Guard News - The National Guard

Troops at risk to predatory schools, businesses, spending
October 5, 2012 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. - For-profit colleges, pay-day loans, and spending temptations may turn into significant debt and worthless college degrees for military members, said Holly Petraeus, of the Consumer... MORE

Holly Petraeus, the assistant director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the Office of Service Member Affairs, sits next to Command Chief Doug Hensala, state command chief for the Wyoming Air National Guard, as they both listen to Maj. Gen. Luke Reiner, adjutant general for Wyoming, during a discussion on potential financial pitfalls for troops, Oct. 4, 2012.

MAFFS units set records this wildfire season, full of highs and lows
October 5, 2012 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Crews who fly the Air National Guard's Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 Hercules returned to their homestation due to favorable wildfire conditions this month,... MORE

Air crews in two C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, follow a U.S. Forest Service lead plane during Modular Airborne Firefighting System training April 16, 2012, over Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center, Wyo. Air National Guard air crews recently wrapped up a near record breaking wildfire season, dropping more than 2.4 million gallons of fire retardant and water while battling wildfires in the western U.S.

Georgia Army National Guard members train Burundi military
October 4, 2012 — BUJUMBURA, The Republic of Burundi - A pair of Georgia Army National Guardsmen from the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion trained more than 30 Burundi Armed Forces personnel during two weeks... MORE

Master Sgt. Derek Gill demonstrates proper use of portable scales with the assistance of an interpreter. Gill and fellow Georgia Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Samuel Perez trained more than 30 Burundi soldiers during a two-week Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team training known as ADAPT.

Army's first cantor spreads word of Torah in Middle East
October 4, 2012 — CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - First Lt. David Frommer lit candles as he led a small group of service members and civilians in the chanting of the Torah. A chaplain of four years, Frommer has conducted... MORE

First Lt. David Frommer leads a small group of service members and civilians in the chanting of the Torah. A chaplain of four years, Frommer has conducted several celebrations of the biblical holiday Sukkot (Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles), but this was his first in the Middle East.

Presidential Inaugural joint task force is now in business
October 4, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The Joint Task Force - National Capital Region 57th Presidential Inaugural Staff began preparations in support of the Presidential Inauguration. The task force is charged with... MORE

Parade participants march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the 2009 presidential inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009.

E-payments required for TRICARE Reserve Select and Retired Reserve monthly premiums
October 3, 2012 — FALLS CHURCH, Va. - To avoid losing coverage, beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) or TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR) who pay monthly premiums by check need to switch to an electronic... MORE

In and outside the classroom, Wisconsin Guard members immerse themselves in Spanish
October 3, 2012 — The Wisconsin Army National Guard Military Engagement Team members journeyed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a two-week language immersion program at Institute for Second Language Acquisition, Inc.,... MORE

Anna Holt, Spanish instructor at the Institute for Second Language Acquisition, Inc., teaches sentence structure as Military Engagement Team members learn and take notes, Sept. 17. The Military Engagement Team, consisting of 10 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers spent two weeks in San Juan, Puerto Rico learning the language and about Spanish culture.

Multi-force Operation Deep Freeze underway in Antarctica
October 3, 2012 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - The U.S. military recently kicked off the 2012-2013 season of Operation Deep Freeze, the Department of Defense's support of the U.S. Antarctic Program and the... MORE

An LC-130 Hercules waits on the ice at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Nov. 21, 2011, after returning from a scheduled Operation Deep Freeze re-supply mission to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Operation Deep Freeze provides airlift support to the National Science Foundation, which manages the United States Antarctic Program.

Mobile devices would enable more nimble operations, official says
October 3, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Mobile devices are becoming the way we communicate, and the Defense Department views that change as an opportunity, the department’s deputy chief information officer for command, control,... MORE

Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert E. Wheeler said National Cyber Security Awareness Month is a good time to consider what is involved in adopting mobile communications.

Family Matters Blog: Panel addresses exceptional issues
October 2, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Recently I had the opportunity to serve on a Defense Department advisory panel dealing with special needs issues across the military. The panel's meeting last month in Alexandria, Va.,... MORE

The Exceptional Family Member Program affects many military families, with enrollment expected to reach nearly 94,000.

New York Soldiers guide Afghan National Police to the future
October 2, 2012 — ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KUWAIT - Sometime last April, New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Russell Clark, other U.S. Soldiers, and members of the Dand District Afghan National Police found their first... MORE

Lt. Col. Russell Clark with his interpreter in an opium poppy field as Afghan National Police (ANP) use sticks to hack off the plants' seed pods before they can be used to make heroin.

West Virginia Air Guard crew honored for saving plane after bird strike
October 2, 2012 — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Quick thinking and exemplary teamwork allowed an aircrew from the 167th Airlift Wing to land safely after their Air Force C-5 Galaxy aircraft sustained severe damage to its... MORE

Crew members who received the 2013 Earl T. Ricks award pose in front of a C-5 Galaxy April 19, 2013. During an overseas mission the aircraft struck multiple birds during takeoff. Two engines were damaged but the crew managed to return the aircraft safely to the airfield.

Kentucky Airman serves in Afghanistan for new friends and old
October 1, 2012 — FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan - Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathon Stribling didn't originally travel to southern Afghanistan as part of the Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathon Stribling, second from left, with the Airmen of the Kentucky National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team 4 in southern Afghanistan on March 6, 2012. Also pictured are Staff Sgt. Austin McDonald, Tech. Sgt. Bucky Harris, Staff Sgt. Jeff Ward and Staff Sgt. Raphael Williams.

Guard observes National Hispanic Heritage Month
October 1, 2012 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Amid a busy morning at Arlington Hall Station, the Army National Guard Bureau paused Sept. 27 to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.Commemorations in all states and... MORE

National Hispanic Heritage Month is being observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 this year.

Beat flu season with balanced diet, exercise and the flu shot
September 28, 2012 — ARLINGTON, Va. - As fall and winter approach, so does cold and flu season. However, there are a number of ways that service members can ensure they stay healthy throughout the season.It starts with... MORE

Army Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau, receives a flu vaccination at the Pentagon from Army Maj. Laurie Fontaine, a physicians assistant and medical standards officer with the Army National Guard Office of the Surgeon General, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012. The flu vaccine --which is mandatory for servicemembers to receive -- is one way servicemembers can remain healthy during the coming flu and cold season.

Family Matters Blog: Families can support suicide stand down
September 27, 2012 — WASHINGTON - As the Army conducts its worldwide stand down for suicide prevention today, there is something family members military wide can do, too, and it only takes a minute. Get out your smart... MORE

Conley takes reins as 10th command sergeant major of the Army National Guard
September 27, 2012 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The Army National Guard welcomed a new Soldier into the top enlisted position within the Army Guard.Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk W. Conley took over responsibilities as the 10th command... MORE

Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk Conley, the 10th command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, accepts the noncommissioned officers sword from Army Lt. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., director of the Army National Guard, symbolically taking on the responsibilities of his new position in a ceremony at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., Sept. 26, 2012.

Dempsey: Leadership, trust essential to battling suicide
September 26, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Military leaders have changed the way they approach suicide prevention, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a recent interview with American Forces Press Service.Driven... MORE

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey speaks during a Memorial Day ceremony May 28, 2012.

Romanian defense chief visits Alabama National Guard
September 26, 2012 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. - For the first time in the nearly 20-year partnership between the Alabama National Guard and Romania, that nation's defense chief paid a visit to Alabama.Lt. Gen. Stefan Danila... MORE

Lt. Gen. Stefan Danila, Romania’s chief of defense, tours the 187th Fighter Wing to learn more about the unit’s organization and missions, Sept. 20, 2012.

More airports offer streamlined security screening
September 26, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Active duty service members and other eligible travelers now have more opportunity to take advantage of streamlined security check-in, as Transportation Security Administration officials... MORE

Two more airports are joining a TSA program to speed pre-flight screening for active-duty service members.

Guard Leaders Welcome Ukraine Family Support Organizers

SEA Whitehead Honors Families of the Fallen

Virginia, West Virginia Guardsmen are Regional Best Warriors

New York Army National Guard MPs Aid Car Crash Victims

Connecticut Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Fitness