Guard News - The National Guard

Michigan Guard Partner Liberia Starts NCO Pilot Course
December 10, 2024 — CAREYSBURG, Liberia – The Armed Forces of Liberia achieved a historic milestone by initiating a Noncommissioned Officer Academy at the AFL’s Armed Forces Training Center.Liberian NCO instructors are... MORE

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ravindra Wagh, assistant adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, with Capt. John Willie, Liberian Coast Guard commander, at Liberian Coast Guard Headquarters, Bushrod Island, Liberia, Dec. 2, 2024. Michigan and Liberia have partnered for 15 years under the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Michigan Guard, Sierra Leone Develop New Partnership
November 26, 2024 — FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – Subject matter experts from the Michigan Army and Air National Guard visited Sierra Leone Nov. 14-23 to begin developing their State Partnership Program relationship with the... MORE

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Derek Smith, 177th Regional Training Institute, Michigan National Guard; U.S. Air Force Capt. Andrew Layton, bilateral affairs officer, Michigan National Guard; and U.S. Army Master Sgt. Daniel Blaser, chief instructor, 177 RTI, with instructor cadre members at the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces Training Center, Benguema, Sierra Leone, Nov. 19, 2024. The Michigan National Guard and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces signed an agreement Sept. 12 to become partners under the State Partnership Program.

Runway Reopens at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center
November 26, 2024 — ALPENA, Mich. - After two years of construction, the new runway at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center officially reopened.The project provided the best-designed solution for military aircraft... MORE

Two Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center snowplows cut the ribbon at the runway repair ceremony Nov. 25, 2024, in Alpena, Michigan. The two-year, $60 million federally funded construction project repaired the entire primary runway at Alpena County Regional Airport that supports military and commercial aircraft operations.

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.

Michigan Guard, Latvia Commemorate Latvia’s Independence
November 21, 2024 — RIGA, Latvia – Latvia marked its 106th Independence Day Nov. 18 with a heartfelt celebration, uniting military personnel, dignitaries and citizens in a display of national pride and unity. The event... MORE

Michigan National Guard members joined Latvian Armed Forces and military members from over 12 allied nations to celebrate Latvia's 106th Independence Day Nov. 18, 2024. The event highlighted the enduring partnership between Latvia and Michigan under the State Partnership Program.

National Guard Helps Hurricane Milton, Helene Victims
October 9, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Over 11,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were conducting Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene relief missions in the Southeast Sunday, helping first responders and victims by... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Isaac Bradshaw, a combat medic with C Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, North Carolina Army National Guard, wraps his arms around an older couple and uses his body to block them from debris and strong winds produced by the rotorwash of a landing CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Burnsville, North Carolina, Oct. 10, 2024. The Chinook crew brought generators, fuel and other supplies to the remote area after floodwaters washed away the main road after Hurricane Helene.

Michigan Guard, Sierra Leone Establish State Partnership
September 30, 2024 — FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” the adage goes. However, since the announcement in May that Sierra Leone would partner with the Michigan National... MORE

The Michigan National Guard and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces come together to mark the beginning of their partnership under the State Partnership Program in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sept. 12, 2024. This SPP signing ceremony represents a new chapter of mutual support, training, and cooperation.

NY National Guard Honors World War II Soldier Posthumously
September 17, 2024 — LATHAM, N.Y. - Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, honored a World War II Soldier 80 years to the day after he was killed in combat.Shields presented the New York State... MORE

Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, displays a photograph of Pvt. John Greschiak, a World War II Soldier killed in action on Sept. 16, 1944, during a ceremony at which he was posthumously awarded the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham. New York, Sept. 16, 2024. Shields presented the award to the Soldiers niece and grandniece.

Oklahoma Army Guard Artillerymen Tested at Northern Strike
August 16, 2024 — GRAYLING, Mich. – Artillerymen with the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, tested their mettle at Northern Strike 2024 at... MORE

Members of Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, fire an M777 towed 155 mm howitzer during Exercise Northern Strike 2024 at Camp Grayling, Michigan, Aug. 11, 2024. NS 24-2 is a Reserve component training event focusing on joint readiness training to build interoperability and strengthen partnerships in an all-domain environment.

Michigan Air Guard Medical Group Trains on Patient Staging
August 15, 2024 — ALPENA, Mich. - In the era of great power competition, caring for and transporting patients will be essential for our joint force. Northern Strike 24-2 is exercising this capability through the 127th... MORE

U.S. Air Force medics from the 127th Medical Group, Michigan Air National Guard, load a litter on a U.S. Army CH-47 from the 3rd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, during Exercise Northern Strike 2024-2 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, Aug. 11, 2024.

Kentucky Guard Aviation Conducts Aerial Gunnery at Grayling
August 8, 2024 — CAMP GRAYLING ARMY AIRFIELD, Mich. – Soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, Kentucky Army National Guard, conducted their annual aerial gunnery... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Austin Banks fires the M240 machine gun during mounted gunnery in a UH-60 Black Hawk at Camp Grayling Army Airfield in Grayling, Michigan, July 16, 2024. Banks, a crew chief in Bravo Company 2/147th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, was conducting aerial gunnery during annual training.

Iowa Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing Trains in Michigan
August 8, 2024 — ALPENA, Mich. - U.S. Airmen with the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Sioux City, Iowa, trained to operate the Real Time Information in the Cockpit system on the KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft during Exercise... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Stoos, a boom operator with the185th Air Refueling Wing, Sioux City, Iowa, trains to operate the Real Time Information in the Cockpit system on the KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft during Exercise Northern Strike 24-2 at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, Aug 5, 2024.

Iowa Air National Guard Security Forces Train in Michigan
July 16, 2024 — ALPENA, Mich. - Through heat, humidity and rain, Security Forces Airmen of the Iowa Air National Guard are training at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan.The Iowa ANG members are... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Senior Airman Kolby Gries, 185th Air Refueling Wing Security Forces, looks through the sights of a M240B machine gun at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center near Alpena, Michigan, July 11, 2024. Security Forces Airmen of the Iowa Air National Guard were training on air base ground defense, urban tactical operations, weapons and equipment, and security forces procedures.

Michigan Guard Engineers Train on Wet-Gap Crossing
June 21, 2024 — LITTLE FALLS, Minn. - Michigan National Guard Engineers of the 1437th Multi-Role Bridge Company worked through the night June 11 to unload trucks carrying boats and bridge sections during training on... MORE

Michigan National Guard Engineers of the 1437th Multi-Role Bridge Company worked through the night to unload trucks carrying boats and bridge sections and successfully pieced together a bridge across the Mississippi River during training on Camp Ripley, Minnesota, June 11, 2024.

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.

Michigan Guard, Liberia Conduct Casualty Response Exercise
May 30, 2024 — DAUZON, Liberia – A joint team of Michigan Army and Air National Guard medical professionals worked with Armed Forces of Liberia staff to create a preliminary mass casualty response plan for the AFL’s... MORE

Members of the Armed Forces of Liberia conducted a mass casualty exercise scenario with partners from the Michigan National Guard at 14 Military Hospital May 23, 2024, in Dauzon, Liberia. The two are partners under the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Sierra Leone to Partner with Michigan National Guard, Liberia
May 16, 2024 — LANSING, Mich. - The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) is joining the State Partnership Program as an additional member of the existing partnership between the Michigan National Guard and... MORE

The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) is joining the State Partnership Program as an additional member of the existing partnership between the Michigan National Guard and the Armed Forces of Liberia.

West Virginia’s 167th Wing Conducts Readiness Exercise
May 10, 2024 — MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The 167th Airlift Wing completed a four-day Readiness Exercise Validation, Sentry Unicorn 2024, at Shepherd Field April 21.Held in tandem with the West Virginia National Guard’s... MORE

A U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System from Alpha Battery, 5-113th Field Artillery Battalion, North Carolina National Guard, is loaded into a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft with the 167th Airlift Wing as part of a live-fire exercise during exercise Sentry Unicorn 2024 at Holland Drop Zone, Vass, North Carolina, Apr. 20, 2024. Held in tandem with the West Virginia National Guard Sentry Storm exercise, Sentry Unicorn 2024 served as a Readiness Exercise Validation to gauge the wing’s self-assessment capabilities.

National Guard Athletes Finish Strong at Lincoln Marathon
May 6, 2024 — LINCOLN, Neb. - Twenty-one of the National Guard’s best athletes from the All Guard Marathon Team, representing 17 states and territories, competed in the 47th annual Lincoln Marathon May 5. The... MORE

Puerto Rico National Guard runner Sgt. Angeles Virella crosses the finish line of the 47th annual Lincoln Marathon and Half Marathon May 5, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska National Guard has a long history of supporting the Lincoln Marathon, which biennially serves as the time trials for the National Guard All Guard Marathon Team.

Michigan Guard Military Police Soldiers end Guantanamo Mission
April 15, 2024 — LANSING, Mich. – The water spray arch of two Detroit Metro Airport firetrucks marked the homecoming of 62 Michigan National Guard Citizen-Soldiers with the 177th Military Police Brigade following... MORE

Members of Higher Headquarters Company 117th Military Police Brigade, Michigan National Guard, deplane at the unit’s welcome home ceremony from a deployment to support Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay in the Southern Command Area of Responsibility, Detroit, Mich, April 9, 2024.

New York Soldiers, Airman Celebrate National Guard’s Birthday

Alaska National Guard Fields Helicopter Engine Test Stand

Maryland National Guard Hosts 250th Annual Pass in Review

Louisiana Guard Conducts Disaster Response Training

Remains of World War II Airman Returned Home