Guard News - The National Guard

Washington National Guard remembers Medal of Honor recipient
January 25, 2019 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – A medical aid Washington National Guardsman made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, but not before pulling to safety many of his fellow Soldiers and saving the lives of... MORE

Rendering of Technician Fourth Grade Laverne Parrish, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions to save fellow Soldiers in World War II.

Fort Indiantown Gap finishes No. 1 in nation for 2018
January 22, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Fort Indiantown Gap, run by the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, finished first out of 48 National Guard training... MORE

A Fort Indiantown Gap Training Center sign located at the southwest entrance to the post along Fisher Avenue welcomes visitors to the installation. Oct. 31, 2018.

A family affair: Wyoming brothers share military experience
January 16, 2019 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – When your father has spent the last 35 years dedicated to military service, following in his footsteps by joining the Air National Guard is hard to shake.Despite claiming he would... MORE

Airmen 1st Class and brothers Christian, left, and Harrison Linde are both crew chiefs in the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing. The brothers went through basic and advanced training together.

Fries to cybersecurity: Military gave Airman a new field
January 16, 2019 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For people who need a career change, the military is often a great choice for finding that new calling.One Airman proved this concept to the fullest, using the Air National Guard as... MORE

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. William, a flight commander at the 118th Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard, poses for a photo on Jan. 13, 2019, at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville. William used the education and opportunities provided by the Guard to spark a career change from the fast food industry to the cybersecurity field.

From the streets to the military: Service changed his life
January 14, 2019 — SHELLEY, Idaho – As a homeless kid, Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Adam Rios broke into an abandoned building in Utica, New York, where he found an old cigar box. Inside the box were various small... MORE

Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Adam Rios was a troubled kid who grew up homeless in New York. He says his foster parents and the military helped him turn his life around.

Working on Bush funeral train was 'a chance of a lifetime'
January 11, 2019 — LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. – Having served in the Arkansas Air National Guard as a member of the 189th Services Flight for the past 19 years, a police officer with the North Little Rock police... MORE

Master Sgt. Shana Cobbs in front of the George Bush 4141 Locomotive Dec. 3, 2018, in Spring, Texas Cobbs provided security for the locomotive during the Bush funeral detail, securing the areas prior to arrival at each location.

N.Y. Army Guard lieutenant creates free map graphics app
January 10, 2019 — ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Need an easy and quick way to turn your operations plan into map graphics? Thanks to New York Army National Guard 1st Lt. James Pistell, there's an app for that! Pistell, the... MORE

The MGRS-Mapper computer application developed by New York Army National Guard 1st Lt. James Pistell allows users to overlay the military grid reference system on a Google maps image and then create and place tactical and warfighting graphics and symbols on it to be used as an overlay and shared via email.

D.C. Air Guard unit protects skies over nation’s capital
January 10, 2019 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. – "Scramble, scramble, scramble," a monotonous, booming voice blares from a speaker inside a spotless hangar. As the words echo through the open space, Air Force Col. John... MORE

Air Force Lt. Col. Jason Halvorsen, a pilot with the District of Columbia Air National Guard's Aerospace Control Alert Detachment, goes through a pre-flight check in an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during a training event at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Dec. 19, 2018. Halvorsen is one of several pilots with the detachment, which is tasked with keeping the Washington, D.C., area safe from airborne threats. The ACAD has responded to more than 6,200 alert events since its formation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

First female Royal Jordanian aviator trains in Pennsylvania
January 9, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS) and Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) military officials met recently to honor another milestone in the U.S. and... MORE

The Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS) at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., recently hosted Cadet Aya Al-Sourany of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, Jordan's first female helicopter pilot. EAATS has a long history of training pilots form Jordan, and from many nations, evidenced by a sweet gum tree planted by King Abdullah II of Jordan in 1999 on EAATS grounds.

Idaho recruiting commander enlists daughter in Guard
January 8, 2019 — BOISE, Idaho – Throughout 2018, Idaho Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion recruiters enlisted approximately 450 Soldiers into the Idaho Army National Guard. For Lt. Col. David... MORE

Lt. Col. David Darney administers the oath of enlistment to his daughter, Pvt. Sarah Darney, Dec. 27, 2018, at the Boise Military Entrance Processing Station.

104th Fighter Wing firefighters train, help local towns
January 8, 2019 — BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. - The 104th Civil Engineering Squadron Fire Department is an important part of the community with an immediate impact on public safety. Its members work on base... MORE

Airman 1st Class Thomas Ruffo and Senior Airman Dylan Nygren, 104th Civil Engineering Squadron firefighters, participate in live structural fire training Nov. 27, 2018, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. The training ensures the Fire Attack Teams are prepared to respond to any fires on base or in the surrounding communities.

Rhode Island ANG says goodbye to nearly 50 years of Hart
January 7, 2019 — NORTH KINGSTON, R.I. – Members of the Rhode Island National Guard gathered Dec. 1 at Quonset Air National Guard Base to witness the retirement of Col. Richard Hart after 29 years of service. Attending... MORE

Col. Richard Hart, left, poses with his family, including sister, retired Col. Kathleen (Hart) Sullivan, brother-in-law, retired Col. John Sullivan, and father, retired Brig. Gen. Richard Hart following his retirement ceremony held at Quonset Air National Guard Base, North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Colonel Hart retires after serving nearly 30 years in the Rhode Island Air National Guard in several capacities. He is the last of the Hart family to retire from the RIANG.

Blacksmith forges small tokens of thanks for USA's heroes
January 2, 2019 — GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – Randy Dack still remembers every detail from Sept. 11, 2001.Dack, the blacksmith at Grand Island's Stuhr Museum, vividly remembers hearing, "they just hit the World Trade Center."... MORE

Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Randy Dack, a blacksmith at Grand Island’s Stuhr Museum in Nebraska, has made more than 4,000 "lucky" horseshoes for military service members worldwide. Dack made his first "Soldier's shoe" for his son prior to his first deployment in 2002 with the Nebraska Army National Guard's 1-134th Cavalry.

Oregon National Guard secures an all-natural defense
January 2, 2019 — CLACKAMAS, Ore. – As important as all-terrain vehicles, up-to-date weaponry and cutting-edge communication systems are for the U.S. military to complete its mission, the Department of Defense (DOD)... MORE

Solar Panels attached on top of the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Camp Withycombe, in Clackamas, Ore., helped boost the energy savings of the building. Over the previous summer, added panels were added to the building. Even on overcast days, the panels continue to produce power for the building, helping save on energy cost for the Oregon National Guard.

Bound by blood, brothers serve in military by choice
December 28, 2018 — FORT BLISS, Texas – Eight years since last seeing each other, two brothers from Central Valley, California, cross paths at a remote West Texas location, nestled between mountain ranges and riddled... MORE

Col. David Mendoza, deputy commander of inpatient services, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, with fraternal twin brother, Maj. James Mendoza, human resources officer, 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a California Army National Guard unit out of San Diego, during a chance meeting at Fort Bliss, Dec. 4, 2018. The Mendoza brothers have served in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves and National Guard since graduating high school, rarely seeing each other.

Maine Air Wing has been big on family ties since its beginning
December 26, 2018 — BANGOR AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Maine – The Maine Air National Guard was established in 1947, prior to the birth of the Air Force. Since then the wing finds itself deep-rooted in tradition and family... MORE

Staff Sgts. Erica Blanchette and Alyssa Nelson pose for a photo Dec. 20, 2018, at Bangor National Guard Base, Maine. The sisters, who are also identical twins, swore in eight months apart.

Glens Falls' Christmas Eve Road March continues for 15th year
December 26, 2018 — GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Volunteers from across the New York National Guard joined more than 1,000 military family members, community supporters and Gold Star Families for the 15th annual Christmas Eve... MORE

Retired New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Arthur Coon, center in red jacket, steps off for the 15th annual Christmas Eve Road March in Glens Falls, N.Y., Dec. 24, 2018. Coon has organized the annual event to honor deployed service members since 2004 when Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard were deployed to Iraq.

Santa tracking all began as a newspaper ad error
December 20, 2018 — WASHINGTON, D.C. – Kids across the U.S. have grown accustomed to keeping track of the big guy's journey through the North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa Tracker. They can track his flight... MORE

Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the operations officer at North American Aerospace Defense Command’s precursor organization, answered a wrong-number call on Dec. 24, 1955, and began the tradition of NORAD tracking Santa.

New York National Guard artillery troops honor WWII veteran
December 20, 2018 — NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. – Members of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery honored one of their own from World War II during the annual St. Barbara's Ball on Dec. 7. Former... MORE

New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Marc Lindemann, commander of the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, presents the Military Order of St. Barbara, the patron saint of the Field Artillery, to Army Pfc. Charles A. Brown, in New Windsor, N.Y., Dec. 7, 2018. Brown served in the 258th Field Artillery during WWII and donated his archives and records of the battalion’s combat actions in 2017 to the unit and the New York State Military History Museum.

New York Air Guard members help NORAD track Santa
December 18, 2018 — ROME, N.Y. – As North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Tracks Santa ramps up this year, the New York Air National Guard members and Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of the Eastern Air... MORE

New York Air National Guards Master Sgt. Shane Reid, front, and Tech. Sgt. Brady King, both of the 224th Air Defense Squadron, train for upcoming Santa tracking operations at the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome. A headquarters unit of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), EADS supports the NORAD Tracks Santa operation every year.

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