Guard News - The National Guard

Idaho Air National Guard firefighters help douse blaze in Boise
October 11, 2012 — BOISE, Idaho - Interagency training proves valuable.Just ask Staff Sgts. Jeffrey Sawmiller and Damon Williams. The men were already 14 hours into their 24-hour shift at the Gowen Field Fire Department... MORE

Staff Sgts. Damon Williams, left, and Jeffrey Sawmiller, 124th CEF, and the 4,000 gallon water tender responded to the off-base house fire that was caused by a charcoal grill Sept. 23.

Capital Shield Exercise preps D.C. National Guard for Inauguration
October 11, 2012 — WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia National Guard participated in the 2012 Capital Shield Exercise, a training event which emphasizes unity of effort for district and federal agencies operating in... MORE

D.C. National Guard members recently participated in training with other agencies to help protect the nation's capital.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Witham nominated as Deputy Director Air National Guard
October 11, 2012 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Air Force Brig. Gen. James C. "JC" Witham has been named the next Deputy Director of the Air National Guard. Witham had served as the Chief of Staff of the California National Guard... MORE

Brig. Gen. James Witham was photographed in the Pentagon on April 20, 2012.

Monique Muncy honored with second-highest private citizen award
October 11, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Three decades of selfless service to Airmen and their families recently earned Monique L. Muncy the prestigious Chief of Staff of the Air Force Award for Exceptional Public Service at a... MORE

Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, Director of the Air National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C., presents the Chief of Staff of the Air Force award for exceptional public service to Monique Muncy, wife of Chief Master Sgt. Christopher E. Muncy, Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C., during Chief Muncy's retirement luncheon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Muncy retired after thirty-five years of service to his country and held the position of Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air National Guard since May 2009.

Family Matters Blog: DoD teacher finds crossroads in U.S. education
October 9, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Common Core Standards, No Child Left Behind, STEM, differentiated teaching, merit pay. Keeping up with the latest policies, ideas and buzz words in education is enough to make parents' –... MORE

Angela Wilson, the Defense Department Education Activity's Teacher of the Year, accepts an award from Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in the Pentagon, Oct. 2, 2012.

Vote now for your choice of best Army PT uniform
October 9, 2012 — WASHINGTON - Back in February, the Army gave Soldiers a chance to weigh in on the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform. The Army took those Soldier suggestions and developed a possible replacement... MORE

One of the design options for the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform.

Wis. National Guard's Challenge Academy directs troubled teens
October 9, 2012 — FORT McCOY, Wis. - The superintendent of the state Department of Public Instruction got a good look at the life of cadets taking part in a successful remediation program for at-risk teens.Dr. Tony... MORE

Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy Cadet Taelor Davis explains her binder to Dr. Tony Evers, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction superintendent, and Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, during a visit to the Challenge Academy.

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.

Florida Soldiers hit the waves for Key West exercise
October 5, 2012 — KEY WEST, Fla. - In a state with thousands of miles of coastline, rivers and waterways, most Floridians are never far from the water. The same water that provides recreation and nourishes a tourism... MORE

A member of the Florida Army National Guard's Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, exits a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during an airborne training exercise in Key West, Fla., Sept. 27, 2012.

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.

Odierno, Jill Biden announce education milestone for military kids
October 5, 2012 — FAIRFAX, Va. - More than 100 colleges and universities have signed on to a White House initiative to prepare educators for the unique needs of their military-connected students, Jill Biden said... MORE

Jill Biden speaks about being a military mother during a "Joining Forces" campaign event on educating educators at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Oct. 3, 2012.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

District of Columbia National Guard Honors Legacy of Service

Idaho National Guard Gets 1st HH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter

Hundreds of Louisiana Guardsmen Joined Florida Storm Response

Alaska National Guard Joins Flood Response in Kotzebue

New York Air Guard Wing Welcomes New, High-Tech Helicopters