Guard News - The National Guard

Wisconsin Soldier, Arkansas Team Win Small Arms Championship
May 10, 2024 — NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Wisconsin National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Swanson won the title of 53rd Winston P. Wilson Small Arms Champion at the 2024 Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Matches at... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Swanson of the Wisconsin National Guard won the Individual Grand Aggregate award at the 53rd Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, North Little Rock, Arkansas, April 27-May 3, 2024.

Wisconsin Guard Soldier Wins Regional Best Warrior Tiebreaker
May 7, 2024 — CAMP DODGE, Iowa - A Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldier from Wausau will compete against the top National Guard Soldiers in the country at the national Best Warrior Competition in Vermont this... MORE

Spc. Tevin Kenton, from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Troop C, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment, fires an M-320 grenade launcher May 3 during the 2024 Region IV Best Warrior Competition at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Kenton took first place in the lower enlisted division and will represent Wisconsin at the national Best Warrior Competition this August in Vermont.

California Air Guard 146th Maintenance Group Learns New Skill
April 22, 2024 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. - On a chilly, overcast morning that promised rain in the very northern state of Wisconsin, 28 U.S. Airmen assigned to the 146th Maintenance Group of the Air National Guard in... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 146th Maintenance Group, 146th Airlift Wing, based on Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, practice executing the fundamentals of Crash Damaged and Disabled Aircraft Recovery on Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, April 16-18, 2024. The CDDAR certified members and augmentees used airbags, forklifts and cranes to raise, pull and stabilize aircraft that simulated different scenarios of downed airplanes.

Wisconsin Air Guard Trains with Papua New Guinea Partners
April 19, 2024 — PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea - Wisconsin Air National Guard members from the 128th Air Refueling Wing Security Forces Squadron and the 115th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron trained alongside... MORE

Wisconsin National Guard Airmen with the 128th Air Refueling Wing Security Forces Squadron and the 115th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron trained in Papua New Guinea March 17-22 with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force as part of the State Partnership Program. The Airmen trained PNGDF military police and other service members in crowd control, compliance techniques and physical and electronic security.

Wisconsin Guard Builds on Papua New Guinea Partnership
April 4, 2024 — PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea - Forty Wisconsin National Guard Airmen and Soldiers collaborated and trained with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force March 17-22 in support of the State Partnership... MORE

Senior noncommissioned officers with the Wisconsin National Guard were in Papua New Guinea March 17-22 collaborating with leaders in the Papua New Guinea Defence Force as part of the State Partnership Program.

Wisconsin Air Guard Helps Refine Air Combat Targeting
March 5, 2024 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. - The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Control Squadron participated in a five-day exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada that could result in a combat competitive... MORE

U.S. Air Force air battle managers and tactical air control-party Airmen experiment with Air Combat Command’s Tactical Operations Center-enabled Control Reporting Center during the Shadow Operations Center – Nellis’ Capstone event at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Dec. 8, 2023.

Wisconsin Guard Fights Elements in Urban Operations Training
January 26, 2024 — VOLK FIELD, Wis. — For 24 frigid hours Jan. 17-18, Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, used the High Risk... MORE

Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, approach the High Risk Entry Facility Jan. 17 at Volk Field, Wis., during urban warfare training.

At-risk Teens Begin New Path as ChalleNGe Academy Graduates
January 4, 2024 — WASHINGTON - Hundreds of young people across the nation ended 2023 by graduating from Youth ChalleNGe Academy programs that provide discipline and education to set at-risk teenagers on a path to... MORE

Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, the adjutant general of Idaho and commander of the Idaho National Guard, congratulates one of 120 high school students who graduated from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy Dec. 16, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. The Department of Defense program provides second chances to at-risk teens.

148th Fighter Wing EOD Flight Hosts Validation Course
October 11, 2023 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - The 148th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight created and hosted an advanced conventional course for 30 technicians at the Minnesota National Guard’s Camp Ripley... MORE

Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from across the Air National Guard, Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Navy and Wisconsin National Guard state partners from Papua New Guinea conduct lodged projectile training at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minnesota, Sept. 21, 2023. The Advanced EOD Conventional Course provided experience, validation and confidence in using EOD tools and procedures.

Wisconsin Guard Conducts Black Hawk Training Operations
September 25, 2023 — FORT MCCOY, Wis. - Aircrews with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, operated UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Sept. 14 for a training operation at Fort McCoy.Unit... MORE

Aircrews with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, operate UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Sept. 14, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Members of the unit regularly complete training at Fort McCoy and support training events at the installation.

Wisconsin Guard-Papua New Guinea Strengthen Partnership
September 5, 2023 — MADISON, Wis. - Capt. Michael Cuevas, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Troop C, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment, reflected on the historic nature of his unit’s participation in... MORE

Soldiers with the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment, trained with soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Royal Pacific Infantry Regiments, Papua New Guinea Defence Force, during Tamiok Strike 2023 at Taruma Barracks, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea beginning July 31. Tamiok Strike 23 is sponsored by U.S. Army Pacific, and hosted by the PNGDF with U.S. forces under the command of the 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Support Command.

Wisconsin Guard Members Seek to Elevate Women in Aviation
August 8, 2023 — OSHKOSH, Wis. - Four Wisconsin Army National Guard female Soldiers in the aviation field spoke about their experiences during a Women in Aviation panel July 26 at the Experimental Aircraft Association... MORE

2nd Lt. Charnelle Pinson, a forward support medevac section leader with the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, discusses her military career as Maj. Sarah Latza, Capt. Meredith Porter and Capt. Anna Leadens look on during a panel discussion July 26, 2023, in Oshkosh, Wis., as part of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s WomenVenture.

Wisconsin Guard Unit Returns Home From Africa Deployment
August 1, 2023 — MADISON, Wis. - More than 250 Soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade returned to Wisconsin after a nine-month deployment to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to... MORE

Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, and other senior Wisconsin National Guard officials welcomed home approximately 260 Soldiers of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade at Dane County Regional Airport July 29, 2023. The 157th returned from a nine-month deployment to Djibouti, Africa, in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Wisconsin Guard Trains with Hospital on Patient Transport
July 21, 2023 — GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the past few months, Wisconsin Army National Guard aviation Soldiers have partnered with Aurora BayCare Medical Center to conduct training to provide a higher level of care for... MORE

Aurora BayCare Medical Center professionals and Soldiers from the medevac assets of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment unload a mock patient from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis., June 22.

Wisconsin Guardsman Honored for Aiding Derailment Victims
July 11, 2023 — MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin Army National Guard officer who helped victims of a train derailment in Joplin, Montana, in 2021 received the Soldier’s Medal in a July 9 ceremony at Spooner, Wisconsin.The... MORE

First Lt. Apiwit B. Chulawan, an officer with the Wisconsin Army Naitonal Guard’s 829th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, salutes Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, after being awarded the Soldier’s Medal during a July 9, 2023, ceremony in Spooner, Wis. Chulawan was a passenger on a train that derailed in 2021 and helped aid injured passengers.

Wisconsin Guard, Papua New Guinea Strengthen State Partnership
June 9, 2023 — MADISON, Wis. - Five members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force visited the Wisconsin National Guard in early June as part of the Defense Department’s State Partnership Program, administered by the... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Kailani Trainor-Bird, right, aerospace medical technician with Detachment 1 of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Medical Group, reviews Tactical Combat Casualty Care procedures with Warrant Officer Jerry Aihi and Maj. Louisa Wanma of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force June 6, 2023, at Truax Field in Madison, Wis. The training opportunity between the Wisconsin and Papua New Guinea medical professionals was part of the National Guard State Partnership Program,

Wisconsin Army Guard Medic Earns Expert Field Medical Badge
May 23, 2023 — FORT MCCOY, Wis. - A Wisconsin Army National Guard combat medic has a coveted badge and some bragging rights after two intense weeks.Sgt. 1st Class Talon Dumke of Sun Prairie, a member of the... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Talon Dumke, second from right, a combat medic assigned to the Wisconsin National Guard’s 54th Civil Support Team, with Lt. Col. Seth Kaste, right, 54th Civil Support Team commander, during the Expert Field Medical Badge ceremony May 12, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Dumke was one of eight Soldiers to complete the grueling competition, which challenged Soldiers in their technical proficiency and tactical acumen under extreme duress and scrutiny.

Guard Soldiers, Airmen Compete for All Guard Marathon Team
May 9, 2023 — LINCOLN, Neb. - More than 200 Airmen and Soldiers representing the National Guard from all 50 states, three U.S. territories and the District of Columbia ran the 46th annual Lincoln Marathon May 7,... MORE

National Guard athletes race in the 46th annual Lincoln Marathon, which also serves as the National Guard Marathon Team time trials, held May 7, 2023, in Lincoln, Nebraska. More than 200 National Guard Airmen and Soldiers from across the country competed for spots on the All Guard Marathon Team.

Iowa, Minnesota Guardsmen Win Regional Best Warrior Title
May 8, 2023 — NEWTON FALLS, OHIO – Soldiers from across the Midwest and from Hungary and the Republic of Serbia tested their mental and physical fortitude in the five-day regional Best Warrior Competition at Camp... MORE

Competitors begin the 12-mile ruck march at the Region IV Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, Newton Falls, Ohio, May 7, 2023. Guard members from Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois competed in land navigation, marksmanship, weapons skills, medical and radio skills and an appearance board, among other events.

Cal Guard, CAL FIRE Team up for Wildland Firefighting Training
May 2, 2023 — SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California National Guard members participated in annual wildland firefighting training alongside the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection near Ione April 23.The... MORE

Virginia Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Health, Readiness

West Virginia’s 167th Wing Conducts Readiness Exercise

New York Army Guard Hosts Regional Best Warrior Competition

Alaska Guard Helps Provide Free Health Care to Kodiak Residents

Wisconsin Soldier, Arkansas Team Win Small Arms Championship