Guard News - The National Guard

Michigan National Guard Celebrates 20-year partnership with Latvia
December 31, 2013 — LANSING, Mich. - Dace Mason's family left the Baltic seaside country of Latvia in the late 1940s with hope and a near-certainty that the family would one day return to their homeland. Mason was born... MORE

Michigan National Guard Master Sgt. Santos Feliciano and Latvian National Armed Force 1st Sgt. Martins Kupcs pose with workers from a rubber plantation in Liberia, Jan. 16, 2013. Michigan and Latvia are partners in the Department of State and DoD State Partnership Program and Liberia is Michigan's newest partner.

Texas Counterdrug Task Force cracks down on drug haven
December 31, 2013 — HARLINGEN, Texas - Chants of "Knock it Down, Knock it Down!" reverberated through a small Harlingen neighborhood in mid-December as the Texas Joint Counterdrug Task Force's Operation Crackdown... MORE

TSgt Carl White Jr., 147th Civil Engineers, 147th Fighter Wing, Texas Air National Guard, raises the bucket on the Komarsu excavator to reach out and collapse the front of a dilapadated house in that was identified by local law enforcement as being used for illicit drug activity, Harlingen, Texas, Dec. 16, 2013. Texas Joint Counterdrug Task Force's Operation Crackdown destroys drug havens in partnership with city officials and law enforcement agencies.

Georgia Guard members support largest military exercise in 60 years on the Korean Peninsula
December 30, 2013 — UIJEONGBU, South Korea - The mercury hovers at 12 degrees as snow silently falls through the Korean night. A Georgia National Guard member makes tracks through the six-inch snow, her breath steaming... MORE

Lt. Col. Matt Saxton of Dallas, Ga., Col. Scott Carter of Canton, Ga., and Lt. Col. Reginald Neal of Fort Benning, Ga., return from a coordination meeting with active-duty units who will be supported by the 648th MEB during Warpath III exercise.

New York Guard to render final honors for 10,000 veterans by end of 2013
December 27, 2013 — HUDSON, N.Y. - The New York Military Forces Honor Guard expects to have provided funeral services for just over 10,000 families in 2013 by the time 2014 arrives at midnight Dec. 31.For the New York... MORE

New York Army National Guard Spc. Christopher Roderiguez and Pvt. Shelbi Vanderbogart salute as the remains of Army veteran Harold Smith arrive for graveside services in Hudson, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2013. Smith's funeral was one of 9,735 that the New York Military Forces Honor Guard's 35 full-time and 135 part-time members performed for families across New York, as of Dec. 23.

Task Force Guam donates boots to Afghan security guards
December 27, 2013 — CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan - Task Force Guam let its feet do the talking in its last act of goodwill before departing Afghanistan. Members of 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National... MORE

Members of the Guam Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Staff Sgt. Erico Santos (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Frank J. Limtiaco, donate Task Force Guam's first batch of boots to Patrick McCafferty, a retired Canadian army warrant officer who helps run an Afghan security company. McCafferty, founder of Operation Walking Tall, sought Guam's assistance and the Soldiers responded with more than 120 pairs of boots.

NORAD Tracks Santa Program breaks record
December 27, 2013 — PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command's NORAD Tracks Santa Program exceeded its own records in the number of calls, emails and social media followers this... MORE

Senior Airman Kyle Hesse and Senior Airman Phillip Gentile of the New York Air National Guard take part in Santa tracking training Dec. 19, 2013, at the Eastern Air Defense Sector.

Looking back on 2013, Guard members reflect on the events of the past year
December 26, 2013 — ARLINGTON, Va. - From responding to natural disasters, the Boston Marathon bombing and continued deployments overseas to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kosovo and other locations, 2013 was a busy year for... MORE

Among the National Guard responses in 2013 was the devastating tornado in Moore, Okla., on May 20. Mary Fallin, governor of Oklahoma, leads Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau, through the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., where seven students were killed.

Gen. Frank Grass sends holiday letter to National Guard family
December 24, 2013 — To Our National Guard Family,As 2013 draws to a close, I want to thank all National Guard members across the globe for the outstanding job you've done this year. You are the critical element to... MORE

Gen. Frank J. Grass, Chief, National Guard Bureau

Army National Guard officers receive additional training for War College
December 23, 2013 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Since 2010, Army National Guard officers have attended the Army Guard's Pre-Basic Strategic Art Program course as a preparation to attend the BSAP course at Carlisle Barracks, Pa... MORE

TSA expands Precheck air travel program to U.S. military members
December 20, 2013 — WASHINGTON - The Transportation Security Administration today extends its Precheck expedited screening benefits to all U.S. service members including members of the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a... MORE

Airman 1st Class Wade Helms calls the names of travelers to board a bus that will take them to an awaiting C-5 Galaxy bound for Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, on April 17. The TSA is expanding expedited screening for military members.

New York National Guard, South Africa mark 10 years of State Partnership Program
December 20, 2013 — NEW YORK - The New York National Guard marked 10 years of a National Guard State Partnership Program relationship with the South African National Defense Force during a ceremony at the Lexington... MORE

Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the adjutant general of New York, looks on as Sgt 1st Class Sandra Mood presents a bouquet to Matshipo Phala, the wife of Brig. Gen. Mashoro Phala, the South African defense attaché to the United States, on Dec. 18, 2013.

Satellite anniversary, Lt. Gen. Clarke mark graduations
December 20, 2013 — McGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. - Three good news stories converged at the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center here Dec. 19 like an early holiday gift for its staff and students: a... MORE

Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, director of the Air National Guard, visits with members of the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center Dec. 19, 2013, to gain a better understanding of their missions.

Twins separated as boys now serve together
December 18, 2013 — SOUTHWEST ASIA - By any measure, Air Force Staff Sgt. Billy and Senior Airman Barrington Medeiros of the 143rd Airlift Wing had a tough childhood. Born in California, the identical twins - separated... MORE

Twin brothers Air Force Staff Sgt. William Medeiros, right, and Air Force Senior Airman Barrington prepare a spare engine for a C-130J in Southeast Asia, Dec. 11, 2013. The Rhode Island Air National Guardsmen serve together with the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

8 Nevada Airmen receive long-awaited combat medals
December 18, 2013 — RENO, Nev. - More than a decade after participating in a battle in Afghanistan that included small arms fire, machine gun fire and mortar attacks, eight Nevada Air Guard members received long-awaited... MORE

Master Sgt. Clinton Dudley, right, receives the Air Force Combat Action Medal from Nevada Adjutant General Brig. Gen. William Burks on Dec. 5. (Photo by

131st Bomb Wing pilot surpasses 1,000 flying hours in B-2 Spirit
December 17, 2013 — WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Early last Friday, Maj. Tim became the second 131st Bomb Wing Missouri Air National Guard pilot this year to achieve 1,000 B-2 Spirit flying hours. Crossing the... MORE

Lt. Col. Jared Kennish, 110th Bomb Squadron Commander, presents Maj. Tim Rezac with his 1000 B-2 flying hour patch, Dec 13, 2013. Only 36 pilots have ever reached 1000 B-2 hours, and just thirteen still actively fly the B-2 Stealth Bomber.

Florida's Guard band holds musical exchange on board Chilean ship
December 17, 2013 — MIAMI - The Florida National Guard struck first, sending a piercing volley of brass-edged thunder across the deck of the Chilean ship.After a few minutes the Chilean marines lifted their weapons -... MORE

Soldiers from the Florida Army National Guard's 13th Army Band play with members of the Chilean military band during a subject matter exchange on board the Chilean ship Esmeralda at the Port of Miami, Dec. 4, 2013. Both bands played military music from each other's nations during the day-long exchange.

Missouri Guard members save one person from a burning building, treat victims of a car accident
December 13, 2013 — ST. LOUIS - Missouri National Guard members recently saved the lives of local residents in two separate instances.For Pvt. Matthew Duncan, a cannon crewmember assigned to the Missouri Army National... MORE

Army Pvt. Matthew Duncan, a cannon crewmember assigned to the Missouri Army National Guard's Battery B, 1st Battalion, 129th Field Artillery Regiment, recently helped save the lives of two people injured in a car accident after their car skidded off the road. Duncan came across the wreck during his commute home and rendered aid until paramedics arrived on scene.

Arizona Army Guard member cheats death, returns to duty
December 12, 2013 — PHOENIX - Just before 7 a.m. on a recent Saturday, the door to the Pettycrew Armory here opened and, with some assistance, a young, smiling Soldier seated in a wheelchair entered.Dressed in his Army... MORE

Army Spc. Rashaad Gregory, an air conditioning and refrigeration repairer with the Arizona Army National Guard's 3666th Support Maintenance Company, leaves his room at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Nov. 15, 2013. Injured in a car accident in July, Gregory suffered an internal decapitation, which typically results in death or paralysis, but was able to walk out of the hospital with help from his father and a walker.

National Guard leaders honor outstanding Soldiers, Airmen
December 11, 2013 — WASHINGTON - National Guard senior officers and enlisted leaders gathered here Wednesday morning to listen to the National Guard's Outstanding Soldiers and Airmen of the Year discuss issues ranging... MORE

Six of the National Guard's eight 2013 Outstanding Soldiers and Airmen of the Year kick off the National Guard's 377th birthday celebrations by cutting a cake on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2013. The birthday is on Dec. 13th.

North Carolina Army Guard aviators rescue stranded climber
December 11, 2013 — RALEIGH, N.C. - Soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard assisted members of the North Carolina Emergency Management's Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team with the rescue of a hiker who became... MORE

Soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard land a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at a makeshift landing zone not far from Margarette Falls in Cherokee National Forest while participating in the rescues of a stranded hiker on a 300 foot tall cliff near the falls. The North Carolina Army Guard aircrew worked with members of the North Carolina Emergency Management's Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team in rescuing the hiker, the fifth collaboration between the North Carolina Army Guard and HART since July.

Army Guard Soldiers Train for Kosovo Deployment

Alaska Air Guard’s 168th Wing Sharpens Readiness with CBRN Training

Air National Guard Drone Training Bridges Gap for First Responders

Massachusetts Air Guard’s 102nd Mission Support Group Conducts Readiness Training

New Hampshire Army National Guard Hosts 2025 Cyber Yankee Training Exercise