Guard News - The National Guard

Airmen learn leadership lessons at Gettysburg battlefield
July 31, 2019 — GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Twenty-four 109th Airlift Wing Airmen took part in the wing’s annual professional development course at the Army’s Carlisle Barracks and the historic Gettysburg National Military... MORE

Members of the 109th Airlift Wing attend a Professional Development Course in Gettysburg,Pennsylvania, from July 8-11, 2019.

Coalition firefighters form relationships at Northern Strike
July 31, 2019 — ALPENA, Mich. – Sirens blare in the night as a first responder vehicle speeds toward the hot orange glow. In this live-fire training exercise, firefighters step from the truck with helmets, Nomex... MORE

Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard and Estonian, Latvian and Bulgarian air forces battle a controlled burn aircraft fire at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., July 22, 2019. JP-8, a fuel used in U.S. military aircraft, burns at between 800 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard and Estonian, Latvian and Bulgarian air forces battle a controlled burn aircraft fire at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., July 22, 2019. JP-8, a fuel used in U.S. military aircraft, burns at between 800 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

IANG physician devotes career to serving Soldiers, veterans
July 30, 2019 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. – At the end of a weathered gravel road stands a squadron aid station. Inside the tent covered in camo netting, field medics in body armor and combat helmets sit among neatly... MORE

Maj. Andrea Hickman, of Des Moines, Iowa, a family medicine physician, and Pfc. Madison Huggins, of Sioux City, Iowa, a combat medic specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Battalion, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard (IANG), check a simulated casualty for hemorrhaging in their initial trauma treatment during a 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) rotation at Camp Ripley, Minn., on July 23, 2019.

Army Guard program builds leader experience
July 30, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Army National Guard Soldiers looking for additional professional development opportunities may be eligible for the Army Guard’s High Performing Leader Program, which provides hands-on... MORE

Army Capt. Melody Howell, a logistics integrator with the South Dakota Army National Guard’s 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, speaks about her experience with the Army National Guard’s High Performing Leader Program while at the Herbert R. Temple Jr. Army National Guard Readiness Center, in Arlington, Virginia, July 10, 2019. As part of the HPLP, Howell was assigned to Army Sustainment Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, where she gained experience in coordinating strategic-level logistics operations for the Army Guard.

U.S. and Indonesian forces hunt for cybersecurity threats
July 29, 2019 — JAKARTA, Indonesia— U.S. and Indonesia service members from the Army, Air Force, and Navy finished the third annual Information System and Technology Exchange (ISTX) in a closing ceremony on July 26... MORE

Hawaii Air National Guard Lt. Col. Frances T. Shen, Senior State Partnership Program Cyber Lead, and Tentara Nasional Indonesia Army Col. Achmad Budi Handoyo, Senior Staff Officer for Joint Exercise Operations Staff TNI HQ, have a discussion prior to opening remarks of the 2019 Information System and Technology Exchange, July 22, 2019, Jakarta, Indonesia. This year’s third annual ISTX falls under the Hawaii National Guard’s State Partnership Program, and aims to share best practices, assist in cybersecurity doctrine development, and enhance the cybersecurity capabilities to effectively defend and protect critical cyber information infrastructure from malicious virus and cyber intrusion.

Pennsylvania Army Guard builds on partnership with Lithuania
July 29, 2019 — HARRISBURG, Pa. – The State Partnership Program relationship between the Lithuanian army and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard continued to evolve and strengthen through a staff exchange held July... MORE

Col. Andrew Inch, 28th Infantry Division chief of staff, talks to Lithuanian Land Forces Army Col. Zilvinas Gaubys, LLF chief of staff, during a tour of monuments at Fort Indiantown Gap July 26, 2019.

C-130 aircrew performs combat airdrops at Northern Strike 19
July 29, 2019 — ALPENA, Mich. – The rear door of a C-130H Hercules opens in mid-flight, exposing the lush landscape of northern Michigan just a few hundred feet below. Tethered inside the aircraft, Tech. Sgt. Trent... MORE

A C-130H Hercules crew assigned to the 182d Airlift Wing, Peoria Air National Guard Base, Illinois, flies over Rogers City, Michigan, July 25, 2019, on an integrated air drop training mission during exercise Northern Strike 19.

91st Cyber Brigade completes rollout of ShadowNet
July 26, 2019 — FAIRFAX, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Bowling Green-based 91st Cyber Brigade completed the nationwide rollout of its ShadowNet enterprise solution July 19, 2019, with the integration of the... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fairfax-based 123rd Cyber Protection Battalion, 91st Cyber Brigade provide digital forensics support to identify indicators of compromise and the source of intrusion to help protect a customer network in a virtualized training environment April 16, 2019, at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, during Cyber Shield 19.

Alaska Guard members in Master Fitness Trainer Course
July 26, 2019 — JOINT BASE RICHARDSON-ELMENDORF, Alaska – Twenty Alaska Army National Guard and active-duty U.S. Army Soldiers are participating in the Master Fitness Trainer Course that was offered here by... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Estabrook, left, 2nd Brigade, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, and Alaska Army National Guard 2nd Lt. Innocent Bennett, 297th Infantry Battalion, practice physical fitness training at Buckner Fitness Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as part of the Master Fitness Trainer Course July 24, 2019. The MFTC trains selected Soldiers in all aspects of the Army's Physical Readiness Training system. Once qualified, the trainers advise Soldiers on physical readiness issues and monitor unit and individual physical readiness programs.

Educators take flight to learn about Wash. National Guard
July 26, 2019 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Given the amount of time educators spend with young adults, they often serve as the best recruiters for the Washington National Guard. That’s why it’s critical they... MORE

Melissa Boudreau, right, Career and Technical Education director and Denise Prescott, administrative assistant from Kelso High School pose with a Black Hawk helicopter at Grays Army Airfield, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on June 24, 2019. The ride was part of an educator lift conducted by the Washington Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. The purpose of the event is to educate attendees on the Washington National Guard’s benefits and programs.

U.S. and Botswana forces complete final training exercise
July 25, 2019 — GABORONE, Botswana – More than 170 Soldiers and Airmen with National Guard units from North Carolina, Alabama, and New Jersey traveled to Botswana to partner with approximately 300 Botswana Defense... MORE

Firefighters with the Botswana Defense Force and the North Carolina National Guard work together to put out a fire and rescue victims from an airplane during a training exercise at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 17, 2019. The exercise was part of a two-day culminating event after more than 170 Army and Air Guard members.

Alaska National Guard rescues 26 people and 2 dogs from fire
July 25, 2019 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Members of the Alaska National Guard assisted in the evacuation of Rainy Pass Lodge overnight as a wildfire from a lightning strike two miles away spread... MORE

Twenty-six people and two dogs were evacuated overnight from an Alaskan hunting and recreation lodge after a rapid-spreading wildfire threatened the area, approximately 125 air miles from Anchorage, July 23, 2019. An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th Rescue Squadron and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, evacuated the individuals and transported them to safety at JBER. This was the first rescue mission accomplished by the Chinooks since they joined the 1-207th last December.

N.Y. National Guard Soldiers fly small spy plane at Fort Drum
July 24, 2019 — FORT DRUM, N.Y. – Fifteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team tested their ability to fly the Army's smallest spy plane by conducting re-certification... MORE

Cpl. Matthew Mena, field artillery tactical data system specialist assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery Regiment, launches a RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft system during the unit's annual training at Fort Drum, N.Y., July 21, 2019. During the training, Soldiers across the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were able to log flight time on the Raven to keep their operator certifications current.

Ky. Air Guard is home to DoD's only search-and-rescue dog
July 24, 2019 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In 2010, Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard deployed to Port-au-Prince, the capital and most populous city of Haiti, in response to a magnitude 7 earthquake that impacted... MORE

Callie, a search and rescue K-9 for the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, participates in Patriot North, an annual domestic operations exercise designed to provide natural disaster response training at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 17, 2019.

Pa. Guard participates in Delaware domestic disaster drill
July 24, 2019 — NEW CASTLE, Del. – Forty Soldiers and Airmen assigned to various units in the Pennsylvania National Guard participated this month in the Delaware National Guard's Operation Highball, a domestic... MORE

Forty service members assigned to various units in the Pennsylvania National Guard participated in the Delaware National Guard's Operation Highball, a domestic disaster preparedness drill in New Castle, Delaware July 11, 2019. The Soldiers and Airmen assisted with the coordinated response to the event, a train wreck caused by a cyber-attack.

Night takeoffs during PATRIOT North 19 simulate disaster
July 23, 2019 — VOLK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Wis. – It’s pitch black. The sun has set and the lights are out on the flight line July 17 at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. Only a few dim lights... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard members from the 136th Airlift Wing Contingency Response Flight load equipment to a C-130 Hercules July 18, 2019, at Volk Field Air National Guard Base in Camp Douglas, Wis. The training took place in low-light conditions to allow familiarization and safety training using night vision equipment.

MQ-9 flight in Michigan sets stage for Northern Strike 19
July 23, 2019 — ALPENA, Mich. – "This is like the Wright Brothers all over again!" Shouts of celebration rang out July 18 along the flight line at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, as an MQ-9... MORE

An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 214th Attack Group, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., prepares for flight at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Mich., July 18, 2019. The MQ-9's historic first launch into Michigan's national airspace comes just ahead of its participation in exercise Northern Strike 19, the DoD's largest annual joint, reserve component readiness event.

Cal Guard rescues missing hiker in Alpine County
July 23, 2019 — SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 33-year old man was safe Monday afternoon after a California National Guard aircrew rescued him in Alpine County. The man was reported missing after he failed to meet up with... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Greg Proell, a flight paramedic with the California Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility #3 in Mather, California, talks with a hiker after a hoist rescue in Alpine County, Monday morning, July 22, 2019.

Wisconsin Army Guard Soldiers assist after severe storms
July 23, 2019 — MADISON, Wis. – More than 20 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers reported for state active duty Monday to assist civil authorities in Langlade County after severe storms resulted in damage to local... MORE

More than 20 Soldiers with the Wisconsin Army National Guard are on state active duty, assisting civilian authorities following flooding. Some of the Guard members are providing water for residents to flush their septic systems.

Counterdrug analyst finds purpose through tragedy
July 22, 2019 — CINCINNATI, Ohio – She's working through a loved one's loss — it's arduous and never stops. She pushes the pain aside, like rolling a boulder nearer the top of a hill only for it to roll back down... MORE

Ohio Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Chelsea Lovelace, an analyst for the Ohio National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force, stands for a photo at the Cincinnati Police Department’s Narcotics Division. Lovelace lost her father to a morphine pill overdose and now works to get drugs off the streets of greater Cincinnati.

168th Wing Enables Fighter Support over Pacific for Agile Reaper

Pennsylvania National Guard Members Deploy to Africa

Wisconsin Air Guard Trains with Papua New Guinea Partners

Louisiana National Guard Engineers Prepare for Deployment

Army Guard Elevates Disaster Response with UAS Training