Guard News - The National Guard

Texas National Guard Soldier gives back to her community
July 27, 2020 — WESLACO, Texas – The National Guard is a volunteer force of Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen who give their one weekend a month and two weeks a year to service.One Texas National Guard Soldier serving... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Maritssa Quintanilla hands markers to a student at Pharr-San Juan- Alamo Early College High School in San Juan, Texas Jan. 31, 2020.

A vacation for some, testing for all
July 24, 2020 — MUNISING, Mich. – For many Americans, summer means vacations and what better place to vacation at than Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This year, however, tourists bring more than just their swimsuits and... MORE

Tourists and residents alike were able to receive no-cost COVID-19 testing from the comfort of their car in Munising, Michigan, on July 18, 2020.

New Jersey National Guard runs courses simultaneously
July 24, 2020 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – With heat rippling through the pine barrens on the Fort Dix range, the low hum of summer cicadas droned in unison with the buzzing of small unmanned RQ-11B... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dana Eustace, a Soldier attending the 254th Regional Training Institute’s RQ-11B Raven course, assembles aircraft parts during their capstone field training exercise on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., July 22, 2020.

NY Airmen mounting critical resupply mission in Greenland
July 24, 2020 — STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – The 109th Airlift Wing will launch a three-week mission to carry critical supplies to Summit Station, the only year-round science station that operates on the... MORE

An LC-130 assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing, based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, N.Y. offloads cargo in Greenland on April 26, 2019.

Northern Strike exercise shifts to real-world response
July 24, 2020 — ALPENA, Mich. – On the afternoon of July 21, a historic icon of Alpena, Michigan, went up in flames.The John A. Lau Saloon and Restaurant, a local institution since the late 1800s, was once a favorite... MORE

Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard’s Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing respond to a request for mutual-aid support at a massive structure fire in downtown Alpena, Michigan, July 21, 2020.

Michigan Guard Band supports communities during COVID-19
July 23, 2020 — BELMONT, Mich. – The 126th Army Band of the Michigan National Guard, commonly called the "Governor's Own," has been entertaining the residents, service members, and veterans of Michigan for decades... MORE

Michigan Soldiers from the 126th Army Band, Michigan Army National Guard assist Feeding American West Michigan Food Bank by distributing food for families in need during a recent mobile food distribution event as part of the Michigan National Guard's coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) response.

NY National Guard combat engineers practice explosive skills
July 23, 2020 — FORT DRUM, New York – Fresh from duty assisting New York in tackling COVID-19, New York Army National Guard combat engineers hit the ranges to practice clearing the battlefield of any other obstacles... MORE

New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 152 Brigade Engineer Battalion conduct demolition training at Fort Drum, NY, Jul. 15.

164th Security Forces Squadron trains at Northern Strike 20
July 22, 2020 — ROGERS CITY, Mich. – Northern Strike’s purpose is to help prepare warfighters from across all service branches by perfecting joint fire proficiency in a premier all-domain training environment. To... MORE

Airman 1st Class Franklin Simon, a 164th Security Forces Squadron defender, Memphis Tennessee Air National Guard, drives an all-terrain vehicle while acting as the opposition forces in a joint exercise with the Army infantry, Air Force tactical air control party, and joint terminal air controllers during Northern Strike 20 at Rogers City, Mich., July 21, 2020.

189th Airlift Wing installs first UV light system
July 22, 2020 — LITTLE ROCK AFB, Ark - Over the last several months, the world changed dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. American families were crushed with the responsibility of the new "normal" wearing... MORE

PJ Piper, FAR UV Technologies prepares for an ultraviolet installment in one of many facilities across the 189th Airlift Wing, July 16, 2020, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The wing is the first in the Department of Defense to utilize this technology in the work environment.

Oregon National Guard members train to battle wildland fires
July 22, 2020 — SALEM, Ore. - Even during a pandemic and protests, the potential for wildfires does not diminish. Always at the ready, approximately 400 Oregon National Guard (ORNG) Citizen-Soldiers and-Airmen... MORE

Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen from the Oregon National Guard stamp out flames during a wildland firefighter training at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem, Ore. July 13-17.

Washington National Guard members support Team Med Surge
July 22, 2020 — LACY, Wash. – With the number of positive COVID-19 cases still rising, hospitals – especially those in smaller, rural areas – run the risk of running out of bed space, reducing a community’s ability... MORE

View of the Team Med Surge Isolation facility that can be set up in rural and smaller towns if medical facilities are overrun with cases.

Alaska Air National Guard rescues four distressed hikers
July 22, 2020 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The Alaska Air National Guard rescued four distressed hikers from Crow Pass Trail, which runs between Girdwood and the Eagle River Nature Center, July 20. The... MORE

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk, from the 210th Rescue Squadron, performs a simulated search and rescue pattern in Alaska. The 210th Rescue Squadron is part of a network of search-and-rescue organizations that save hundreds of lives in and around Alaska every year.

Texas Guard launches innovation unit
July 21, 2020 — AUSTIN, Texas – After over a year of preparation, the Texas Guard is officially launching the Texas Military Department Joint Innovation Unit: TMDx.The original plan called for a live event at the... MORE

Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, along with Maj. Gen. Tracy R. Norris, the adjutant general of Texas, visit Texas National Guard service members serving at the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas, April 29, 2020.

NY aircrews take WVNG troops to new heights for jump training
July 20, 2020 — CAMP DAWSON, West Virginia – Two New York Army National Guard CH-47F Chinook helicopters crewed by nine Soldiers took 15 West Virginia Army National Guard Special Forces members to new heights to... MORE

Paratroopers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, conduct military free-fall exercise out of a New York National Guard Chinook helicopter. Pilots from Detachment 1, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Regiment, supported this operation from Camp Dawson, West Virginia, July 11, 2020.

Wisconsin Guard surpasses 250,000 COVID-19 tests collected
July 20, 2020 — MADISON, Wis. – Members of the Wisconsin National Guard have tested 256,000 people across the state for COVID-19 in ongoing operations to increase Wisconsin’s testing capacity.Mobile specimen... MORE

Citizen-Soldiers and Citizen-Airmen from the Wisconsin National Guard collect specimens for COVID-19 testing July 13, 2020, at a community-based test site at the Eleva-Strum High School in Strum, Wis. The Wisconsin National Guard has collected more than 256,000 specimens statewide.

Task Force helps Virginia respond to COVID-19 pandemic
July 20, 2020 — PETERSBURG, Va. – After months of hard work and unprecedented challenges, one element of the Virginia National Guard’s support to Virginia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is ending. While COVID-19... MORE

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s Region 7 (Northern Virginia) staff recognizes Virginia National Guard Soldiers who helped process personal protective equipment requests at their Regional Logistics Warehouse.

WVNG helps meet increased demand for testing, PPE
July 20, 2020 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Almost 400 members of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) are supporting the state’s COVID-19 response with testing and other missions. As COVID-19 cases increase in areas... MORE

A West Virginia National Guard Airman provides a COVID-19 test to a citizen on May 22, 2020, in Charleston, W.Va.

Colorado Guard tests for COVID-19 at corrections facilities
July 20, 2020 — CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Colorado National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are helping test inmates and staff at select correctional facilities in Colorado for COVID-19.At the request of the state, Joint Task... MORE

Colorado National Guard Spc. Michael Price, medic, 928th Medical Company (Area Support), instructs nurses at a nursing home in Grand Junction on COVID-19 test procedures June 3, 2020. The Colorado National Guard is increasing COVID-19 testing across Colorado as needed.

Wisconsin Guard, Papua New Guinea begin state partnership
July 20, 2020 — MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin National Guard was selected to begin a new state partnership with Papua New Guinea as part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. The Wisconsin National Guard... MORE

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 32nd Division, deplane at the Dubadura Airstrip south of Buna, New Guinea, Dec. 15, 1942.

NY Guard hosts Israeli counterparts to discuss COVID response
July 17, 2020 — NEW YORK – An officer from Israel’s Home Front Command, the branch of Israel’s military that handles natural disasters and emergencies, got a firsthand look at how the New York National Guard... MORE

Lt. Col. Hai Rekah of the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, with members of the New York National Guard, observes intake procedures for motorists at the drive-thru test site at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, N.Y., July 15, 2020. Rekah was in New York to meet with New York National Guard leaders to see parts of New York’s response to COVID-19, as Israel’s Homefront Command responds to the pandemic.

D.C. Air Guard Makes Improvements at Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy

Maine Guard Airmen Exercise Rapid-Response Communications Skills

Louisiana Guard Hosts International Interrogation Competition to Build Readiness

Air Reserve Component Test Center Marks Milestone With F-35 Test Force at Eglin AFB

Texas Guard Members Bolster Border Patrol Efforts along Rio Grande