Guard News - The National Guard

National Guard's senior officer elevated to Joint Chiefs of Staff
December 30, 2011 — WASHINGTON - The chief of the National Guard Bureau is a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.With the stroke of a pen, the same month the nation's oldest military institution celebrated its... MORE

National Guard on-duty for New Year's Eve
December 30, 2011 — NEW YORK, N.Y. - The 280 members of the New York National Guard's Joint Task Force Empire Shield will be on duty New Years Eve assisting police in security missions here.National Guard members also... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Melvin Seally, assigned to Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York National Guard's full-time security force in New York City, patrols Pennsylvania Station with police officers on Christmas Eve. The members of Joint Task Force Empire Shield will be on duty New Years Eve supporting civilian police agencies.

Domestic disaster relief and a birthday among National Guard 2011 highlights
December 29, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard made history throughout 2011, but no more than when President Barack Obama signed into law the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision... MORE

Maryland National Guard members, seen here in Salisbury, Md., on Aug. 28, 2011, worked around the clock to support civilian law enforcement and firefighting agencies during Hurricane Irene.

Colorado National Guard high-altitude aviation training: local school, global impact
December 28, 2011 — This story is the first in a series of three about Colorado's High-altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training SiteOne of four Army National Guard aviation training schools, the High-altitude Army... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jonathan Licuanan and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ryan Mahany take turns piloting a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, while following the directions of their instructor pilot, Colorado Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Grayson, Aug. 25, 2011. Licuanan and Mahany are students at the Colorado National Guard's High-altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, Colo.

N.C. National Guard drives into history as last convoy out of Iraq
December 28, 2011 — CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - In the early morning hours of Dec. 18, while most service members stationed here were sleeping, a small group of Soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard's 1452nd... MORE

North Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers of the 1452nd Transportation Company pose for a group photo in front of an M-1070A1 Heavy Equipment Transporter in Kuwait, Dec. 19, 2011, just one day after their convoy was the last to depart Iraq.

Dempsey: hazing, bullying "intolerable" within military
December 27, 2011 — WASHINGTON - Emphasizing that bullying and hazing undermine everything the military stands for, the top U.S. military officer said every member of the armed forces has a personal responsibility to... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Nov. 14, 2011.

NORAD tracks Santa's flight
December 23, 2011 — WASHINGTON - As children go to bed tomorrow with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, the staff at North American Aerospace Defense Command will be busy tracking Santa Claus' global... MORE

The North American Aerospace Defense Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., will again track Santa Claus on his annual Christmas Eve flight to deliver presents to children around the globe.

DOD Officials: National Guard border support to shift to the air
December 21, 2011 — WASHINGTON - Defense Department and National Guard support to southwest U.S. border security will change in the next few months from a ground effort to primarily air, Defense and Homeland Security... MORE

The U.S. border with Mexico seen on Aug. 25, 2010, near Nogales, Ariz. Up to 1,200 National Guard troops have deployed to the four Southwest Border states in support of the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement there.

Florida Guard members part of final "New Dawn" air mission
December 21, 2011 — KUWAIT CITY - As the remaining military forces in Iraq crossed the Iraqi border into Kuwait early morning Dec. 18, Soldiers from the Florida National Guard's 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment... MORE

New York Honor Guard performs record number of military funerals
December 21, 2011 — LATHAM, N.Y. - The New York Army National Guard's Honor Guard performed more military funerals in 2011 - more than 10,500 - than in any time since it was started in 1999, and last year 10,415 were... MORE

The flag-covered casket of New York Army National Guard 1st Lt. Joseph Theinert, is carried by members of the New York Military Forces Honor Guard on June, 11, 2010. The New York Military Forces Honor Guard expects to perform more than 10,600 military funerals, mostly for World War II veterans, in 2011.

Odierno unveils vision for Army's future role
December 20, 2011 — WASHINGTON - The following information is from an Army Live Blog, which Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, the 38th chief of staff of the Army, conducted on Dec. 12."There is much discussion in the halls of... MORE

Army Guard fires-up new IED simulator at Camp Atterbury
December 19, 2011 — EDINBURGH, Ind. - Provincial Reconstruction Team Kapisa, who is currently training for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, was the first unit to train on a new improvised explosive device virtual... MORE

Provincial Reconstruction Team Kapisa, currently training to deploy to Afghanistan at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, was the first PRT to train on a new virtual reality combat simulator Dec. 16, 2011. The simulator is designed specifically to help Soldiers better deal with the number one killer in the contemporary operating environment: improvised explosive devices.

Indiana Guard, ISU reach agreement on use of restricted air space
December 19, 2011 — TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana National Guard recently teamed up with Indiana State University in Terre Haute by officially entering into an agreement to share restricted airspace with the state... MORE

Kentucky Guard members fly-in school supplies for Afghan schools
December 19, 2011 — KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - More than 600 children received a surprise Dec. 3 when Soldiers from the Kentucky Army National Guard showed up at their school with more than 50 boxes full of school... MORE

Army Sgt. Heather Carrier, a Kentucky Guard member with Agribusiness Development Team 3, passes out school supplies to Afghan students at a local school in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan Dec. 3, 2011.

Alaska National Guard brings Santa to remote villages
December 19, 2011 — WALES, Alaska - Santa, Mrs. Claus and 35 helpers brought Operation Santa Claus and holiday cheer via an Alaska National Guard C-130 to the small, remote Alaska village of Wales Dec. 9.The Alaska Air... MORE

David Anungazuk, 7, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, in Wales, Dec. 9, 2011. The Clauses, along with about 35 volunteers from Anchorage, were in Wales for an Operation Santa Claus mission in coordination with the Alaska National Guard.

DOD sets goal to financially empower service members, families
December 16, 2011 — WASHINGTON - The need for quality financial education and protections for service members and their families will not diminish even as more than a decade of war begins to draw to a close, a Defense... MORE

Afghanistan: Video may have 'killed the radio star' but Virginia National Guard brings radio alive in rural areas
December 16, 2011 — ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The song "Video killed the radio star" was the first video played on MTV in 1981 and launched a music revolution. While the stars may be "dead," radio is not - not here... MORE

An Army National Guard Soldier of the 116th Infantry Battalion, Virginia National Guard, with assistance of a Romanian soldier, sets up a shortwave antenna at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2011. The short wave antenna is part of the effort to enhance communication between the supporting military elements and the local people in rural areas of the country.

Army National Guard Soldiers saves lives in, out of uniform
December 16, 2011 — EDINBURGH, Ind. - While serving in the military, many service members expect to perform their duties while in uniform and to kick back, relax and not think of work at the end of the day. Army National... MORE

Army National Guard Sgt. Gerald Dick, a combat medic assigned to the Troop Medical Clinic at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind., administers an intravenous line to a Soldier here Dec. 14, 2011. Dick, a licensed practical nurse and case manager at Camp Atterbury, is "always" on duty and has rendered medical assistance during to two separate vehicle accidents earlier this year while not on duty.

Army Chief of Staff issues instructions for Guard, Reserve Soldiers demobilizing over holidays
December 16, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno issued instructions Wednesday regarding reserve component Soldiers who will be demobilizing at bases in the United States over the... MORE

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno

Afghanistan: Missouri National Guard Agribusiness Development Team teaches Afghans safe meat processing
December 16, 2011 — NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Inspector Abdul Wahid stands prominently at the head of an examination table surrounded by a huddle of his colleagues. The group of men observes him carefully inspect... MORE

Army National Guard Maj. Samuel Forester, executive officer of the Missouri Agribusiness Development Team, leads an instructional seminar for Afghan government officials on meat inspection in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Forester is also a U.S. Department of Agriculture certified meat inspector and his main goal was to show agricultural officials how to work with available resources to educate farmers and commercial butchers on good sanitation practices and animal health.

Maryland National Guard conducts rescue hoist training with Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team

New York Air Guard Launches Greenland Support Mission

Wyoming Guard Airmen Make First Antarctic Cardiac Evacuation in 35 Years

Maryland Airmen Enhance Combat Readiness with Training Exercise

Michigan Guard Cyber Protection Team Completes First Cyber Certification Test