Guard News - The National Guard

80 Years Ago, National Guard Units Played Key Role in D-Day Landings
June 5, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Their waterlogged footsteps were historic. That thought, however, most likely wasn’t on the Soldiers minds as they stepped ashore from rocking landing craft onto the French coast... MORE

The build-up of Omaha Beach. Reinforcements of men and equipment moving inland. Photo courtesy of Center of Military History.

Retiring Illinois Guard Artillery Gun Chief Fires Final Rounds
May 31, 2024 — USTKA, Poland – When U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Terry Rutherford enlisted in 1982, the idea of taking part in a training exercise in Poland was a seemingly ludicrous one – something that would never happen... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Terry Rutherford, a gun chief with B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, watches as his gun crew prepares their M777 howitzer to execute a fire mission during exercise Immediate Response in Ustka, Poland, May 11, 2024. The exercise is Rutherford’s last – he retires later this year.

Hawaii Guardsman Finds Success in Aviation, Infantry Journey
May 31, 2024 — WASHINGTON - Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Hara was just settling into his new role as the adjutant general of the state of Hawaii, having taken over the position a few months prior, when he got a call from... MORE

Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Hara, Hawaii adjutant general, speaks to a 103rd Troop Command Soldier during individual weapon qualification, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, June 5, 2021.

Connecticut World War I Soldier Awarded Purple Heart
May 29, 2024 — GUILFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut National Guard Soldier assigned to Company M, 102nd Infantry Regiment, received the Purple Heart May 24, more than 100 years after he died during World War I.U.S. Army... MORE

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur Fredericks, the Connecticut National Guard's senior enlisted advisor, presents Rick Maynard a Connecticut World War I Campaign Medal in honor of his great-uncle's service with the 102nd Infantry Regiment in World War I. Sgt. Paul Maynard served with Company M in multiple battles across France and ultimately perished on the last day of the War.

Oregon National Guard Honors Decorated Vietnam Veteran
May 23, 2024 — CLACKAMAS, Ore. – A memorial service with full military honors was held at Willamette National Cemetery May 17 for retired U.S. Army Maj. Charles Larry Deibert, who received The Distinguished Service... MORE

Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honor Guard members perform the presentation of the American flag during a memorial service for retired Maj. Charles L. Deibert at Willamette National Cemetery, Clackamas, Oregon, May 17, 2024. Deibert was awarded The Distinguished Service Cross for his service in combat operations in Vietnam.

National Guard Professional Education Center Celebrates 50 Years
May 20, 2024 — NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Fifty years ago, the Army National Guard identified a need to provide ongoing training to the Soldiers and civilians who worked for the Guard full time, keeping units and... MORE

Col. Cathi Cherry, commander of the Professional Education Center; Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard; Lt. Col. Elvin Zapata, oldest Soldier serving at PEC; Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Sgt. Rhett Crandall, youngest Soldier serving at PEC; and Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, cut the cake at a 50th-anniversary celebration for the PEC on Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas, May 16, 2024. PEC is home to more than 480 courses spanning six battalions to train Army National Guard Soldiers and Department of Army civilians in cybersecurity, human resources, logistics, recruiting and retention, strategy and leader development, and finance.

New York Guard Says Farewell to 100-year-old Guard Veteran
May 16, 2024 — WATERFORD, N.Y. - A 100-year-old New York National Guard World War II veteran who survived the bloody Battle of Saipan was honored by a New York Army National Guard Honor Guard team as he was laid to... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Carlos Garcia, left, and Spc. Samantha Bruce, perform military funeral honors at the burial of Wilfred “Spike” Mailloux, a 100-year old New York National Guard veteran of the World War II Battle of Saipan, at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Waterford, New York, May 7, 2024. Mailloux survived the war’s largest Japanese banzai attack, which killed 502 Soldiers in the New York National Guard’s 105th Infantry Regiment on July 7, 1944.

Virginia Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Health, Readiness
May 10, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. – While the Virginia National Guard has long had dedicated personnel ready to respond to a Soldier or Airman in crisis, a new team of specialists focuses on prevention to help maintain... MORE

The Virginia National Guard has a new Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce of specialists to help maintain the force’s readiness and health. The team includes general prevention specialists and members focused on preventing workplace, sexual and family violence and abuse, harassment and self-directed harm.

New Hampshire Airman Saves Man’s Life at Gym
May 9, 2024 — PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. – Moments after stepping into his local gym, a New Hampshire National Guardsman saved the life of a fellow patron on the evening of April 15.“There was a man on the... MORE

Airman 1st Class Sokthearrith Dong, an aircrew flight equipment specialist with the 157th Operations Group, poses on the flight line May 5, 2024, at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire. When a man collapsed at Dong’s gym April 15, he immediately initiated emergency care and saved his life.

Maryland Air Guardsman Wins Innovation Award
May 1, 2024 — MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - The Air National Guard has recognized a Maryland Air National Guard Airman for innovation that helps improve efficiency and operational readiness at the 175th Wing.Capt. Kerry Guy,... MORE

Maryland Air National Guard Capt. Kerry Guy, 175th Wing contracting officer, poses for a photograph at Warfield Air National Guard Base, April 17, 2024, in Middle River, Maryland. Guy is the officer in charge of the 175th Wing Spark Cell, which was established in January 2022 and boasts over 60 members across 15 squadrons.

Iowa Air Guard Support Dog, Chaplain Reunite Post-Deployment
May 1, 2024 — SIOUX CITY, Iowa - For Adele (the dog, not the singer), after her person, Chaplain Lt. Col. Stephen Peters, deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last fall, it was like he was gone for years in dog... MORE

After a six-month deployment, Chaplain Lt. Col. Stephen Peters is reunited with his dog, Adele, at the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa, April 30, 2024. Peters was serving as deputy command chaplain for U.S. Air Force Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar while Adele continued her duties as the morale support dog at the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing.

Virginia Guard Avionics Team Tackles High-flying Challenges
April 30, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. - Tucked behind a blue door at the Virginia Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility is the organization’s avionics section, where a small group of full-time Soldiers work to... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers conduct maintenance on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter April 2, 2024, at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Sandston, Virginia. The Soldiers are part of the AASF’s avionics shop, which troubleshoots, diagnoses and repairs avionic components and wiring on the VNG’s Black Hawk fleet.

New Jersey Guardsman Rescues Injured Worker
April 30, 2024 — SYRIA - U.S. Army Sgt. Lauren Shalabi was picking up her meal at a market in North East Syria and wasn’t expecting chaos but was ready for it. Her daily routine on March 24 was abruptly interrupted... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Lauren Shalabi, an automated logistics specialist assigned to the 250th Brigade Support Battalion, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard, in Syria, April 24, 2024. Shalabi used her military and civilian skills to provide medical aid to a severely injured worker in Syria.

Soldier Teaches Sign Language to Deployed Troops
April 22, 2024 — UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - In the heart of the U.S. Central Command area of operations, where the focus is often on mission readiness and combat preparedness, one service member has taken a unique... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Ashley Brown, a geospatial intelligence imagery analyst assigned to Alpha Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 34th Infantry Division, volunteers to teach deployed service members American Sign Language, during a deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, April 7, 2024. Brown learned ASL growing up as a child of deaf adults and enjoys teaching about deaf history, culture and sign language.

Determined Guam Guardsman Earns Blade Runner Award
April 17, 2024 — BARRIGADA, Guam – Guam National Guard Capt. Greg May was on his last day at Maneuver Captain’s Career Course when a National Guard Bureau liaison spoke to the class. “If you’re in the National Guard... MORE

U.S. Army Capt. Greg May of the Guam National Guard displays his recently earned Pathfinder Badge at Joint Force Headquarters Guam April 2, 2024. May volunteered for Pathfinder School with two days' notice and, despite a series of retests, beat the odds and earned the honorary title of "Blade Runner."

Virginia Guardsman Earns Expert Soldier Badge
April 16, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. - Maj. Josh Favaro, executive officer of the Virginia National Guard’s 229th Brigade Engineering Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, earned the Expert Soldier Badge March... MORE

Maj. Josh Favaro, executive officer of the Virginia National Guard’s 229th Brigade Engineering Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, receives the Expert Soldier Badge from Sgt. Maj. Justin Walkup, the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team operations sergeant major, March 15, 2024, at Fort Walker, Virginia.

Daughter of Virgin Islands Guardsmen Continues Legacy
April 4, 2024 — FORT CAVAZOS, Texas - Every April, the Department of Defense celebrates the selfless service and duty demonstrated by military-connected children, youth and teens. Pfc. T’Anna Stanley-Lake’s deep... MORE

Pfc. T'Anna Stanley-Lake at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, March 19, 2024. Stanley-Lake, with the Army North Military Funeral Honors Platoon Caisson Section, is the daughter of former Virgin Islands National Guard members Kim Stanley and the late Sgt.1st Class Floyd E. Lake, who died in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash in Baghdad Jan. 20, 2007.

April an Opportunity to Salute Military Children
April 1, 2024 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Though the label “military brat” is worn with pride by those who grew up in military families, many outside that lifestyle are unaware of just what those children go... MORE

U.S. Airmen with the 211th Engineering Installation Squadron, 193rd Regional Support Group, 193rd Special Operations Wing, say goodbye to their loved ones at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, in 2023 before leaving for a six-month deployment.

Pennsylvania Guard NCO Guides Soldiers on Polish History
March 29, 2024 — POZNAN, Poland - In the corridors of a history museum lie numerous artifacts narrating vivid stories of Poland’s rich history and culture. Native Polish residents routinely navigate these halls,... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Mateja, Pennsylvania National Guard, the religious affairs NCO of U.S. Army Garrison Poland, shows tour guests a visual of the battlefield at the Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918-1919 in Poznan, Poland, March 15, 2024. Mateja guided U.S. Army Soldiers through this museum to see the artifacts and historical replicas that represent the Polish history of independence.

Air National Guard Officers Selected for Prestigious Fellowship
March 27, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - During Women’s History Month, the National Guard Bureau is proud to congratulate three Air National Guard officers for a trailblazing achievement. U.S. Air Force Lt. Cols. Autumn... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jen Warren, center, deputy director of AFWERX, stands with Air National Guard AFWERX fellowship recipients Lt. Col. Frances Romero, left, and Lt. Col. Cristi Campbell, right. Not pictured: U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Autumn Lorenz.

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise

Air Guard Units Join Forces for Aerial Wildfire Suppression Training

Forging Partnerships: The National Guard in the Indo-Pacific

Kentucky Guard MEDEVAC Prepares for Deployment to Europe