Guard News - The National Guard

Virginia Guard D-Day veteran recognized for award
February 24, 2012 — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Over a hundred people filled the halls of American Legion Post 74 here, Feb. 20 to witness Virginia Rep. Robert Hurt present the French Legion of Honor to local war hero Carl... MORE

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Green, senior enlisted leader of the Virginia National Guard, presents a Virginia flag to Carl "Chubby" Proffitt Feb. 20, 2011. Proffitt was recently honored at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., for his actions with the 29th Infantry Division during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

DOD spotlights value of financial fitness
February 23, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Citing the potentially devastating impact of financial issues on career and home life, officials are encouraging troops and their families to build financial fitness by kick-starting a... MORE

Afghanistan: Georgia Army Guard member presented award by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
February 23, 2012 — LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (2/23/12) - Georgia Army National Guard Spc. Robert Schrader was awarded the Army Commendation Medal Feb. 10, by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint... MORE

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, poses with Georgia Army National Guard Spc. Robert Schrader after presenting Schrader with an Army Commendation Medal Feb. 10, 2012 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan. Schrader received the award for his actions following a vehicle born improvised explosive device attack on Command Outpost Sayed Abad September 2011.

Alaska Air Guard members help family 3,000 miles away
February 23, 2012 — CAMP DENALI, Alaska - In an instant, everything was gone. A lifetime of laughter, tears and memories lay smoldering in a heap of twisted metal and charred lumber. Annette Cook was now without a... MORE

Members of the Alaska Air National Guard's 213th Space Warning Squadron perform an official flag folding ceremony at Clear Air Force Station to replace one burnt in a house explosion in Kansas Aug. 23, 2011. The home belonged to Annette Cook, a childhood friend of Alaska Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Ricky Ramos, from Clear Air Force Station, who was spurred into action to help the Cook family after seeing pictures of the destruction online. The team also built a shadow box to display the new flag at Cook's new home.

Puerto Rico National Guard enhances response force package
February 23, 2012 — SALINAS, Puerto Rico - The Puerto Rico National Guard has a new emergency response element of citizen-Soldiers and Airmen known as the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield... MORE

USNORTHCOM, National Guard leaders: Partnerships key to domestic response
February 23, 2012 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Sharing a stage Wednesday at a domestic preparedness workshop that emphasizes partnerships, the chief of the National Guard Bureau and the combatant commander of U.S. Northern... MORE

Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., Commander United States Northern
Command, gives welcome remarks during the opening ceremony of the DomesticPreparedness Workshop at the Gaylord National Harbor, Md., Feb. 22, 2012.

Virginia National Guard member scratches the itch to serve after eight-year break
February 23, 2012 — FORT PICKETT, Va. - Standing on the edge looking down with nothing to stop them from hitting the ground but the rope between their legs - a group of Canadian troops training with Virginia National... MORE

Two Canadian army soldiers from the 36th Canadian Brigade Group out of Nova Scotia, Canada, jump off the side of a rappelling tower with the
encouragement of Army Staff Sgt. Matthew T. Woyansky, an infantry air assault instructor, assigned to the Virginia National Guard's 1st Battalion, 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, at Fort Pickett, Va., Feb. 21, 2012. The Canadian troops were participating in the joint-annual exercise, Southbound Trooper.

Afghanistan: New Jersey Air Guard maintainers keep F-16s flying
February 22, 2012 — BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, highly maneuverable multirole fighter aircraft. To keep these critical air-power assets mission ready, the technicians of the... MORE

Airmen with the Arkansas National Guard's 188th Fire Emergency Services Flight conduct training at the 188th Fighter Wing during a Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonathan Nieves works on an F-16 aircraft at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Jan. 12, 2012. Nieves is an aircraft electrician with the 16th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and is deployed from the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing.

Air Force working to update disability hiring records
February 22, 2012 — JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas - Disability hiring initiatives are ongoing as federal agencies work to meet the president's challenge to hire 100,000 people with disabilities over the next... MORE

Fired up: Arkansas Air Guard Fire Emergency Services Flight shows wide variety of skills
February 22, 2012 — FORT SMITH, Ark. - Flashing lights, blaring sirens, fire hoses gushing water at full-blast. These are the images most people associate with firefighters and emergency responders as a normal day-to-day... MORE

Airmen with the Arkansas National Guard's 188th Fire Emergency Services Flight conduct training at the 188th Fighter Wing during a Unit Training Assembly Feb. 11, 2012. In addition to the 188th FESF's primary mission of providing fire protection to military aircraft and installation facilities, it also responds to emergency calls for commercial and civilian aircraft as well as medical emergencies through a joint-use agreement with the Fort Smith Regional Airport.

National treasure: Tuskegee Airman imparts history to aviation Soldiers
February 22, 2012 — FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Not many people are considered a national treasure, and if you mention that William T. Fauntroy Jr. is, he'll simply smile back at you and continue on with one of his many humorous... MORE

Owning your story: How writing helps veterans heal
February 22, 2012 — WASHINGTON - "You can tell the extroverted writers; they are the ones that stare at your shoes while they are talking to you, while the introverted writers stare at their own shoes," Ron Capps,... MORE

Dario DiBattista, a Marine veteran and instructor with the Veterans Writing Project, guides a seminar discussion on war poetry.

South Dakota National Guard member selected for Tops in Blue
February 22, 2012 — SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Air Force Staff Sgt. Katie McGuire, of the South Dakota National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing, was selected as the only National Guard member from a nationwide search to join Tops in... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Katie McGuire, of the 114th Fighter Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron, was chosen to be a team member - and only National guard member - for the Air Force's elite musical team, Tops in Blue, after a grueling ten day try-out session at Lackland AFB, Texas in Jan., 2012. McGuire will travel the world with the team for the upcoming year but remain a member of the South Dakota Air National Guard.

First Lady lauds DoD's new nutrition campaign
February 21, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's new obesity and nutrition awareness campaign sets a powerful example for the rest of the nation, First Lady Michelle Obama said at Little Rock Air Force Base,... MORE

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to airmen in a dining facility on Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., Feb. 9, 2012. The first lady visited the base to announce the Defense Department's new obesity and nutrition awareness campaign and to learn about Little Rock's food transformation initiative program, intended to provide a wider variety of nutritional foods to service members and their families.

Afghanistan: North Carolina Army Guard members clear the way for the safety of others
February 21, 2012 — ZABUL PROVIDENCE, Afghanistan - "Clearing the way" is the battle cry you will hear when visiting the North Carolina National Guard's 883rd Sapper Company whether you're in the U.S. or in the Zabul... MORE

North Carolina Army National Guard Sgt. Thomas Parker enrolls an Afghani local national into a hand-held interagency identity detection equipment.

Defense Department senior enlisted leaders cite troops' top concerns
February 21, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The senior enlisted advisors for the four military services met on Capitol Hill Thursday to discuss with lawmakers the top issues on service members' minds.It turns out that for many,... MORE

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III spoke at the North Carolina National Guard Regional Training Institute during his first visit to Fort Bragg, N.C., Aug. 13, 2011. In particular, Chandler wanted to talk about the Army Combat Uniform, Army Physical Readiness Training, retirement, downsizing, and suicide prevention all while getting the Soldiers' input back on the topics. Throughout his visit, Chandler participated in three town hall meetings with more than 600 Soldiers discussing new changes in the Army, while also answering questions and current concerns Soldiers have.

Employer partnership helps Army Guard member find employment
February 21, 2012 — WASHINGTON - "I don't know what the hell this 'logistics' is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it."Fleet Adm. E.J. King's famous remark during World War II demonstrates the... MORE

Kuwait: Minnesota Army Guard members partake in some unique live fire training
February 21, 2012 — NORTHERN KUWAIT, Kuwait - With the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq complete, Soldiers throughout the Army are getting the opportunity to participate in training that is difficult to conduct back in... MORE

Minnesota Army National Guard members fire an M109A6 Paladin during the 34th Infantry Division's 1-125 Field Artillery B Battery's live fire exercise in northern Kuwait, Feb. 16, 2012.

McKinley: National Guard ready for shifting operational focus
February 21, 2012 — WASHINGTON - With the close of operations in Iraq and the projected winding down of operations in Afghanistan, the National Guard continues to stand as a ready, reliable force prepared for a variety... MORE

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau, addresses National War College students during a visit to the school at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8, 2012. McKinley touched on both how the skills learned at the school will be used in the years to come and the roles the National Guard fulfills. McKinley is a 1995 graduate of the college.

White House to honor Iraq War veterans, families
February 21, 2012 — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will honor Iraq War veterans and their families - including National Guard members - at the White House later this month, White House... MORE

President Barack Obama greets troops from U.S. Forces Iraq as they arrive home from Iraq on Joint Base Andrews, Md., Dec. 20, 2011.

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

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise