Guard News - The National Guard

Georgia National Guard engineers train half a world away - in Georgia
August 4, 2017 — VAZIANI, Georgia - Less than one year ago, Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of the Swainsboro-based 810th Engineer Company (Sapper) were conducting debris clearance operations in the coastal... MORE

100 years ago: Entire National Guard drafted for World War I
August 3, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. - On this date 100 years ago, August 5, 1917, the entire National Guard was drafted into U.S. Army service for World War I. This represented the culmination of several steps declared by... MORE

Civil War-era cannonballs demolished at National Guard's Fort Indiantown Gap
August 3, 2017 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa.- Civilian authorities called upon the U.S. Army and the Pennsylvania National Guard this month to assist with the demolition here of hundreds of Civil War-era cannonballs... MORE

Old cannonballs destroyed at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA

Wisconsin National Guard completes removal of flood debris
August 3, 2017 — MADISON, Wis. - Roadways in Monroe County affected by flood debris in the wake of heavy flooding last month are clear once again thanks to the efforts of engineers from the Wisconsin Army National... MORE

Guard Soldiers from around country trade old jobs for rocket launchers in Wyoming
August 2, 2017 — CAMP GUERNSEY JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Wyo. – The Wyoming Army National Guard's heritage is steeped in field artillery excellence, and if a Guard member wants to learn how to be a "Red Leg," the Cowboy... MORE

North Carolina Guard's Warfighter Exercise adapts to changing battlefield
August 2, 2017 — FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Inside a large, tan tent in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, National Guard Soldiers are hard at work; calling out information as it comes across computer screens, holding meetings,... MORE

New York's LC-130 Skibird aircrews train for polar operations
August 1, 2017 — KANGERLUSSUAQ, Greenland - Having the world's only ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft, commonly referred to as Skibirds, the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing is able to provide the airlift... MORE

An LC-130 "Skibird" from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing based out of Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York, takes off from a forward airfield known as Raven Camp near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland July 28, 2017. Raven Camp is used to train aircrews on LC-130 operations on skiways.

Citizen-Warrior: Indiana Army Guard member blends firefighting, military into life of service
August 1, 2017 — INDIANAPOLIS — At the Indianapolis Fire Department's Station 15, located in the southeast part of the city, is a man who has dedicated his life to serving his community and country for almost 30... MORE

Tom Farrington, a firefighter with the Indianapolis Fire Department and a member of the Indiana Army National Guard, stands in front of one of the department’s ladder trucks. Farrington said the skills he uses as a firefighter easily translate over to the military side, just as his military skills benefit him as a firefighter.

Clear Air Force Station opens its doors for Alaskan Natives
July 31, 2017 — EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines neighbors as one living or located near another, as in next-door neighbors or friends and neighbors, but does not define the... MORE

Kane Evan and Victor Lord, members of the Nenana Native Council, Nenana, Alaska, talk with Master Sgt. Travis Oaks, quality assurance for the 213th Space Warning Squadron, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska, during a break at the tribal relations meeting at Clear Air Force Station, Alaska, July 12, 2017. Evan and Lord, along with several other members of the Nenana Native Council, were invited to the meeting by Air Force and Air National Guard personnel in order to reestablish relations with the Alaskan Natives.

Arizona, Kazakh State Partnership renewed for five more years
July 31, 2017 — PHOENIX – The Arizona National Guard hosted a delegation of military officer and enlisted personnel from the Kazakh Ministry of Defense during a State Partnership Program-sponsored visit Jul. 19 – 26... MORE

Command Sgt. Major Fidel Zamora, the senior enlisted advisor for the Arizona Army National Guard and Command Sgt. Major Saul Garcia, the command sergeant major for the 98th Aviation Troop Command, hold the Arizona state flag with delegates from Kazakhstan during a visit to exchange aviation maintenance practices and non-commissioned officer development July 25, 2017. The visit came within weeks of the U.S. government’s formal renewal of its partnership with Kazakhstan, extending the 24-year-old legacy of cooperation for five more years.

South Carolina National Guard Soldier builds targets in Romania
July 31, 2017 — CINCU, Romania - For Spc. Alvin Stevens, building targets at a tank range in Romania is a far cry from his previous assignment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. "There's a lot more green, and the shepherds... MORE

Spc. Alvin Stevens pours rock into Gabion baskets from his Skidsteer loader. These Gabion baskets will support moving targetry at a tank range at Joint National Training Center, Cincu, Romania. Spc. Stevens is a South Carolina Army National Guard Soldier with the 1223rd Engineer Company, 178th Engineer Battalion, serving in Romania as part of Resolute Castle 17, an operation which builds relationships with the NATO alliance and enhances its capacity for joint training and response to threats within the region.

National Guard generals dedicate Craig R. McKinley Hall
July 28, 2017 — MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. – Hundreds of people, including the National Guard's senior leadership, past and present, gathered here under the summer sun July 27 to dedicate a lasting... MORE

Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau; retired Gen. Craig R. McKinley, national chair for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for the Secretary of Defense; Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, director of the Air National Guard; and Col. Kerry Lovely, commander of the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center, cut the ribbon to Craig R. McKinley Hall, July 27, 2017, during a dedication ceremony on McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in East Tennessee.

New York Army National Guard Future Leaders Course hones junior Soldiers' skills
July 28, 2017 — CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, N.Y. — Thirty-six New York Army National Guard Soldiers, picked by their commanders as potential leaders, spent two weeks honing their military skills and learning new ones... MORE

N.Y. Army National Guard Soldier, Julio Fernandez, assigned 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, asks a question during a class in the Future Leader Course, on the Camp Smith Training Site, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., July 19, 2017. The course covers all the basic skills Soldiers need to be effective leaders, such as tactical movements, land navigation, marksmanship, and reacting to enemy fire.The training was part of the New York Army National Guard's Future Leaders Course, a pilot program aimed at preparing Soldiers to become NCOs.

Iowa Soldiers train side-by-side with Kosovo colleagues; building rapport and forging memories
July 28, 2017 — JOHNSTON, Iowa - Building on six years of partnership, Soldiers and Airmen of the Iowa National Guard together with members of the Medical Company (Medcoy) of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF)... MORE

Maj. Tonja Winekauf, a nurse practitioner, attends to a patient during a joint training exercise July 24, 2017, at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa. Medics from the Iowa Air and Army National Guard as well as Kosovo and the United Kingdom gathered for the two-week exercise.

Joint exercise bolsters effectiveness for Kentucky infantry, engineer units
July 27, 2017 — CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. — Soldiers with the 1123rd Sapper Company joined forces with the 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry to test how well they could work together during a combined arms exercise at Camp... MORE

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry and 1123rd Engineer Company conduct a combined arms air assault exercise at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 18, 2017.

Nevada's High Rollers deploy for first MAFFS mission
July 27, 2017 — FRESNO, Calif. - More than a year after being named the newest military C-130 unit equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, the 152nd Airlift Wing flew its first firefighting operation... MORE

The 152nd Airlift Wing sent retardant from the Fresno Air Attack Base flightline to fire lines in the Sierra. This "after" photo of the first-ever 152nd Airlift Wing retardant drop with one of its own airplanes on July 22, 2017.

New York National Guard troops train with Australian counterparts in Talisman Sabre 17
July 26, 2017 — SHOALWATER BAY, Queensland, Australia—Eight hundred New York Army National Guard Soldiers became part of an Australian Army Brigade during three weeks of training "down under" during a massive... MORE

Sgt. Anthony Coppola, an assistant team leader assigned to Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment of the New York Army National Guard, stands guard at an observation post at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, Australia, during exercise Talisman Saber, July 14, 2017. He is wearing a mix of Australian and American uniform items because of the unit's role as opposing force. Soldiers from the battalion were in Australia participating in a series of exercises alongside Australian and New Zealand Forces.

Airmen, Soldiers train in Patriot North 2017 Exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis.
July 26, 2017 — FORT McCOY, Wis. - During the second half of July, Fort McCoy's Young Air Assault Strip on South Post and other post training areas were in use for the Patriot North 2017 Exercise — a joint agency... MORE

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Regiment, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade of the Nebraska Army National Guard move cargo with a Chinook helicopter July 21, 2017, during operations during the Patriot North 2017 Exercise at the Young Air Assault Trip at Fort McCoy, Wis. Patriot North is a training exercise designed for civilian emergency management and responders to work with military entities in the same manner that they would during disasters.

Alaska Air National Guard repairs Latvian children’s facility during annual training
July 26, 2017 — RIGA, Latvia - Thirty-six Alaska Air Guard members from the 176th Civil Engineer Squadron and support units are repairing a children's rehabilitation center here for the next two weeks as part of a... MORE

Staff Sgt. Justin Ming, an electrician with the 176th Civil Engineer Squadron, discusses renovation plans with his team in Latvia on July 25, 2017, at a children’s rehabilitation center. Thirty-six Alaska Air Guard members from the 176th CES and support units spent their two-week annual training as part of a humanitarian-civic assistance (HCA) project working alongside Latvian military and contractors to upgrade the aging building.

North Carolina Soldier bridges the language gap in Romania
July 25, 2017 — CINCU, Romania - Exercise Saber Guardian 17 was a U.S. European Command training event that took place in July, in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria and involved more than 25,000 service members from... MORE

Spc. Gizela Lupescu of the North Carolina National Guard served as battalion translator in her native country, Romania.

Puerto Rico Air Guard Tests Flexible Communications in Evaluation

Pennsylvania Guard Medical Unit Gains Vital Experience During Field Exercise

California Air National Guard Hosts Reaper Smoke 2025

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In