Guard News - The National Guard

NY Air Guard Members Receive Space Force Association Award
January 6, 2025 — ORLANDO, Fla. - The Space Force Association recognized two New York National Guard Airmen as enlisted service members of the year for 2024 during the organization’s annual conference Dec. 10-12.Staff... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jason Capostagno, left, and Staff Sgt. Curtis Grady, right, with the New York Air Guard’s 222nd Command and Control Squadron, stand with Gen B. Chance Saltzman, chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force, at the Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference in Orlando Fla., Dec.10-12, 2024. Capostagno was named the winner of the Space category, while Grady won the Intelligence category award.

Illinois Army Guard’s Top Recruiter Pays it Forward
January 3, 2025 — SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - When Francisco Orozco first approached an Army National Guard recruiter in 2016, the recruiter “would not give me the time of day.”Orozco was overweight and had a neck tattoo. Both... MORE

Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the assistant adjutant general - Army of the Illinois National Guard and the commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, State Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Kelly, and State Command Chief Warrant Officer CW5 Thomas Black present Staff Sgt. Francisco Orozco with an award at the Illinois Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion's annual awards banquet Nov.16, 2024, in Peoria. Orozco was the Illinois Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year with 35 enlistments.

Oregon Air Guardsman Completes Commander Tour in Antarctica
December 30, 2024 — PORTLAND, Ore. - Col. Christopher Lantagne, Oregon Air National Guard director of staff, completed a six-week tour as the commander of the 13th Air Expeditionary Group at McMurdo Station, Antarctica... MORE

Col. Christopher Lantagne, Oregon Air National Guard director of staff, in front of a 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 in November 2024 in Antarctica. Lantagne recently finished a six-week tour as the commander of the 13th Air Expeditionary Group at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

New York Air National Guard Helps Track Santa Claus
December 23, 2024 — ROME, N.Y. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command defends the North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.On Dec. 24, NORAD will add one more element to its... MORE

A New York Air National Guardsman assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, New York, prepares for NORAD Santa tracking operations. The annual NORAD Tracks Santa operation traces St. Nick's path around the world on Dec. 24.

Military Medical Merit Inductee is 1st From Maine Guard
December 19, 2024 — BANGOR, Maine - A small group of Maine Army National Guard members and guests gathered at the Regional Training Institute Dec. 8 to witness Lt. Col. Joel Dunn become the first Maine National Guard... MORE

Left to Right: Col. Frederick Looper, commander of the Medical Readiness Unit, Maine Army National Guard; 1st Sgt. Jayme Saucier, first sergeant of the MRU; Lt. Col. Joel Dunn, deputy state surgeon, MEARNG; Col. George Horsley, state surgeon general, Massachusetts Army National Guard; as Dunn becomes the first person in the Maine Army National Guard to be inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit Dec. 8, 2024 in Bangor, Maine. The order was founded by the commanding general of the U.S. Army Health Services Command in 1982 to recognize excellence and promote fellowship and esprit de corps among Army Medical Department personnel.

Guard Bureau Celebrates 388th Birthday with Fun Run and Ruck
December 18, 2024 — WASHINGTON - National Guard Soldiers and community members gathered at Fort Lesley J. McNair Dec. 13 to celebrate the National Guard’s 388th birthday at the annual National Guard Bureau Fun Run and... MORE

National Guard Soldiers and community members gathered at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington Dec. 13, 2024, to celebrate the National Guard’s 388th birthday at the annual National Guard Bureau Fun Run and Ruck.

Louisiana Guard Youth Challenge Program Marks 30 Years
December 18, 2024 — PINEVILLE, La. – Families and friends filled the sanctuary at the Pentecostals of Alexandria Church in Alexandria to watch 118 cadets graduate from the Louisiana National Guard’s Youth Challenge... MORE

Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program Cadet Myles Dean of West Monroe was recognized during the Class 2024-1 graduation ceremony at the Pentecostals of Alexandria Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Dec. 14, 2024. Dean earned the class’s highest academic marks, including an ACT score of 32 out of 36, an ASVAB score of 93 out of 99, and a HiSET score of 98 out of 100.

Idaho Guardsman Balances Command in Idaho, Security at NASA
December 18, 2024 — BOISE, Idaho - Capt. Megan Mabey has flown over 20 times between Idaho and Texas to balance her duties with the Idaho National Guard and her role as a security specialist at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson... MORE

Capt. Megan Mabey, commander of D Company, 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, poses for a a picture at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in late 2024. In addition to her duties as a member of the Idaho National Guard, Mabey works as a security specialist for NASA.

National Guard Bureau Civilian Receives DOD CIO Award
December 13, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - A National Guard Bureau information technology specialist received the 2024 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Award at the Pentagon Dec. 3. The award recognizes... MORE

Shawn Achziger, center, an information technology specialist with the National Guard Bureau, with U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, left, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, and Leslie Beavers, the acting chief information officer with the Department of Defense, after receiving a 2024 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon Dec. 3, 2024. Achzinger was recognized for migrating the National Guard from the obsolete Joint Information Exchange Environment system to the updated Common Operating Picture system, used primarily during emergency response operations.

New York Airmen Honored for Saving Lives of 2 Wingmen
December 12, 2024 — STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing were recognized for saving their fellow Airmen’s lives at a Dec. 8 ceremony.The 105th’s Top... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Master Sgt. Roman Jeter, Staff Sgt. Timothy Horton, Capt. Sinead Kirnan and Master Sgt. Jaron Brown, Airmen with the 105th Airlift Wing, pose for a photo following a Henry W. Windels Wingman Award ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, Dec. 8, 2024. Horton and Kirnan were recognized for saving the lives of Jeter and Brown.

South Carolina Guardsman Realizes Dream to Fly Helicopters
December 11, 2024 — COLUMBIA, S.C. - Seeing a military aircraft flying through the sky can make you feel a sense of awe. But for some, like Warrant Officer Alante Snell, it sparks something deeper — a calling.Snell grew... MORE

Warrant Officer Alante Snell serves his community in his civilian job as a state trooper and in the South Carolina Army National Guard as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.

New York National Guardsmen Help Get Holiday Trees to Troops
December 3, 2024 — BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Seven New York Army National Guard Soldiers joined local veterans to load up 125 Christmas trees donated to military bases around the country at Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Matt Clark lifts a donated Christmas tree from retired Command Sgt. Maj. Bob Van Pelt during the annual Trees for Troops loadout at Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa, New York, Dec. 2, 2024. Tree farmers from New York’s capital and Saratoga regions donated 125 trees to be sent to military bases for the holidays.

Kansas National Guard Airman Recognized for Saving a Life
November 29, 2024 — TOPEKA, Kan. - One of the benefits of joining the Kansas National Guard is the skills learned may be useful in the civilian world. While Tech. Sgt. Ryan Ewing’s skills as a boom operator in a KC-135... MORE

On Sept. 26, 2024, Maj. Gen. Michael Venerdi, Kansas adjutant general, presented the Kansas Medal of Excellence to Tech. Sgt. Ryan Ewing for resuscitating a man at a Milwaukee hotel.

Alaska Guard’s Operation Santa Claus Brings Holiday Cheer
November 29, 2024 — CIRCLE, Alaska - Alaska Army and Air National Guard members and Salvation Army volunteers boarded a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with Santa Claus Nov. 6 to deliver gifts to the remote village of Circle... MORE

Santa Claus smiles after arriving in Circle, Alaska, on board an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk to deliver gifts to children during Operation Santa Claus, Nov. 6, 2024. The Alaska National Guard's annual community outreach program has provided toys, backpacks and books to children in remote Alaskan communities since 1956.

Embracing Heritage: Spc. Brianna Hunter’s Choctaw Journey
November 29, 2024 — MURRAY, Ky. - Learning about self-identity and heritage is a struggle for many young Americans. Sometimes, it takes a special push from family, friends or your community to figure out who you are.Spc... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Brianna Hunter poses in front of the Murray State University newsroom wearing a hand-beaded necklace from the Mississippi Band of Choctaws in Murray, Kentucky on Nov. 25, 2024. Hunter is one-eighth Choctaw and serves in the Kentucky National Guard.

Massachusetts Guard Recognized for Environmental Stewardship
November 26, 2024 — JOINT BASE CAPE COD, Mass. - Camp Edwards, the Massachusetts National Guard’s premier training site, has been recognized as the 2024 Northeast Region Military Conservation Partner by the U.S. Fish and... MORE

Jake McCumber, program manager, Massachusetts Army National Guard Natural Resources & Training Lands Program, highlights conservation achievements at Camp Edwards Training Site Nov. 22, 2024. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presented his team with the 2024 Northeast Region Military Conservation Partner Award.

Ministry Dog Aids Michigan Army Guard Soldier Resiliency
November 25, 2024 — BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Soldiers may have spotted a furry new face around the Michigan Army National Guard— a four-legged addition already making an impact. Penny, a small black Labrador, is no ordinary... MORE

Penny, a therapy dog with the Michigan Army National Guard, provides emotional support to Soldiers during training exercises and events at Fort Custer, November 2024. Penny works alongside Chaplain Adam Lavigne to foster resilience and well-being among service members.

Chickasaw Nation Governor Reflects on Oklahoma Guard Service
November 21, 2024 — OKLAHOMA CITY - Before serving nearly 40 years as the governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Bill Anoatubby served in his first leadership position as a member of the Oklahoma National Guard.Anoatubby... MORE

Before serving nearly 40 years as the governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Bill Anoatubby served in his first leadership position as a member of the Oklahoma National Guard.

Oregon Air Guard Fighter Wing Honors Native Americans
November 20, 2024 — KINGSLEY FIELD, Ore. - The 173rd Fighter Wing welcomed members of the Klamath Tribes and others of American Indian descent to a ceremony during Native American Heritage Month Nov. 15.The event... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Schuster, 173rd Aircraft Maintenance commander, presents Klamath Tribal Council members with a memento of an aircraft nose art design at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Nov. 15, 2024. The design was created by Native artist Gwen Colman Lester and is displayed on a 173rd Fighter Wing F-15C Eagle.

Puerto Rico Guard Recruiting Commander’s Daughter Enlists
November 13, 2024 — FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico – Maj. Cesar Irizarry, the new Puerto Rico Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion commander, welcomed his daughter into the PRARNG. Pfc. Irizarry Torres... MORE

Pfc. Anamaris Irizarry Torres, center, with her father, Maj. Cesar Irizarry, second from left; mother, Nydia Torres, second from right; Recruiting and Retention Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Ortiz, left; and Master Sgt. Leydanil Robles, right, Recruiting and Retention, A Company Operations NCO, following Irizarry's recruitment.

Idaho National Guard Deploys Helicopter Company To DC Area

National Guard Bureau Chief Thanks Firefighting Guardsmen

Wyoming, Nevada Guard Aircrews Assist California Firefighters

114th Fighter Wing Exchanges Jets with 122nd Fighter Wing

California, Nevada, Wyoming Guard Join Firefighting Battle