Guard News - The National Guard

NY Air Guard Chief Completes Memorial Bataan Death March
March 25, 2024 — WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. - “You could feel the energy starting to rise while we were all just standing there,” New York Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Patricia Pullar recalled, describing... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Patricia Pullar, senior enlisted leader for the 105th Airlift Wing's Operations Group, poses with Bataan Memorial Death March medal at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, March 22, 2024. Pullar completed her fourth Bataan Memorial Death March March 16 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Teen Joins Pennsylvania National Guard as Helicopter Pilot
March 20, 2024 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Isaac Bell knows the path to becoming a helicopter pilot as a 19-year-old will be hard, but he is embracing the challenge ahead of him.Bell took the oath of enlistment March... MORE

Isaac Bell, a Pennsylvania Army National Guard recruit who enlisted through the 09W program, is honored during an enlistment and swearing-in ceremony at Muir Army Heliport at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, March 15, 2024. The program, known as “streets to seats” or “high school to flight school,” provides a path to flight school after basic training.

New York’s Fighting 69th Leads Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
March 18, 2024 — NEW YORK - For the 173rd year in a row, Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, “Fighting 69th” Infantry Regiment, marched at the head of New York City’s Saint Patrick’s Day... MORE

Soldiers with the New York National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, lead the annual New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade March 16, 2024. The “Fighting 69th” Infantry has led the world’s largest Saint Patrick’s Day Parade since 1851.

NY National Guard to Lead Largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 13, 2024 — NEW YORK - The Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, will again lead the world’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade this year.Since 1851, “The Fighting... MORE

Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, lead the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York March 17, 2022. On March 16, 2024, the battalion will lead the parade for the 173rd time.

Maryland Guard Airman Uses Military Training to Save a Life
March 11, 2024 — MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - The day before Thanksgiving, most people are thinking about a short list of things to do - ensuring the turkey is thawed, cleaning the house for a family visit, or preparing for a... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Brooke Parks, 175th Force Support Squadron recruiter, poses for a photo in front of the 175th Wing Headquarters building at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Maryland, Feb. 4, 2024.

Army Flight School Grad Follows in Father’s Footsteps
March 8, 2024 — FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. – When Warrant Officer Paul D. Kelly walked across the stage and graduated flight school Feb. 8, his silver wings were not the only thing he took away with him.Also in his tool kit... MORE

Warrant Officer Paul D. Kelly's mother, Maria, pins his silver wings on his uniform as he graduates flight school as a Black Hawk pilot at Fort Novosel, Ala., Feb. 8, 2024. He serves with the Virginia Army National Guard.

National Guard Chief Presents Silver Star to Vietnam Veteran
March 8, 2024 — WAYNE, Pa. – Nearly 57 years after rescuing more than 80 U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War, retired Army Capt. Larry Liss received the Silver Star medal.Liss originally... MORE

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, left, chief of the National Guard Bureau, presents retired Army Capt. Larry Liss with a Silver Star citation during a ceremony March 5, 2024, at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pa. Liss received the medal, an upgrade from a Distinguished Flying Cross, for rescuing more than 80 U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War.

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.

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.

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.

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