Guard News - The National Guard

Iowa, Virginia, W.Va. aviation Soldiers train in Pennsylvania
June 21, 2021 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Approximately 145 aviation maintenance Soldiers from the Iowa, Virginia and West Virginia National Guard honed their skills repairing helicopters at Muir Army Airfield June... MORE

Approximately 145 aviation maintenance Soldiers with B Company, 248th Aviation Support Battalion, 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, 29th Infantry Division, Iowa, Virginia, and West Virginia National Guard, honed their skills repairing helicopters at Muir Army Airfield June 1-15 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

WVNG medical unit ensures Soldier readiness, COVID response
June 10, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The second floor of the U.S. Army Reserve building may seem at first glance like an unassuming office space.Within that space, however, resides a unit that plays a crucial role in... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard helped conduct a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Buffalo, West Virginia, March 26, 2021. More than 200 employees were vaccinated, demonstrating a whole of government public-private partnership that has helped West Virginia become a nationally recognized leader in COVID-19 vaccine administration.

WVNG helps prepare Peru military for peacekeeping mission
June 8, 2021 — LIMA, Peru – Two members of the West Virginia National Guard helped prepare members of the Peruvian Army and Marine Corps for a global peacekeeping mission as part of the ongoing relationship between... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard train Peruvian Armed Forces on the M1165 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle as part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program in Lima, Peru, June 3, 2021. Peru will use the training on an international peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

National Guard participates in multinational exercise
May 19, 2021 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama Army Guardsmen are participating in the largest exercise since COVID-19 shut down most training and travel. Exercise Defender-Europe 21 began with 26 nations, including the... MORE

National Guard units from Alabama, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio are participating in Defender-Europe 21 and linked exercises to demonstrate and develop the extensive military capabilities NATO allies need to prevent conflict.

Delaware, West Virginia Air Guard units team up for training
May 7, 2021 — NEW CASTLE, Del. — The key to any airlift mission is safely and effectively loading and unloading the cargo, regardless of the type of aircraft. The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to... MORE

The 167th and 166th Airlift Wings partnered together to conduct a joint cargo loading exercise as part of the 166th's home station operational readiness exercise on May 3 at New Castle Air National Guard Base, Delaware.

West Virginia Guard father, son cross paths while deployed
April 29, 2021 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – For many Soldiers, going on an overseas deployment means leaving behind friends and families for extended periods – but not always. Two West Virginia Army National Guard... MORE

Spc. Tyler Goldsberry, left, 2nd General Support Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, and chief warrant officer Craig Goldsberry, right, 111th Engineer Brigade, son and father respectively, in Kuwait in April 2021. The two West Virginia Army National Guard members are deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield and, although assigned to different units, their deployment timelines overlap by nearly two months, allowing for a long-awaited reunion.

Guard, DISA participate in international cyber exercise
April 26, 2021 — MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Members of the West Virginia and Illinois National Guard, Defense Information Systems Agency employees and West Virginia University students partnered with Polish allies to compete... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Paul Coffy, center, seated, views a virtual exercise environment as two West Virginia University students and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Adam Brenner, right, observe at the Morgantown National Guard Readiness Center. The international Locked Shields 2021 cyber defense exercise was held the week of April 12, 2021.

167th Airmen are force multipliers in fight against COVID-19
April 16, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Approximately 60 Airmen from the 167th Airlift Wing are supporting COVID-19 relief efforts throughout West Virginia, a key component in the fight against the pandemic.Since the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Katie Farrell, an aerospace medical technician with the 167th Medical Group assigned to the West Virginia National Guard’s Task Force Medical – East, administers a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to an Airman in the 167th Airlift Wing dining facility, Martinsburg, West Virginia, April 11, 2021. The vaccine is administered in two shots, with the second shot administered no more than six weeks after the first.

WVNG, emergency management division plan Vigilant Guard 2021
March 19, 2021 — DUNBAR, W.Va. – Members of the West Virginia National Guard met with state emergency management officials March 10 to coordinate planning for Vigilant Guard, a national, full-scale exercise in West... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard met with personnel from the West Virginia Emergency Management Division, Mar. 10, 2021, in Dunbar, West Virginia, to plan the Vigilant Guard exercise to be held in the Mountain State this summer.

West Virginia National Guard marks one year of COVID mission
March 12, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. — March 13 marks the one-year anniversary of Gov. Jim Justice mobilizing the West Virginia National Guard to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the longest continuous... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard participate in a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Joint Forces Headquarters, Charleston, West Virginia, Jan. 13, 2021. West Virginia maintains one of the highest percentages of vaccine allocation use in the United States and is rapidly expanding capacity to inoculate the population.

WVNG shares vaccine best practices with SPP partner Peru
March 4, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard and a task force for COVID-19 vaccines shared best vaccination practices in a virtual workshop with Peruvian officials March 2.More than 40... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccines shared best practices and lessons learned for COVID-19 vaccine distribution with Peru during a virtual workshop March 2, 2021. West Virginia and Peru have a longstanding relationship under the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Airmen voluntarily receive COVID-19 vaccine
February 10, 2021 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard’s Task Force Medical-East conducted a vaccination clinic at the 167th Airlift Wing during the wing’s unit training assembly Feb. 6 and 7.More than... MORE

Staff Sgt. Katie Farrell and Staff Sgt. Ian Miller, standing, administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Airmen in the 167th Airlift Wing dining facility Feb. 6, 2021. Farrell and Miller are members of the 167th Medical Group serving in the West Virginia National Guard’s Task Force Medical-East.

WVNG helps state increase COVID-19 vaccinations
January 28, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia, with the help of the National Guard, set a new benchmark this past week by administering 106% of the federally allotted COVID-19 vaccine.The state's Joint... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard conduct and participate in a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Joint Forces Headquarters, Charleston, West Virginia, Jan. 13, 2021. West Virginia maintains one of the highest percentages of vaccine allocation use in the United States and is rapidly expanding capacity to inoculate the population.

Wisconsin Soldiers love the ‘Big Boom’ at Winter Strike 21
January 26, 2021 — CAMP GRAYLING MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Mich. – Loud noises are a major part of what keeps two Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers coming back to northern Michigan.“The big boom – it gets your heart... MORE

A gunnery team from C Battery, 1st/120th Field Artillery, Wisconsin National Guard, prepares to load and fire a M-777 Howitzer during Winter Strike 21 at Camp Grayling Maneuver Center, Mich., Jan. 25, 2021. Winter Strike 21 is a cold weather readiness event held as part of the Northern Strike exercise series that offers the Michigan National Guard’s unparalleled facilities as a venue for U.S. and coalition forces to receive advanced All-Domain joint fires training in all weather conditions.

WVNG helps state get COVID-19 vaccine into arms
January 21, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard has helped the state become one of the top states in the nation for vaccine administration.The Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccines... MORE

A West Virginia National Guard Airman provides a COVID-19 test to a citizen on May 22, 2020, in Charleston, W.Va.

National Guard troops head to DC from as far away as Guam
January 17, 2021 — WASHINGTON – Thousands of National Guard troops arrived in the nation's capital from as far away as Guam to support authorities through the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration.Volunteers from the Guam... MORE

Louisiana National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from throughout the state board a plane to Washington, D.C., from Alexandria, La., on Jan. 16, 2021. They will support the District of Columbia National Guard and local and federal authorities through the presidential inauguration in the nation's capital.

National Guard takes on COVID-19 vaccination mission
January 14, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Many National Guard members who supported COVID-19 response efforts in 2020 spent much of the year conducting tests, sanitizing facilities, providing logistical support and delivering... MORE

Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Mark Abbott administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a health care worker at the Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, Rochester, Michigan, Dec. 21, 2020. The Michigan Army National Guard is part of a nationwide National Guard effort that involves collecting, securing, transporting and – when requested – administering COVID-19 vaccinations.

WVNG assists with state COVID-19 vaccination program
January 14, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia National Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccines (JIATF) helped receive and ship the state’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, leading to... MORE

Ohio National Guard forward observer is ARCENT NCO of Year
January 4, 2021 — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Readiness is a forward observer.Readiness is reading a curriculum map, studying the landscape, visualizing the terrain features and directing attention toward specific targets – as in... MORE

Ohio Army National Guard Sgt. Aaron Amsden, a forward observer for the 1st Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment, was crowned the winner of the U.S. Army Central Command’s Best Warrior Competition, noncommissioned officer category, and also competed in the Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) competition in 2020. The BWC recognizes Soldiers who demonstrate commitment to Army values, embody the warrior ethos and represent the force of the future.

Battling COVID-19 was among WVNG's many missions in 2020
December 31, 2020 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard accomplished a lot in 2020, including homeland and disaster response missions, deployments around the globe, and sustained support of the state's... MORE

Remains of World War II Airman Returned Home

Tennessee Guard Airmen Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross

New York Airmen Bring Holiday Cheer to Hurricane Victims While Training

New York Air National Guard Honors President Martin Van Buren

Robot Boosts Louisiana Guard Civil Support Team Readiness