Guard News - The National Guard

Master Sgt. Linda Schwartzlow is Air National Guard's First Sergeant of the Year
August 4, 2014 — (This week, we'll post a feature each day on the 2014 Outstanding Airman of the Year winners who will be honored during the Air National Guard's Focus on the Force Week, Aug. 4-7)JOINT BASE ANDREWS,... MORE

The Air National Guard’s 2014 Outstanding First Sergeant of the Year, Master Sgt. Linda Schwartzlow, from the 128th Air Control Squadron, Wisconsin Air National Guard. Schwartzlow deployed as the first sergeant to the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, where she counseled, mentored and ensured high morale of 3,500 Airmen deployed there.

Ohio National Guard members distribute water and food as Toledo area copes with 'do not drink' advisory
August 4, 2014 — COLUMBUS, Ohio — In response to a state of emergency declared in Lucas County and the greater Toledo area, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has ordered a contingent of the Ohio National Guard to state active... MORE

Maj. Gen. Deborah A. Ashenhurst, adjutant general of the Ohio National Guard, visits with emergency personnel Aug. 3, 2014, in Toledo, which is experiencing a clean-water emergency. Pictured in center is Sima Merick, assistant director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

Indiana National Guard member leads wood shop in Afghanistan
August 1, 2014 — KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The road to becoming a leader could be considered a long one. While some Soldiers march along, others charge up the road.Army Spc. Keith Harris of the Indiana National... MORE

Army Spc. David Beachey from Highland, Ind., who serves with the 1413th Engineer Company, Indiana National Guard, examines his work in the woodshop at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, July 26, 2014. Beachey, the primary sign maker, works for Army Spc. Keith Harris, the shop’s leader.

Gen. Grass, education secretary advise creating better higher-learning standards
August 1, 2014 — WASHINGTON – Creating better education standards is key to preparing military children for college and future careers, the U.S. government’s top education official and the National Guard Bureau’s... MORE

Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, was among the speakers July 30, 2014, at a military education seminar in Washington, D.C.

Japanese researchers comb records in New York State Military Museum for clues on missing U.S. Soldiers from World War II battle
August 1, 2014 — SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A team of Japanese researchers hopes records sitting in the New York State Military Museum here will provide a clue to finding the remains of American Soldiers 7,600 miles... MORE

Japanese researcher Yukari Akatsuka, the secretary general of Kuentai-USA, a non-governmental group which specializes in locating and retrieving the remains of World War II dead, fires up her computer as New York State Military Museum Librarian Jim Gandy prepares records for her to scan on July 29, 2014. The group, which focuses on finding the remains of Japanese soldiers killed during World War II, is planning to conduct a dig where they think missing American Soldiers, who fought with the New York National Guard's 105th Infantry Regiment during World War II, may be buried. Akatsuka and a colleague visited the museum to go through data in hopes of refining the search area.

Senior Airman Heather Ransom volunteers above and beyond the call for Honor Flight Project vets
July 31, 2014 — SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – She began volunteering for the Honor Flight Project in 2012 when she was at technical training and since then, has participated in 21 Honor Flights. Senior Airman Heather... MORE

Members from the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Air Refueling Wing stand at Lambert International Airport, St. Louis, July 8, 2014, after greeting veterans during the Greater St. Louis Area Honor Flight.

Guard members from Arizona, Louisiana earn coveted Expert Infantry Badge
July 31, 2014 — CAMP NAVAJO, Ariz. – In the high altitude of northern Arizona, five Guard members from 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, and one from Louisiana earned the prestigious Expert Infantry Badge out... MORE

Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers joke with each other while waiting to be tested at the next Expert Infantry Badge station at Camp Navajo, Ariz., July 23, 2014.

North Carolina Guard members become leaders in motorcycle safety training
July 31, 2014 — RALEIGH, N.C. - Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thomas Anspach, North Carolina National Guard's assistant state training officer, is the first North Carolina Guard memberto graduate from the state Highway... MORE

Students, including Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thomas Anspach, North Carolina National Guard assistant state training officer, ride during the Highway Patrol's Bike Safe assessor's course on July 18, 2014, in Raleigh N.C. Ansbach is the first National Guardsman to graduate from this course.

Air National Guard's Outstanding Senior NCO of the Year: Master Sgt. Joseph Ashwood
July 31, 2014 — (This week, we'll be posting one feature each day on the 2014 Outstanding Airman of the Year winners who will be honored next week during the Air National Guard's Focus on the Force Week)JOINT BASE... MORE

Air National Guard Outstanding Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, Master Sgt. Joseph G. Ashwood, a remotely piloted aircraft sensor operator assigned to the 111th Reconnaissance Squadron at Ellington Joint Reserve Base, Houston, Texas. Ashwood has been instrumental in developing Airman training for the 111th, enhancing thier combat effectiveness by 30 percent.

South Dakota Guard partners with Danish Home Guard to add international perspective to officer training
July 30, 2014 — FORT MEADE, S.D. – National Guard Soldiers enrolled in the Officer Candidate School at Fort Meade this summer were trained in areas such as leadership skills and small unit tactics, skill sets they... MORE

Danish Home Guard 1st Lt. Jannick B. Reumann instructs a U.S. Army National Guard officer candidate on land navigation, July 16, 2014, at Fort Meade, S.D. Reumann, along with 14 other Danish Home Guard instructors, completed U.S. Army Basic Instructor Course training, July 1-4, in Denmark through a DoD Officers Foreign Exchange Program, in cooperation with the South Dakota Army National Guard. Danish Home Guard instructors were then selected to come to South Dakota to serve as Officer Candidate School instructors, July 13-26.

Senior Airman Christian Goldsmith is Air National Guard's Airman of Year
July 30, 2014 — (This week, we'll be posting one feature each day on the 2014 Outstanding Airman of the Year winners who will be honored next week during the Air National Guard's Focus on the Force Week)JOINT BASE... MORE

The Air National Guard's Outstanding Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Christian Goldsmith, a geospatial intelligence analyst from the 150th Special Operations Wing, New Mexico Air National Guard. Goldsmith's work ethic and dedication to process improvement has dramatically reduced production time in his squadron, raising its production by 25 percent.

Alaska Air Guard rescuers transport woman in labor with twins
July 30, 2014 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons assisted Monday with the transportation of a pregnant woman in labor from... MORE

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopter from the 210th Rescue Squadron flies over Cook Inlet April 30, 2013. Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons assisted July 28, 2014, with the transportation of a pregnant woman in labor from Nulato, Alaska.

Missouri Guard course focuses on creating well-rounded, physically fit Soldiers
July 29, 2014 — FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - Following the active Army component, the Missouri National Guard is pushing its Soldiers to be more all-around physically fit as opposed to simply being able to pass the Army... MORE

South Dakota Guard members aid Afghanistan drawdown
July 29, 2014 — KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - As the convoy exited the military base after dark, the mood in the gun truck was jovial, like a group of old friends starting out on a road trip. After spending nearly... MORE

A Soldier with the 1742nd Transportation Company, South Dakota National Guard, bore sights his vehicle's weapon system while preparing for a convoy July 22, 2014, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 1742nd regularly escorts contracted semitrailers on convoys throughout southern Afghanistan as Regional Command-South closes outlying bases and draws down their forces.

Tech. Sgt. Douglas Matthews is Air Guard's Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year
July 29, 2014 — (This week, we'll be posting one feature each day on the 2014 Outstanding Airman of the Year winners who will be honored next week during the Air National Guard's Focus on the Force Week)JOINT BASE... MORE

The Air National Guard's Outstanding Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, Technical Sgt. Douglas Matthews, a combat controller assigned to the 125th Special tactics Squadron, Oregon Air National Guard. Matthews was recently awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor and is one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of 2014.

2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients announced
July 28, 2014 — WASHINGTON - Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, announced Monday the 15 recipients of the 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.The... MORE

Fifteen employers will be honored at a September ceremony "for their unwavering commitment to service members and their families," in the words of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

New York National Guard training takes to the skies
July 28, 2014 — FORT DRUM, N.Y. - New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the 642d Aviation Support Battalion conducted integration Annual Training in support of their fellow New York Soldiers from the 2nd... MORE

A New York Army National Guard flight medic from the Rochester, N.Y.-based Company F, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation (Air Ambulance), rises up from the wood line to conduct medical evacuation training with infantry Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard's 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, from Gloversville, N.Y. The two units trained jointly during their New York Army National Guard Annual Training, July 17, 2014.

Relationship-centered security cooperation model comes of age
July 28, 2014 — GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - You can't surge a relationship.That theme was stressed by foreign and United States participants at the U.S. European Command Security Seminar at the George C... MORE

Gen. Ljubisa Dikovic, Serbia's chief of defense, welcomes Army Maj. Gen. Deborah Ashenhurst, adjutant general of the Ohio National Guard, for a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, July 23, 2014. Serbia and Ohio have been partners in the National Guard State Partnership Program since 2006.

Guard Airmen, Soldiers continue western wildfire battle
July 25, 2014 — WASHINGTON - As fires rage in two states in the Pacific Northwest, Defense Department fire-suppression efforts are underway with two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-capable C-130s from U.S... MORE

Utah Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jason Towensend, 2-211 Aviation Battalion, drops water on the Tunnel Hallow fire near Morgan, Utah, July 23, 2014. The two HH-60 Black Hawks assisting with the fire were able to drop more than 29,000 gallons of water on the fire.

Army National Guard activates its first brigade engineer battalion
July 25, 2014 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The California Army National Guard recently stood up the 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion, the first unit of its kind in the Army National Guard and part of a larger Army-wide change... MORE

Army Lt. Col. Zac Delwiche, commander of the California Army National Guard's 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion, receives the unit guidon during the activation ceremony for the unit at Camp Roberts, California, June 14, 2014. The 578th BEB is the first brigade engineer battalion to be activated in the Army National Guard and part of an Army-wide change to provide greater organic engineer support to brigade combat teams.

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