Guard News - The National Guard

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.

National Guard Bureau chief pens holiday message
December 12, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. – As we enter the holiday season, let's all take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and achievements over the past year. This year, National Guard units supported emergency... MORE

Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, issued his holiday message Dec. 12, 2018.

How is the National Guard 140 years older than the U.S.?
December 12, 2018 — CARSON CITY, Nev. – When the National Guard celebrates its 382nd birthday Thursday, skeptics might ask the obvious question: "How can the National Guard be 140 years older than the nation, and exist... MORE

Spc. Ashley Hartman cuts the ceremonial birthday cake for the National Guard's 381st birthday alongside Nevada Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. William Burks, left. The Nevada National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters office celebrates the National Guard's birthday every year with the highest and most junior ranking members available as cake cutters.

Six N.Y. Guard Soldiers will be part of National Army Museum
December 10, 2018 — BROOKLYN, N.Y. – When the National Museum of the United States Army opens to the public outside Washington, D.C., in 2020, six New York Army National Guard Soldiers will be a permanent part of it... MORE

New York Army National Guard Maj.Robert Freed poses with a mock M-4 and block of wood replicating a radio handset, as photos of his pose are taken at Studio EIS in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 15, 2018. Freed is one of six New York National Guard Soldiers who served as models for life-size figures that will be part of two exhibits at the National Museum of the United States Army when it opens in 2020. The figure Freed served as a model is of a platoon leader in Afghanistan calling for air support.

Unmanned aircraft enhances Army Guard response capabilities
December 6, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. - In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and during recent Northern California wildfires, Army National Guard members deployed two types of unmanned aircraft systems that allowed for... MORE

Army Pfc. Michael Makowski, with the South Carolina Army National Guard's D Company, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, launches an RQ-11B Raven in Bucksport, South Carolina, during Hurricane Florence response operations, Sept. 26, 2018. The unmanned aircraft system assists Army Guard units in gathering situational awareness of disaster scenes and sharing that information with other Guard elements, emergency officials and first responders.

Citizen-Warrior: Ohio Air Guard member fights drug suppliers
December 6, 2018 — CINCINNATI, Ohio - Two men in an unmarked black sports utility vehicle sat idle, engine off, in a parking garage. They had been there long enough that their coffee had cooled from near boiling to room... MORE

Staff Sgt. Alicia Stayonovich, a criminal analyst for the Ohio Counterdrug Task Force, tracks drug trafficking patterns as part of her work with Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in Cincinnati. Stayonovich, who provides real-time intelligence and analysis for HSI agents in the field, takes a personal interest in helping remove drugs from the street as her brother died of a heroin overdose in 2015.

New York National Guard marks birthday of eighth president
December 6, 2018 — KINDERHOOK, N.Y. —As the United States mourned the death of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president on Wednesday, the New York National Guard commemorated the country’s eighth president, Martin Van... MORE

New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major David Piwowarski and Brig. Gen. John Adonie, render honors to President Martin Van Buren, the 8th president of the United States, during a Dec. 5, 2018 ceremony at his gravesite at Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery in Kinderhook, N.Y.

N.Y. Guard Warrant Officer reinvented career to keep serving
December 3, 2018 — LATHAM, N.Y. - Throughout a military career that began in 1981, New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Al Thiem has been reinventing himself. He was an enlisted Soldier who became an... MORE

Col. John Andonie, chief of staff for the New York Army National Guard, pins Chief Warrant Officer 3 Albert Thiem, electronic warfare officer for the 42nd Infantry Division,during his promotion ceremony at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs Headquarters in Latham, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2018.

Three generations show commitment to service in W. Va.
November 30, 2018 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. - When people speak of the 130th Airlift Wing, a small Air National Guard unit in Charleston, West Virginia, one common theme comes up. Family. Now, it usually isn't literal, it is... MORE

Lt. Col. Andrew Farmer, 130th Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander, stands with his daughters Halle Farmer, Staff Sgt. Alexis Farmer and Senior Airman Carly Farmer in front of a C-130H Nov. 3, 2018, at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va.

Alabama Guard member helps save girl in mall shooting
November 30, 2018 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Pfc. Rashad Billingsly was shopping Black Friday at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, Alabama, when he heard two distinct gunshots over the sound of the crowd. A few seconds... MORE

Pfc. Rashad Billingsley of the 2025th Transportation Company in Jacksonville, Ala., used his combat life-saving training to help save a 12-year-old girl who was shot at the Riverchase Galleria mall Nov. 23, 2018.

Idaho Army Guard Soldier coaches school to football title
November 30, 2018 — SUGAR CITY, Idaho - When Sugar-Salem High School won its first football state title Nov. 17, the win solidified five years's worth of work Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tyler Richins put into... MORE

Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tyler Richins poses for a photo with his father, Dwight Richins, after coaching Sugar-Salem High School to the Idaho 3A state football championship Nov. 17, 2018. The father-son team previously served in the Idaho Army National Guard together, where Dwight Richins retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2012, and won the 1999 3A state title as a coach/quarterback duo for Teton High School.

National Guard service strengthens West Virginia family
November 29, 2018 — WILLIAMSTOWN, W. Va. - The goodbyes for now. The long, mournful last hugs and kisses before watching your husband or wife, son or daughter, mom or dad leave for deployment, training or other call to... MORE

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeffrey Lohr, a C-12 master aviator and certified flight instructor assigned to Detachment 28 Operational Support Airlift Command, West Virginia Air National Guard in Williamstown, W.Va., poses with his wife Vicki Lynn and son Sgt. Nicholas Lohr, a crew chief with Company C, 1/150th Assault Battalion in Wheeling, W.Va., at the conclusion of his promotion ceremony held Nov. 16, 2018, at the West Virginia National Guard Armory in Williamstown, W.Va.

Hawaii life saver takes ‘fast track’ in career progression
November 28, 2018 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Life-threatening scenarios seem to occur at the most random of times and places; and when they do, it's usually not a pretty scene. While most people go about... MORE

Senior Airman Casey Whitworth, a full-time lifeguard and triage response team member of the Hawaii Air National Guard, was posted near this spot at Marine Corpse Base Hawaii when he was called to help rescue the victims of a commercial helicopter crash on Oct. 22, 2018. The rescue effort was successful because of the teamwork of his teammates, local firefighters and a few good Samaritans. Whitworth is a member of the 154th Medical Group’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP), a unit that responds to emergencies on a regular basis. Whitworth attributes some of his preparedness to his training in the HIANG. This photo was taken on Nov. 22, 2018.

New York Guard Volunteers Give Lift to Trees for Troops

New York Air Guard, Police Department Sharpen Rescue Skills in Exercise

Tennessee Guard Unit Returns from Southern Border Mission

Off-Duty Tennessee Guard Soldiers Provide Life-Saving Aid

Nevada Guard Completes Third Year of Formula 1 Support