Guard News - The National Guard

Three generations show commitment to service in W. Va.
November 30, 2018 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. - When people speak of the 130th Airlift Wing, a small Air National Guard unit in Charleston, West Virginia, one common theme comes up. Family. Now, it usually isn't literal, it is... MORE

Lt. Col. Andrew Farmer, 130th Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander, stands with his daughters Halle Farmer, Staff Sgt. Alexis Farmer and Senior Airman Carly Farmer in front of a C-130H Nov. 3, 2018, at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va.

Alabama Guard member helps save girl in mall shooting
November 30, 2018 — MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Pfc. Rashad Billingsly was shopping Black Friday at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, Alabama, when he heard two distinct gunshots over the sound of the crowd. A few seconds... MORE

Pfc. Rashad Billingsley of the 2025th Transportation Company in Jacksonville, Ala., used his combat life-saving training to help save a 12-year-old girl who was shot at the Riverchase Galleria mall Nov. 23, 2018.

Idaho Army Guard Soldier coaches school to football title
November 30, 2018 — SUGAR CITY, Idaho - When Sugar-Salem High School won its first football state title Nov. 17, the win solidified five years's worth of work Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tyler Richins put into... MORE

Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tyler Richins poses for a photo with his father, Dwight Richins, after coaching Sugar-Salem High School to the Idaho 3A state football championship Nov. 17, 2018. The father-son team previously served in the Idaho Army National Guard together, where Dwight Richins retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2012, and won the 1999 3A state title as a coach/quarterback duo for Teton High School.

Texas Guard Soldier donates life-saving stem cells
November 29, 2018 — EL PASO, Texas - In the parking lot of the National Guard armory, a Soldier carefully unfolds a letter safeguarded in his glove compartment for five months. Sitting on the edge of his passenger seat,... MORE

Nearly five years ago, Spc. Akeem Martin, of Houston, Texas, signed up with Be The Match, an international organization that matches recipients with donors of stem cell and bone marrow. Since answering the call and donating the life-saving cells, Martin has carried the thank you note from his recipient, LaShonda Goines, Houston. His donated stem cells enabled LaShonda to go from a double cancer diagnosis to being cancer free in seven months. Spc. Martin is a firefighter as his civilian profession and a chaplain’s assistant for the Texas Army National Guard.

Alaska Air Guardsmen rescue plane crash survivors
November 29, 2018 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued a pilot and a passenger of a Cessna 172 that crashed Nov. 27 on... MORE

Airmen of the 176th Wing launch a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk Nov. 27, 2018, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The HH-60 pictured here was recalled when pararescuemen of the 212th Rescue Squadron earlier deployed with another HH-60 crew and rescued a pilot and a passenger of a Cessna 172 that crashed on Montague Island.

National Guard service strengthens West Virginia family
November 29, 2018 — WILLIAMSTOWN, W. Va. - The goodbyes for now. The long, mournful last hugs and kisses before watching your husband or wife, son or daughter, mom or dad leave for deployment, training or other call to... MORE

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeffrey Lohr, a C-12 master aviator and certified flight instructor assigned to Detachment 28 Operational Support Airlift Command, West Virginia Air National Guard in Williamstown, W.Va., poses with his wife Vicki Lynn and son Sgt. Nicholas Lohr, a crew chief with Company C, 1/150th Assault Battalion in Wheeling, W.Va., at the conclusion of his promotion ceremony held Nov. 16, 2018, at the West Virginia National Guard Armory in Williamstown, W.Va.

S.D. Guard Soldier upholds heritage, tradition and service
November 28, 2018 — RAPID CITY, S.D. - For one South Dakota Army National Guard Soldier, service to her state and country is just one reason she decided to join the military. Spc. Tatiana Lafferty, a carpentry masonry... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Tatiana Lafferty, a carpentry masonry specialist with the 155th Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, sits with her dental equipment at Indian Health Services, Nov. 1, 2018, in Rapid City, S.D. Lafferty works full-time as a dental technician with IHS, while also attending to her duties as a single mother, full-time student and an Army National Guard Soldier.

Washington Youth Academy Celebrates 10 years
November 28, 2018 — BREMERTON, Wash. - The Washington Youth Academy celebrated its 10-year anniversary Nov. 18 with a ceremony in Bremerton, Washington. Former and current academy cadets came together to reflect on the... MORE

Washington Youth Academy 1st Lt. Darrell Stoops talks with former graduates of the WYA during the academies 10-year anniversary ceremony Nov. 18, 2018, in Bremerton, Wash. The ceremony brought together former and current graduates as a way to reconnect with past graduates, as well as show the current class the success the program can lead to.

Hawaii life saver takes ‘fast track’ in career progression
November 28, 2018 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Life-threatening scenarios seem to occur at the most random of times and places; and when they do, it's usually not a pretty scene. While most people go about... MORE

Senior Airman Casey Whitworth, a full-time lifeguard and triage response team member of the Hawaii Air National Guard, was posted near this spot at Marine Corpse Base Hawaii when he was called to help rescue the victims of a commercial helicopter crash on Oct. 22, 2018. The rescue effort was successful because of the teamwork of his teammates, local firefighters and a few good Samaritans. Whitworth is a member of the 154th Medical Group’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP), a unit that responds to emergencies on a regular basis. Whitworth attributes some of his preparedness to his training in the HIANG. This photo was taken on Nov. 22, 2018.

Citizen-Soldier helps contain California’s deadliest fire
November 27, 2018 — MATHER, Calif. – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Vincent Sherrill left his desk job Nov. 10 and headed for the airfield. He swapped his business suit for a flight suit and took one of the Army's newest helicopters... MORE

A U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter co-piloted by 1st Lt. Vincent Sherrill of the California Army National Guard's 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, flies through the Feather River Canyon with a bucket of water, Nov. 16, 2018, in Butte County, California, during a mission to drop water on the deadly Camp Fire.

Pa. National Guard father and son become co-pilots
November 27, 2018 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Serving alongside their child in the Army is a thought many Soldiers find inconceivable. For Col. Howard Lloyd, commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th... MORE

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ian Lloyd, left, and Col. Howard Lloyd, both with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, pose in front of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Muir Army Airfield, October 9, 2018.

Kansas Army Guard Soldiers aid motorists trapped by snow
November 26, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — In response to a fierce winter storm Sunday, Kansas Army National Guard Soldiers mobilized Stranded Motorists Assistance Response Teams in nine locations. The SMART teams, which... MORE

Kansas Army National Guard Soldiers from Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery, helped out stranded motorists in Marshall County along Highway 36 on Nov. 25, 2018. The Kansas Army National Guard had nine Stranded Motorists Assistance Response Teams stationed across Kansas to assist local law enforcement during a snow storm that struck earlier that day.

Lengyel: Every service member has role in building readiness
November 26, 2018 — ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — The men and women of Det. 2, 385th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, found new perspective on their contribution to national security here recently. Unit... MORE

Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief, National Guard Bureau, talks with Nebraska National Guard members, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar, Afghanistan, Nov. 23, 2018.

Mich. Guard Soldiers help Latvia celebrate 100th anniversary
November 23, 2018 — RIGA, Latvia – On a crisp autumn afternoon, rays of sunlight pierced the overcast, hitting shades of red, white, and blue with stunning vibrancy as they passed the reviewing stand. The scene was the... MORE

Army and Air Michigan National Guard members, along with other services, represent the United States of America at the Latvian Centennial Parade in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 18, 2018. Michigan was invited to carry the American colors because of the unique relationship between the armed forces of Latvia and the Michigan National Guard resulting from their 25-year State Partnership.

Retired Ky. Guard Airman honors vets with homemade wreaths
November 23, 2018 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Christmas season can be a joyous time of family and community, but it's also tinged with sadness for many whose loved ones have passed away. One retired Kentucky Air Guard member... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Lee East, a retired member of the Kentucky Air National Guard, prepares a workspace to make Christmas wreaths with the help of her granddaughter in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 16, 2018. East operates a project to place wreaths on the graves of deceased unit members. The project needs volunteers to help this season, starting the week after Thanksgiving.

Information and cyber ops modeled by Md. Army Guard unit
November 23, 2018 — ANNAPOLIS, Md. – As the unit celebrates its upcoming 10th anniversary, the 110th Information Operations Battalion showcased its unique capabilities commonly integrated into today's operational... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. John Rodriguez, an experienced IO officer, touches on the unification of information-related capabilities in a multi-domain battlefield environment demonstrated in an exercise known as Cyber Blitz 2018.

Lengyel shares Thanksgiving breakfast with deployed troops
November 23, 2018 — CAMP BUERHING, Kuwait – Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, the senior enlisted advisor to Lengyel,... MORE

Air Force National Guard Gen. Joseph Lengyel, right, chief of the National Guard Bureau, awards U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Karmen Walling, human resources sergeant assigned to Headquarters and Support Company, 935th Aviation Support Battalion, from Springfield, Missouri, a coin at the 35th Combat Aviation Brigade’s Administrative and Logistical Operations Center at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Nov. 22, 2018.

Calif. Guard MPs help Paradise pets, volunteers in shelter
November 21, 2018 — CHICO, Calif. - A couple with a cat carrier presses themselves against a hallway wall at the Chico Municipal Airport trying to stay out of the way of busy volunteers. They smile anxiously at each... MORE

Spc. Mark Maynard, a military police officer with the 870th Military Police Company, and Norm Rosene, public information officer for the North Valley Animal Rescue Group, direct a volunteer moving donations at the municipal airport in Chico, California, Nov. 18, 2018. In response to the Camp Fire, the airport has been converted to a temporary animal shelter, caring for displaced animals and providing donations to pet owners in need.

Md. Army Guard member reflects on support his unit gave him
November 20, 2018 — ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On the day Sgt. 1st Class Quintin C. Steele was promoted to his current rank, he took time to speak on the overwhelming support his unit provided him at a time when it was needed... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Quintin C. Steele, intelligence specialist, stands with Sgt. Maj. Perlisa D. Wilson, senior enlisted leader, and Lt. Col. Stephen P. Gerber, a senior intelligence officer, during a promotion ceremony at the 110th Information Operations Battalion Nov 18, 0218, in Annapolis, Md. Steele's promotion speech sparked an emotional expression of gratitude to his unit for the support he received as his family lived through the devastation of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla.

Tenn. National Guard joins in historic Anakonda-18 exercise
November 20, 2018 — BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland – On Nov. 9, NATO's joint training exercise Anakonda-18 (AN-18) kicked off with an opening ceremony, making it the seventh iteration of this key training event. The 10-day... MORE

U.S. Army M109 Paladin artillery crew-members race into their gun after pulling the initial round from a 50-ft. lanyard during NATO joint training exercise, Anakonda-18 (AN-18), at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, Nov. 14. AN-18 is a 10-day log training exercise designed to strengthen the interoperability between participating nations by developing strategies in defensive operations and execution to better prepare against any form of threat against NATO allies.

Air National Guard Chaplains Convene for Annual Symposium

Wisconsin National Guard Airmen hone combat lifesaving skills

Oklahoma Guardsmen Face New Adversary in Best Warrior Competition

New Hampshire Airman Saves Man’s Life at Gym

Indiana National Guardsmen, Marines Train to Save Lives