Guard News - The National Guard

Afghanistan: Afghan National Army maintenance soldiers complete training with Texas Guard members
April 30, 2012 — LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Soldiers of the 236th Engineer Company from the Texas National Guard presented certificates of completion to 11 Afghan National Army soldiers assigned to the 1/201st... MORE

Army 1st. Lt. Aaron Graves presents Afghan National Army Spc. Menawal his certificate of completion March 24, 2012 for maintenance training completed at Forward Operating Base Gamberi.

Alabama National Guard preparing for hurricane season
April 30, 2012 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama National Guard takes disaster response seriously and to prepare for the upcoming storm season Guard members from across the state gathered here Saturday, for a Rehearsal... MORE

Alabama Guard members brief hurricane plans April 28, 2012, on a spanned map that measuring 40 feet wide and 85 feet long.

Guam, New Mexico Guard CSTs perform disaster training
April 30, 2012 — called upon a Civil Support Team to investigate the findings. Fortunately, this was only a training exercise.The 14 members of the combined CST are specifically qualified to deal with hazardous... MORE

Members of the joint Civil Support Team collect, mark and bag unknown chemical samples on the suspected terrorist tugboat Pono during a simulated training event in Honolulu, April 24, 2012.

Kuwait: Director of Army National Guard visits Camp Arifjan
April 30, 2012 — CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Army Lt. Gen. William Ingram, Jr., director of the Army National Guard, visited the 113th Sustainment Brigade and other National Guard units here April 27 to 30.The trip gave... MORE

Army Lt. Gen. William Ingram Jr., the director of the Army National Guard, presents a National Guard coin of excellence to Army Sgt. Ferrell Reynolds of the North Carolina National Guard's 1452nd Transportation Company. The trip gave Ingram the opportunity to visit and talk with guardsmen and to see for himself the health and welfare of Army National Guard soldiers in Kuwait.

Afghanistan: "Yak team Wahed" - One team united in Afghanistan
April 27, 2012 — KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - "Yak Team Wahed."That saying had special meaning to us as our interpreter, Wahed, bridged the language gap and made it possible for NATO soldiers to communicate and... MORE

Montana Air Guard unit's asset makes disaster communication simpler
April 27, 2012 — GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Since 2007, the 120th Communications Flight has operated a vehicle containing communications equipment that is able to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies occurring... MORE

Afghanistan: Texas Guard member shows Afghans "sweet" business opportunity
April 27, 2012 — GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Soldiers of Task Force Mad Dog - headed up by the California Army National Guard's 578th Engineer Battalion and made up of a variety of Army National Guard engineer... MORE

Local honey bees from Ghanzi province take flight for the first time since being moved from their home at the Texas National Guard Agribusiness Department Team 5's greenhouse on Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan April 4, 2012.

Wyoming Guard focuses on fire safety at Camp Guernsey
April 27, 2012 — CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. - Efforts to remove dangerous trees left ruined by fires from years past continue as part of a mixed group of safety, reclamation and training programs at the Wyoming National... MORE

Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp Smokebusters Duane Cox (left) and Dustin Steele, clear debris left from past fires on property at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center, Wyo., April 10, 2012. The camp is working to clear potentially hazardous debris to allow for increased use of roadways and trails throughout the camp.

AFGHANISTAN: Two worlds merge on one small strip of sidewalk called the "Green Zone"
April 26, 2012 — KABUL, Afghanistan - "Ma'am! Ma'am! Excuse me ma'am!" the little boy said to me as he ran alongside me on the sidewalk.Fellow members of the 230th Signal Company and I were on our first mission... MORE

During a trip to The Green Zone, a small strip of sidewalk located between two Army bases in Kabul, Afghanistan, members of the Tennessee National Guard's 230th Signal Company, encountered friendly local nationals with every step. They were washing vehicles, cementing crumbling walls and praying.

AFGHANISTAN: National Guard, Afghan engineers work together to build bonds and bases
April 26, 2012 — GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Soldiers of Task Force Mad Dog - headed up by the California Army National Guard's 578th Engineer Battalion and made up of a variety of Army National Guard engineer... MORE

An Afghan National Army soldier conducts maintenance on a hydraulic excavator. The ANA engineer platoon is partnered with the 1022nd Vertical Construction Company of the Louisiana National Guard, part of Task Force Mad Dog.

AFGHANISTAN: Wisconsin Agribusiness team visits Afghan demonstration farm
April 26, 2012 — KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team had its first chance to check the progress of a demonstration farm in the Watapur District of Kunar... MORE

Army Capt. James Schmitz of the Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team jots a few notes in his notebook about crop conditions at a demonstration farm in Watapur Province, Afghanistan, April 16,2012. The 82nd ADT was at the farm to perform quality assurance checks of the farm's operations, assess crop health and identify future farm issues.

AFGHANISTAN: Guard Soldiers provide security for Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah visiting prison
April 25, 2012 — FARAH CITY, Afghanistan - Guard Soldiers provided security for members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah meeting at the Farah City prison warden here Tuesday.Lt. Col. Abdul Qayoum Azami, the... MORE

Lt. Col. Abdul Qayoum Azami, Farah City prison warden (left), leads a tour of the prison in Farah City, Farah province, Afghanistan, April 24, 2012. Coalition members are visiting the prison to observe and provide recommendations to improve conditions.

Family Matters Blog: Passing the torch on family coverage
April 25, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Three years ago, I was in an editorial planning meeting here at American Forces Press Service where staff hashed out ideas for improving our content. We covered the secretary of defense,... MORE

Illinois, Oregon Guard members place third; Colorado, Wisconsin fifth at Best Ranger Competition
April 25, 2012 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - As the creed states, a Ranger is a more elite Soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air. From April 13 to 15 a team of Guard members lived this Creed... MORE

Team 49 during the 29th Annual David E. Grange, Jr. Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., April 13, 2012, made up of (left to right) Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Plocar with the Wisconsin Army National Guard and Army Capt Robert Killian with the Colorado Army National Guard, complete the commando crawl obstacle during the first day of the. Killian and Plocar placed sixth overall in the competition.

Minnesota Guard weather flight conducts joint training exercise
April 25, 2012 — STILLWATER, Minn. - In rainy conditions, the Minnesota National Guard's 208th Weather Flight, 133rd Airlift Wing, conducted a joint field training exercise with Marines at William H. O'Brien State... MORE

Airmen with the 208th Weather Flight of the Minnesota Air National Guard consult their Airman's Manual to confirm the presence of simulated unexploded ordnance from a safe distance. Sixteen members of the 208th along with three U.S. Marines from the Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 U.S. Naval- Marine Corps Reserve Readiness Center are taking part in a field training exercise at William O'Brien State Park on the St. Croix River in Minnesota Apr. 13, 2012.

Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers help with Special Olympics
April 25, 2012 — GRANTHAM, Pa. - Some came to give back to the communities where they grew up. Others attended to show support for friends and fellow Soldiers. All said they learned a valuable lesson - the amount they... MORE

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Shawn Rouvre, a human resources sergeant form the Pennsylvania National Guard, congratulates 15-year-old Jocelyn Nava as she finishes first in a 400-meter run during the Special Olympics Area M Games at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., April 19, 2012.

Afghanistan: Ohio Guard members turn injury into training opportunity
April 24, 2012 — KUNDUZ PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and members of the Afghan National Police were conducting... MORE

Army Pvt. Eric Baldwin, a medic assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, applies a splint to the arm of an Afghan boy March 23, 2012, as his father holds him still. The Soldiers noticed the boy had an injured arm while conducting a patrol in the Gor Teppa area of Kunduz province, Afghanistan, with the Afghan National Police. The 37th IBCT is deployed to northern Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force in an effort to build ANP capacity.

Bangladesh: Kentucky Guard member shares knowledge at Cope South 2012
April 24, 2012 — KURMITOLA AIR BASE, Bangladesh - One Kentucky Air National Guard Airman shared his knowledge of heavy equipment airdrop procedures with an audience of more than 20 Bangladesh air force airmen at... MORE

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Shelby, a loadmaster with the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, shares his knowledge of heavy equipment airdrop procedures with an audience of more than 20 Bangladesh air force airmen at Kurmitola Air Base, Bangladesh April 22, 2012.

Officials announce new sexual assault reporting policies
April 24, 2012 — Panetta issued guidance April 20 withholding "initial disposition authority" from any officer who is below the O-6 - colonel or Navy captain - level and who does not hold special court-martial... MORE

Alaska Air Guard pararescuemen airlift climber after 150-foot fall
April 23, 2012 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - The Alaska Air National Guard rescued a Japanese climber early April 21 after he reportedly fell more than 150 feet while climbing Mooses Tooth in Denali National Park.The 11th... MORE

Two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the Alaska Air National Guard fly over Alaska during a training mission Feb. 18, 2011.

Pennsylvania Guard Medical Unit Gains Vital Experience During Field Exercise

California Air National Guard Hosts Reaper Smoke 2025

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In

Colorado Army National Guard Conducts Aviation Training for Wildfire Season