News Features - The National Guard

Archive: 2026

Montana Guard Returns World War II Soldier Home
April 17, 2026 — BERT MOONEY AIRPORT, Mont. – After more than 80 years, a Montana Soldier has returned home.Airmen... MORE

Soldiers assigned to the Montana Army National Guard Honor Guard carry the casket of Pvt. Henry Bordner from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules to a waiting hearse during a dignified transfer at Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Mont., April 15, 2026.

Washington Guard Athletes Earn All-Guard Endurance Team Honors
April 17, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Three Citizen-Soldier athletes from the Washington Army National Guard proved... MORE

Capt. Julie Keppner, 122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element; Maj. Brendan Thompson, Special Operations Detachment–Pacific; and Capt. Eddy Allen, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Theater Information Operations Group show off their medals following the National Guard Endurance Team trials, held as part of the Nebraska DekaFit Road Show at the Nebraska Army Aviation Support Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, April 11, 2026.

Missouri Guardsman Renders 6,500 Military Funeral Honors
April 6, 2026 — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – U.S. Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Karen Mitchell has stood before... MORE

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Karen Mitchell, member of the Missouri Military Funeral Honors Program, Missouri Air National Guard, prepares to fold a ceremonial flag, March 26, 2026, in St. Louis. Mitchell has served 42 years in the Missouri Air National Guard. Photo by Master Sgt. Stephanie Mundwiller

Kansas National Guard Helps Soldier Find Direction, Success
March 30, 2026 — TOPEKA, Kan. – In many ways, Spc. Daniel Blount’s reasons for joining the Kansas National Guard are... MORE

Spc. Daniel Blount’s reasons for joining the Kansas National Guard are typical of many other Soldiers: educational benefits, financial stability and a search for a direction in his life.

Georgia Guard Provides Runway to Airline Careers
March 25, 2026 — MARIETTA, Ga. – Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Jones and Warrant Officer 1 Austin Scales serve as... MORE

Georgia Army National Guard pilots Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Jones and Warrant Officer Austin Scales from the Marietta-based 78th Aviation Troop Command, pose in the cock pit of a Frontier Airlines Airbus 320.

Wyoming Airman Earns National Aeromedical Evacuation Award
March 20, 2026 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. — What began as a step into the unknown has led Senior Airman Kaylee Hess to national... MORE

Senior Airman Kaylee Hess, an aeromedical evacuation technician with the 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, stands in front of a C-130 Hercules aircraft assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing while holding a folded litter in Cheyenne, Wyo., March 5, 2026

Oregon Guardsman Innovates to Maintain Jets
February 24, 2026 — PORTLAND, Ore. – Staff Sgt. Kenneth Fritz, an avionics integrated systems technician at the 142nd... MORE

Staff Sgt. Kenneth Fritz adjusts the intercommunication control panel with dial adjuster he manufactured, Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon, Jan 31, 2026.

Oklahoma National Guard Unveils New Wellness Center
February 20, 2026 — OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma National Guard leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 19 for the... MORE

Brig. Gen. Brad Carter, Col. Lindy White and Capt. E.J. Johnson, Oklahoma Army National Guard, are joined by Oklahoma Rep. Chris Kannady, as well as representatives from Flintco Construction, Larson Design Group and Oklahoma Army National Guard Construction and Facilities Maintenance Office, during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center in Oklahoma City, Feb. 19, 2026.

Air Guard Pilot Recognized With Prestigious Shine Award
February 19, 2026 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. – U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric “Rebel” Emerson, a fighter squadron commander... MORE

From left, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director, Air National Guard; Lt. Col. Eric “Rebel” Emerson, commander, 119th Fighter Squadron, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey National Guard; and Colleen Shine showcase the 2024 Lt. Col. Anthony C. Shine Fighter Pilot Award during a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Feb. 10, 2026.

Illinois National Guard Honors Former Guardsman Abraham Lincoln
February 12, 2026 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois National Guard paid tribute to its most notable militiaman and 16th... MORE

Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, the adjutant general of Illinois and commander of the Illinois National Guard, renders a salute after placing a wreath at the tomb of President Abraham Lincoln on behalf of President Donald J. Trump Feb. 12, 2026, as part of the 92nd annual American Legion Pilgrimage to Lincoln’s Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.