Guard News - The National Guard

Afghanistan: Guard members lay down the law
November 15, 2011 — CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan - The primary objective of the 156th Military Police Detachment - attached to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division - is to keep law and order in Regional Command... MORE

Citizen-Soldiers from the 156th Military Police Detachment, attached to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, exit their mine-resistant, ambush-protected, all-terrain vehicle outside the Balkh provincial prison in Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2011. Soldiers of the 156th MP were at the prison in order to fulfill one of their many mission sets by enrolling the local Afghan national prisoners into a biometric system, enabling Coalition and Afghan forces to create a viable database in order to forensically identify criminals.

Iraq: Guard members saving money in drawdown
November 15, 2011 — CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - As the number of U.S. troops exiting Iraq increases, so has the amount of equipment that has been used to support their efforts here.As efforts continue with... MORE

Citizen-Soldiers from the 1729th Field Support Maintenance Company from Havre de Grace, Md., secure pipes to a forklift on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Nov. 2, 2011.

Ohio National Guard first to receive explosive detection dogs
November 14, 2011 — CAMP SHLEBY, Miss. - Charged with the responsibility to "protect" and "look out for" 24 hours-a-day, battle buddies are authorized to take necessary action to prevent their fellow Soldiers from doing... MORE

Army Capt. Michael Bellin, veterinarian assigned to Gulf Coast District Veterinary Command, asks Army Spc. Zach Laker, a Tactical Explosive Detection Dog handler and infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1-148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, to escort Sassy, his TEDD, to the scales during a check-up at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Nov. 7, 2011. The 37th IBCT will be utilizing TEDDs during their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Senate confirms Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr. as new director, Army National Guard
November 11, 2011 — WASHINGTON - On Veterans Day comes word of the confirmation of a new director for the Army National Guard, Army Maj. Gen. William Ingram, former adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard... MORE

Dale Jr. moves up two positions with only two races left in season
November 10, 2011 — FORT WORTH, Texas- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard "Trained by Tradition" team worked through handling issues for a majority of the race to power their way to a seventh-place finish... MORE

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard NASCAR racecar, smiles after finishing in seventh place at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 6, 2011.

National Guard, local agencies train for disaster at Vigilant Guard
November 10, 2011 — PHOENIX - Firefighters and civil support team members donned hazardous materials suits in response to a simulated building collapse when a nuclear bomb detonation downtown, generating thousands of... MORE

National Guard members of the 270th Military Police Company from the California National Guard prepare to transport a role-play victim from a decontamination tent to medical triage after a simulated nuclear explosion during Vigilant Guard here, Nov. 4. Vigilant Guard is a three-day practical exercise, simulating an improvised nuclear device detonating, and evaluates military and civilian agency cooperation and communication in a time of disaster.

Obama, Panetta Praise Military Veterans' Service
November 10, 2011 — WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today joined President Barack Obama in recognizing the contributions veterans have made throughout U.S. history and the sacrifices U.S. military members... MORE

Title: JSLC: Strongest-ever National Guard vital to war effort, Panetta says
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - At its strongest in its 375-year history, the National Guard has been indispensable to the warfight, the secretary of defense said here Tuesday."As we approach the milestone of... MORE

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta talks with Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, at the National Guard 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., Nov. 8, 2011.

JSLC: Citizen-Warrior unemployment rate unacceptable, effective reintegration essential, Panetta says
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Reintegration, family support, attacking Guard member unemployment and minimizing uncertainty about deployments are key parts of taking care of Citizen-Warriors, the secretary... MORE

Left to right: Army Lt. Gen. (ret.) Edward Baca; Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) John Conaway; Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Army Lt. Gen. (ret.) H Steven Blum; Air Force Lt. Gen. Russell Davis (ret.) and Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, at the National Guard 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 8. Baca, Conaway, Blum and Davis are former chiefs of the National Guard Bureau.

JSLC: Defense cuts an opportunity for National Guard, McKinley says
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - An era of deep defense cuts is an opportunity for the National Guard, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Monday.Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are drawing... MORE

ir Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, introduces Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the National Guard 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 8, 2011.

JSLC: Last decade another shining moment in Army Guard's 375-year history
November 8, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Army Guard members have contributed one of the finest decades of service in the Guard's 375-year history, the acting director said here... MORE

Army Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter, acting director of the Army National Guard, gives an overview of the state of the Army Guard during the 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at Gaylord National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Md. Nov. 7, 2011.

Vigilant Guard: California National Guard Homeland Response Force prepares for worst
November 7, 2011 — PHOENIX - They're the last in line in any catastrophe, but the first to be relied upon to bring closure.During the 2011 Arizona Statewide Vigilant Guard Exercise in Phoenix, National Guard Airmen from... MORE

Airmen from the California and Arizona National Guard combine to form a Fatality Search and Recovery Team on Nov. 4, 2011, during the 2011 Arizona Statewide Vigilant Guard Exercise in Phoenix. During a recovery training assignment, they prepare to load a simulated nuclear blast victim onto a gurney. Shown: Senior Airman Jonathan Massey, Staff Sgt. Margarita Chavez, Tech. Sgt. Jacob Sulwer and Staff Sgt. Aaron Bisher.

JSLC: Dempsey gives National Guard leaders vision of 2020 military strategy
November 7, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey gave National Guard leaders the CliffsNotes version of U.S. military strategy for 2020 during a talk at the Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and Air Force. Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, during the National Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 7, 2011.

JSLC: Military must work to keep America's trust, Dempsey tells National Guard
November 7, 2011 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The military is among the most admired institutions in America, and service leaders must work to ensure that continues, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, speaks to National Guard members, during the National Guard's 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference Nov. 7, 2011.

Air Guard, Reserve benefit from off-the-shelf equipment solutions
November 4, 2011 — WASHINGTON - By using ideas from recently deployed Airmen and off-the-shelf technology, the reserve components have developed new equipment that saved lives and led to highly successful combat... MORE

Air Force Col. Eric Mann, the Air National Guard director of requirements, addresses congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28, 2011. The National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriations, the reserve components' primary way of modernizing their forces, was discussed. Officials said this special funding results in a streamlined process that saves lives, increases combat capability and speeds high-tech acquisitions.

Army Guard Soldier makes different kind of sacrifice for battle buddy
November 4, 2011 — FARGO, N.D.- Army Spc. John Chase wasn't feeling his best when he came home on a two-week leave from his second Afghanistan deployment in May 2010. Soon after a family vacation and just before he was... MORE

Army Spc. John Chase undergoes kidney dialysis treatment Sept. 23, 2011 at a dialysis center Grand Forks, N.D., as Army Sgt. Francisco Raatz looks on. Both Soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, of the North Dakota Army National Guard. Raatz would soon be donating a kidney to his battle buddy as a result of Chase's kidneys failing him about 17 months earlier.

Indiana Guard members save lives, credit military training with fast response
November 4, 2011 — INDIANAPOLIS,- Two Indiana National Guard Soldiers helped save the lives of more than 20 people on a September evening when the apartment across from where they live went up in flames.Army Spc... MORE

An apartment building burns during a fire in which two Indiana members helped save the lives of more than 20 people in September 2011. Army Spc. Michael Conley and Spc. Caleb Goldsberry of the 384th Military Police Company acted quickly and attribute their quick responses to their National Guard training.

Obama calls on nation to honor military families, caregivers
November 2, 2011 — WASHINGTON, - Calling on the nation to celebrate military families' service and sacrifice Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed proclamations designating November as Military Family Month and... MORE

First Lady Michelle Obama greets a crowd of National Guard and local families during a Joining Forces community event in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, April 14, 2011. The national initiative she launched with Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, calls on all sectors of society to honor and support military families.

Study: No relationship found between service members' health and burn pits
November 2, 2011 — WASHINGTON - No evidence was found between exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and long-term health problems, according to a study released here Monday by the Institute of Medicine.A... MORE

Army Guard sees unexpectedly high retention rate
November 2, 2011 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Department announced recruiting and retention numbers for the 2011 fiscal year recently, stating that the Army National Guard intentionally achieved only 95 percent of its... MORE

Connecticut Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Fitness

Pennsylvania Guard Takes Part in African Lion 23 in Tunisia

Royal Thai Army Commander Visits Washington Guard Leaders

Michigan Guard Brings HIMARS Capability to Swift Response 23

194th Wing Conducts Phoenix Dawn Readiness Exercise