from English to Portuguese for a state partnership signing, on the USS Intrepid, Manhattan, New York, March 14, 2019.

Mass. Air Guard maintainer views sheet metal work as art
March 20, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Airman 1st Class Jose Lozada Jr. believes aircraft structural maintenance is more than just repairing physical damage. “I’d describe it as art,” said Lozada, a sheet metal technician... MORE

Airman 1st Class Jose Lozada Jr., a sheet metal technician with the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing, removes rivets to repair cracks on an F-15 Eagle tail cone in Westfield, Massachusetts, March 3, 2019. Lozada, who also has automotive body and repair jobs on the civilian side, said that even after a little more than a year of working in aircraft structural maintenance, the thrill of being around F-15s still hasn't worn off. "Working on a jet still leaves me speechless," he said. "Just to even think that I went from something so small [automobiles] to working on something so big."

Wyoming combat medics maintain skills and share techniques
March 19, 2019 — CAMP GUERNSEY JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Wyo. – Sometimes they are the Soldiers hanging around the ambulance during annual training—dispensing Motrin and advice to drink water and change socks. Other... MORE

Wyoming Army National Guard Sgt. Shawn Todd, a combat medic assigned to Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Schanzenbach, 213th Regional Training Institute senior medical noncommissioned officer, treat a neck wound on mock patient, Spc. Tailor Johnson, a combat medic assigned to the 115th Field Artillery Brigade, during 68W annual sustainment training at the 213th RTI in Guernsey March 6, 2019.

Army Guard helicopter maintainers tout realism in training
March 18, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – For Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Moyer's maintenance students at the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, making mistakes is unofficially part of the training... MORE

Army Sgt. Daniel Bryd, with the Tennessee Army National Guard's 1st Battalion (Air Assault), 230th Aviation Regiment, replaces an engine starter on a hardware maintenance trainer as part of a reclassification course at the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Feb. 27, 2019. The trainer is a non-flyable air frame that gives students hands-on experience with maintenance and repair procedures.

Massachusetts fighter wing mechanic excels in her career
March 14, 2019 — WESTFIELD, Mass. – Airman 1st Class Rachel Kingsley, 104th Maintenance Group aircraft engine mechanic, always knew that she wanted to be in the military, and is using the experiences that the 104th... MORE

Airman First Class Rachel Kingsley, 104th Maintenance Group aircraft engine mechanic, has worked in the engine shop for four months and is honing her skills as an engine mechanic to ensure the F-15 Eagles are ready to fly.

Resilience makes for stronger Guard, increases readiness
March 12, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Building resiliency in Guard members is critical to increasing readiness, said an Army National Guard official."Resilient Soldiers do better at [physical training] tests. They do... MORE

Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven Chisolm, a chaplain and director of the Office of the Joint Chaplain at the National Guard Bureau, addresses chaplains and chaplain’s assistants from throughout the National Guard during a conference at the Herbert R. Temple Jr. Army National Guard Readiness Center Arlington Hall Station in Arlington, Virginia. During the 2018 conference, chaplains focused on ways to build greater resiliency in Guard members, suicide prevention measures and ways chaplains can build support among each other.

From flight line to cockpit: Maintainers earn pilot slots
March 11, 2019 — DANNELLY FIELD, Ala. – “If you had told me three or four years ago that I would have this opportunity, I would have said you were crazy,” said Staff Sgt. Patrick Holmes during a short break in flying... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Gill, a crew chief with the 187th Maintenance Group, inspects an F-16 fighting falcon aircraft Feb. 3, 2019 at Dannelly Field, Ala. Gill was recently selected to become an F-16 fighter pilot with the wing's 100th Fighter Squadron Red Tails.

Army Guard simulators keep aviators in the air
March 7, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – A UH-60 Black Hawk unsteadily hovers over the landing deck of a swaying ship in rough seas. Buffeted by the wind, the Black Hawk slowly descends to its target. Though the... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Ulsh, an instructor pilot with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, flies a training mission using the UH-60 Black Hawk Air Crew Trainer flight simulator at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., Feb. 27, 2019. Simultors allow pilots to train in a variety of simulated environments, giving pilots tough, realistic training while saving millions of dollars annually over flying actual aircraft.

Tradition: N.Y. Army National Guard Soldiers become citizens
March 7, 2019 — ALBANY, N.Y. – When New York National Guard Pfc. Tiffany Joseph, originally from Grenada, and Spc. Ibrahim Bakayoko, who comes from Ivory Coast, became American citizens on Feb. 15, they became just... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Ibrahim Bakayoko and Pfc. Tiffany Joseph, with federal Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart, at the U.S. District Court in Albany, N.Y., on Feb. 15, 2019, after taking the oath as American citizens. Bakayoko is originally from Ivory Coast and Joseph is from Grenada. Of the 10,000 Soldiers in the New York Army National Guard, 960 are naturalized American citizens and 515 are legal resident or Green Card holders.

Keeping Airmen safe in the most inhospitable place on Earth
March 5, 2019 — SWANTON, Ohio – In 1914, when the unfortunate crew of the ship Endurance attempted the first land crossing of Antarctica, Sir Ernest Shackleton wrote, “We were helpless intruders in a strange world,... MORE

Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Carter, an occupational safety and health manager assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, spent two months in Antarctica on a mission to improve safety procedures for the Airmen of the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, giving them a better chance to survive and operate in the most inhospitable place on Earth.

Former N.Y. National Guard member recalls Vietnam history
March 4, 2019 — SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A former New York Army National Guard officer, author and historian with personal ties to the Vietnam War provided an educational lecture program to the public about the New... MORE

New York Air National Guard 1st Lt. Harry W. Roberts, Jr. was the youngest pilot in the 136th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the unit's deployment to Vietnam in 1968. The squadron, part of the 107th Tactical Fighter Group, served in Vietnam from May 1968 to April 1969. About 350 Air Guard members deployed to Vietnam with 20 F-100s Super Sabres to fly close air support missions. He ejected from his battle-damaged F-100 and was rescued at sea outside of Da Nang, South Vietnam Dec. 18, 1968.

180th Fighter Wing Airman's job is to keep airfields safe
March 4, 2019 — SWANTON, Ohio – Ensuring that airfields are safe, clear of debris and wildlife, as well as confirming pilots meet all requirements necessary to fly, are two of the most important tasks assigned to... MORE

Senior Airman Sienna Krise, an airfield manager assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, radios the Toledo Express Air Traffic Control Towner before driving on the airfield Feb. 21, 2019. Her role as an airfield manager is essential to the safety of the 180FW’s flying mission by ensuring that airfields are safe and clear of debris and wildlife, as well as confirming pilots meet all requirements necessary to fly.

Ohio Medal of Honor recipient: From slavery to freedom
February 28, 2019 — OHIO - A 24-year-old farmer from Greater Cincinnati enlisted into the Ohio Volunteer Militia, a precursor to the Ohio National Guard, on June 7, 1863, presumably, to fight the Confederacy under the... MORE

Deployed father and daughter reunite
February 26, 2019 — AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – An Army National Guard father deployed to the Middle East was reunited with his daughter, who is also deployed, at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Feb. 7.It is rare for a father... MORE

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joseph Lemens, a helicopter maintenance test pilot assigned to the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Missouri National Guard, and his daughter U.S. Army 1st. Lt. Jordan Lemens, a route clearance platoon leader assigned to the 2nd platoon, B Co., 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion, pose together for a family photo at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2019.

New Hampshire Airman has passion to keep old aircraft aloft
February 25, 2019 — NEWINGTON, N.H. – Keeping an aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers flying is a passion for Tech Sgt. Mark McCassin, an assistant crew chief with the 157th Air Refueling Wing Aircraft Maintenance... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mark McCassin, assigned to the 157th Maintenance Squadron, New Hampshire Air National Guard, stands in front of a KC-135R Stratotanker, Jan. 31, 2019, at Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H. McCassin is the crew chief assigned to tanker serial number 57-1419, the oldest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory.

Wyoming National Guard partners with police in drug fight
February 25, 2019 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The National Guard has always been about cooperation and support and for the last 30 years has partnered with law enforcement in the war on drugs. The Wyoming Counterdrug Support... MORE

Wyoming Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Diane Smith, the coordinator of the Wyoming Counterdrug Program.

Pennsylvania National Guard Hosts Inaugural Keystone Combatives Tournament

Alaska Air Guard Conducts Nighttime Medical Evacuation

Connecticut National Guard Teams Drive Innovation

Air National Guard Captain Helps Deliver Baby in Hospital Parking Lot

Arizona National Guard Conducts Life-Saving Rescue in Yavapai County