Guard News - The National Guard

National Guard Soldiers provide security, partnerships in Horn of Africa
December 29, 2021 — CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – National Guard units bring unique and cohesive capabilities that enable U.S. forces to give back to the many partner nations who operate in Djibouti. Providing security is... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Riczu, a Connecticut Army National Guard Soldier, currently deployed with the 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray, demonstrates military mountaineering skills to French Marine Capt. Benoit Malet, the officer in charge of the French Desert Commando Course, during the Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course.

South Dakota, Wyoming Guard lead the way with sexual assault training
December 29, 2021 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. –The South Dakota Army National Guard has partnered with the Wyoming Army National Guard for the last two years to pilot a new program to prepare service members better to respond to... MORE

Maj. Bridget Flannery comes to Wyoming to train Soldiers to become Buddy Aid trainers at Joint Force Headquarters in Cheyenne, Wyo. on Dec. 6, 2021.

Air National Guard, Active Air Force train in arctic weather
December 28, 2021 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. — Nearly 30 Airmen assigned to the 123rd Contingency Response Group (CRG) returned to Camp Ripley for a second round of cold weather training December 13-17. The Kentucky Air... MORE

Nearly 30 Airmen assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard unit and part of the 123rd Airlift Wing returned to Camp Ripley, Minnesota, December 13-17, 2021, for a second round of cold weather training under the 123rd Contingency Response Group (CRG) which specializes in opening airfields in remote areas.

NY National Guard troops continue to aid nursing homes
December 28, 2021 — SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Eighteen New York National Guard medics and medical technicians on duty at a Syracuse area nursing home are opening up more care slots in the region’s medical system, according to Dr... MORE

Pvt. Nastasia Morgan, a combat medic assigned to the 107th Military Police Company, 369th Sustainment Brigade, sits with a resident at Loretto Health and Rehab in Syracuse, NY Dec. 20.

Joint ACE exercise fulfills training, testing objectives
December 28, 2021 — U.S. MARINE CORPS BASE, Hawaii – The Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center (AATC), traditionally known for its innovation and cost-saving tactics, took on a much broader mission as the... MORE

An AATC A-10 from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, receives fuel from a California Air Reserve KC-135 en route to Wake Island Airfield from Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, as part of Exercise KANI WILDCAT.

Alaska Airmen rescue pregnant woman in distress
December 28, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guardsmen of the 176th Wing rescued a pregnant woman in distress Dec. 27 at Kipnuk about 100 miles southwest of Bethel. Alaska Air... MORE

An Alaska Air National Guard 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk transits Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Malamute Drop Zone Feb. 10, 2021, during parachute jump operations. The jump preceded the change-of-command ceremony for 212th Rescue Squadron. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by David Bedard/Released)

Kentucky Air Guard completes tornado response mission
December 23, 2021 — MAYFIELD, Ky. – Seventeen Kentucky Air National Guard Airmen completed a 10-day mission to control traffic and provide security as residents struggled to recover from a Category 5 tornado that carved... MORE

Senior Airman Tristan Willis, with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Security Forces Squadron, monitors the Mayfield Police Department radio feed during a presence patrol in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 18, 2021. Willis and 16 other security forces Airmen mobilized from Louisville, Ky., to augment the Mayfield Police Department following a Category 5 tornado that leveled much of the town.

NYNG honors more than 10,000 veterans with military funerals
December 23, 2021 — LATHAM, N.Y. - New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen provided military funeral services for more than 10,000 families in 2021.As of Dec. 21, 2021, New York Army and Air National Guard funeral... MORE

New York Army National Guard Honor Guard Soldiers carry the casket of Cpl. Walter Smead, a Soldier killed during the Korean War, during his funeral at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, New York, Sept. 20, 2021. Smead was declared missing in action during the Korean War.

28th ID Soldier receives rare military intelligence award
December 23, 2021 — HARRISBURG, Pa. – A 28th Infantry Division Soldier recently received a prestigious award for reserve component military intelligence Soldiers.Staff Sgt. Matthew Haberle, a Soldier with the... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachery Norris, left, U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Federated Intelligence Program production manager with the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, and Staff Sgt. Matthew Haberle, USAREUR-AF FIP mission manager with the 66th MI, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Haberle was the 2021 recipient of the Colonel Carl F. Eifler National Guard award during the National Military Intelligence Foundation’s “Night of Heroes” virtual event Nov. 17, 2021.

West Virginia military, Army to work on tech challenges
December 23, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Military Authority will participate in the U.S. Army’s Catalyst-Pathfinder Program to provide opportunities for the West Virginia National Guard to engage... MORE

The West Virginia Military Authority will participate in the U.S. Army’s Catalyst-Pathfinder Program to provide opportunities for the West Virginia National Guard to engage academic institutions and industry partners to solve military technological challenges.

Washington Guard accomplished many missions in 2021
December 23, 2021 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – For the employees of the Washington Military Department, 2021 picked up right where 2020 left off, with hopes that we were advancing toward a post-pandemic future.Less than a week... MORE

Washington National Guard Sgt. Nathan Smart, a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation, observes the water drop zone during water bucket training June 6, 2021, at Joint-Base Lewis McChord.

Alaska Guard delivers gifts to remote villages for 66th year
December 23, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard conducted Operation Santa Claus again this year, delivering gifts to children in remote Alaskan villages.Gifts were delivered to... MORE

Members of the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, unload pallets of gifts from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft Dec. 2, 2021, at Nome, Alaska, before they are loaded onto an CH-47 Chinook helicopter for delivery to Buckland as part of Operation Santa Claus 2021. This year marks the 66th year of the program.

Army Guard husband, wife promoted to chief warrant officer 5
December 22, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Only about 3% of those in the Army are warrant officers, and rarer still are those who have reached the top warrant officer rank – chief warrant officer 5. So, it was even more... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Brooks looks on as Chief Warrant Officer 5 Teresa Domeier, the command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, and his son, Noah, pin his rank to his uniform while his wife, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Shelly Brooks, has her rank pinned on by their daughter, Amber, during a ceremony at the Herbert R. Temple Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington Hall Station in Arlington, Virginia, Dec. 21, 2021. The ceremony represented a rare moment where a married couple were together promoted to chief warrant officer 5 – the top warrant officer rank.

Year in Review: National Guard delivered at home and abroad
December 22, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – When a series of tornadoes slashed across parts of eight Midwest states late in the evening of Dec. 10, Spc. Zach Neisz sprang into action. He grabbed an ax, flashlight and medical... MORE

New Jersey National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment, 508th Military Police Company, 108th Wing, and 177th Fighter Wing, arrive near the U.S. Capitol Jan. 12, 2021. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from every state, territory and the District of Columbia traveled to Washington to support federal and district authorities for the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

New York Air Guardsmen tracking Santa as part of NORAD
December 22, 2021 — ROME, N.Y. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will celebrate its 66th year of tracking Santa Claus Christmas Eve with the help of the New York Air National Guard and Royal Canadian... MORE

Capt. Kevin Vincent of the Royal Canadian Air Force, left, and Airman 1st Class Megan Mills of the New York Air National Guard’s 224th Air Defense Squadron, recently conducted training at the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, N.Y., in preparation for NORAD Tracks Santa operations on Christmas Eve.

Ready to roll: 181st IW conducts readiness exercise
December 22, 2021 — HULMAN FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. – The 181st Intelligence Wing completed a two-day exercise that tested its ability to deploy on short notice at Hulman Field Air National Guard Base Dec... MORE

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas McDaniel, with the 181st Security Forces Squadron, participates in a readiness training exercise at Hulman Field Air National Guard Base, Ind., Dec. 11, 2021. The exercise tested the 181st IW’s deployed capabilities in contested, degraded and operationally limited environments.

NYNG Soldier, Airman graduate Brazil Jungle Warfare School
December 21, 2021 — MANAUS, Brazil – An Airman and a Soldier from the New York National Guard were among six Americans who completed Brazil’s Jungle Warfare School international course in November.Air National Guard... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Paul Cange, far left, and Cpl. Dakoatah Miller, far right, join the other American graduates of the Brazilian Jungle Operations International Course in Manaus, Brazil, Nov. 11, 2021. Brazil’s Jungle Warfare Center conducts a special shortened course for foreign students each fall.

Inaugural Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy class graduates
December 21, 2021 — ELKO, Nev. – The inaugural class of students in the Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy made Nevada history by graduating from the residential phase of the program during a ceremony at the Elko... MORE

Nevada National Guard Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, adjutant general, directs a Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy student Dec. 17, 2021, during the graduation ceremony for the inaugural class in Elko, Nev. Twenty-one students graduated from the residential phase of the program.

Vermont Army Guard hosts mountain warfare course in Djibouti
December 21, 2021 — CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Five U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School instructors with the Vermont Army National Guard traveled to Djibouti to teach a five-day Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Elijah Amendola, 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), assists a French service member with the 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment (5e RIAOM) on fixed rope techniques at the Arta Range Complex, Djibouti, Dec. 15, 2021. Five instructors from the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, taught a five-day Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course on basic military mountaineering skills to French service members in Djibouti to strengthen the relationships among the international forces working together in the region.

Wisconsin National Guard supports COVID testing, vaccination
December 20, 2021 — MADISON, Wis. – More than 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wisconsin National Guard continues to fulfill a variety of roles for the state.Approximately 500 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen are... MORE

Wisconsin National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen collect specimens for COVID-19 testing in 2021. The Wisconsin National Guard has multiple COVID-19 specimen collection teams operating throughout the state and has administered nearly 1.2 million COVID tests and more than 230,000 vaccines statewide since the pandemic began.

Guard Bureau Chief Promotes Partnerships at Defense Services Asia Exhibition

Virginia Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Health, Readiness

West Virginia’s 167th Wing Conducts Readiness Exercise

New York Army Guard Hosts Regional Best Warrior Competition

Alaska Guard Helps Provide Free Health Care to Kodiak Residents