Guard News - The National Guard

West Virginia Guard played pivotal role in Afghan evacuation
September 9, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Soldiers and Airmen of the West Virginia National Guard were critical components of Operation Allies Refuge, the State Department-led project of evacuating Afghan citizens and... MORE

A West Virginia Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster lll carrying Afghanistan evacuees arrives at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy Aug. 22, 2021. Two aircrews from the 167th Airlift Wing transported passengers and cargo into and out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

Alaska National Guard helps with Louisiana hurricane relief
September 9, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard is in Louisiana helping the Louisiana National Guard and civil authorities respond to Hurricane Ida, which struck the state Aug... MORE

Sgt. Joemicheal Cristobal, Spc. Osias Passi, and Spc. Brennon Westfall, members of the Alaska Army National Guard and Task Force-Alaska, log trailer and driver information at a transportation yard in Roseland, Louisiana, Sept. 7, 2021. They are among 17 Alaska Guardsmen assisting the Louisiana National Guard and civil authorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Wisconsin Guard battling wildfires in West
September 8, 2021 — MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin National Guard members are burnishing their skills while supporting a demanding mission battling wildfires in California and Washington.The mission in the West began in... MORE

Wisconsin Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk crews from the Madison, Wis.-based 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation, provide assistance in wildfire fighting operations in California.

New York Guardsmen remember 9/11
September 8, 2021 — LATHAM, N.Y. – Three New York National Guard leaders who were part of the state response to 9/11 said the terrorist attacks 20 years ago changed them, the National Guard and the world.The headlines on... MORE

New York Army National Guard Maj. Edward Keyrouze assists at the still smoldering "rubble pile" at Ground Zero following the attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York Sept. 11, 2001. More than 14,000 members of the New York National Guard responded to the attack.

Kentucky Guard engineers conduct Djibouti SPP training
September 8, 2021 — CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Kentucky National Guard engineers with the 577th Sapper Company and 123rd Airlift Wing traveled more than 15,000 miles to train with the Djiboutian military demining company... MORE

Capt. Le Mohamed Louaita, commander for Djiboutian Demining Co., expresses gratitude to Tech. Sgt. Dylan Wagner, explosive ordnance disposal technician, 123rd Airlift Wing, Aug. 22, 2021, in Djibouti City, Djibouti. Kentucky National Guard Engineers with the 577th Sapper Company and 123rd Airlift Wing traveled more than 15,000 miles to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to train with the Djiboutian military demining company as a part of the State Partnership Program.

Cal Guard fighting wildfires across the state
September 8, 2021 — SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Service members within the California Military Department remain hard at work battling wildfires."There are 1,264 Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen supporting firefighting efforts... MORE

Trees burn within eyesight of a California National Guard hand crew with Joint Task Force 578 during the Dixie Fire in Northern California Aug. 16, 2021. The task force is part of the mutual aid system in support of CAL FIRE.

RED HORSE Ready! 111th squadron always set to ‘saddle up’
September 8, 2021 — HORSHAM, Pa. – With the shift in mission at the 111th Attack Wing from A-10 Thunderbolt II to the remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper, there are those in the community who are sometimes surprised that the... MORE

Members of the 201st Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, or REDHORSE, Detachment 1, pose for a picture at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pennsylvania, May 15, 2021. This is the first official group photo of the 201st REDHORSE Det. 1 in the Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, utility uniform on base since they returned from their recent deployment overseas.

Thank your troops, Louisiana leaders tell National Guard chief
September 7, 2021 — NEW ORLEANS – Community leaders had a message for Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson when he visited New Orleans Tuesday to assess the National Guard's response to Hurricane Ida and see troops. They gathered... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, talks with community leaders during a visit to assess the Hurricane Ida response and thank troops in New Orleans Sept. 7, 2021. This image was acquired using a cellular device.

Wisconsin Guard cyber team serving 1st federal deployment
September 7, 2021 — MADISON, Wis. – Soldiers with the Wisconsin National Guard's Detachment 1, 176th Cyber Protection Team, have made tremendous strides during the unit's first federal deployment, to Fort Meade,... MORE

Soldiers of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Detachment 1, 176th Cyber Protection Team, with Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, following their external evaluation exercise prior to deploying. The team, which includes Soldiers from Minnesota, Illinois and Virginia, is in the midst of a mobilization to cyberspace operations in support of U.S. Cyber Command and Cyber National Mission Force requirements.

New York State Military Museum marks 9/11 with exhibit
September 7, 2021 — SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The New York State Military Museum will open an exhibit about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on the 20th anniversary of the attacks.The exhibit tells the... MORE

A New York Police Department parking enforcement vehicle that was crushed when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in Manhattan on 9/11 is unloaded outside the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, Aug. 16, 2021. The vehicle, on loan from the New York State Museum, will be part of an exhibit at the museum, run by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, on the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Guard fights wildfires, responds to Ida, serves overseas
September 7, 2021 — ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Guard continues to live up to its promise, "Always Ready, Always There," with close to 59,000 Guard members on duty overseas or at home responding to Hurricane Ida,... MORE

Louisiana National Guardsmen with the 922nd Engineer Vertical Construction Company helped rescue 135 people and four dogs in the flooded community of LaPlace, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in south Louisiana Aug. 29, 2021.

Vermont Guard provides input for crew-served weapon's scope
September 7, 2021 — JERICHO, Vt. – Annual training for the Vermont Army National Guard's Head and Headquarters Company, 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (Mountain), was a bit different this year as Soldiers were trained... MORE

Soldiers with the Vermont National Guard's Headquarters Company, 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (Mountain), adjust a new Family of Crew Served Sight Systems at the Camp Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont. From Aug. 16-20, 2021, Soldiers provided feedback that will be used to further refine the optic before full-rate production in 2023.

Oklahoma Guard distributing critical supplies to Louisianans
September 7, 2021 — DONALDSONVILLE, La. – Soldiers and Airmen with the Oklahoma National Guard are helping their Louisiana neighbors affected by Hurricane Ida by supplying food, water and other needed supplies to those... MORE

Oklahoma National Guard Sgt. Stephen Bruke hands out water at a point of distribution site in Gramercy, Louisiana, Sept. 4, 2021. The Oklahoma National Guard operates 13 PODs across seven parishes that supply local families with tarps, meals ready to eat, ice and water.

Florida Guard’s Red Horse engineers respond to Hurricane Ida
September 7, 2021 — BELLE CHASSE, La. – Approximately 30 members from the 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (Red Horse) out of Camp Blanding, Florida, helped removed debris and... MORE

Members of the 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (Red Horse) partnered with the 159th Civil Engineering Squadron and New Orleans Parks and Parkways to clear debris from roads in New Orleans, Sept. 4, 2021. Red Horse, from Camp Blanding, Fla., is a specialized, highly mobile civil engineering team of Florida Army and Air National Guardsmen.

National Guard conducts multiple Hurricane Ida missions
September 7, 2021 — BATON ROUGE, La. – Thousands of Louisiana National Guardsmen continue emergency operations in the state in the wake of Hurricane Ida. More than 5,380 members of the Louisiana National Guard are... MORE

While on a high-water boat mission to conduct wellness checks on residents in Maurepas, Louisiana, Spc. Gemini Jack (pictured) and Spc. Jacob Hawkins from the 1020th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, 527th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, rescued an elderly cancer patient Sept. 1, 2021.

Afghan evacuees arrive in Indiana, head to Camp Atterbury
September 3, 2021 — CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – Afghan evacuees arrived in the Hoosier state Sept. 2, on their way to Camp Atterbury as part of Operation Allies Welcome.In support of these Afghan evacuees, the Department of... MORE

Afghan evacuees arrive in Indianapolis Sept. 2, 2021, as 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers watch. Hoosiers will host the Afghans at Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, as they begin their safe resettlement to the United States. The division Soldiers along with Indiana National Guard Soldiers will provide transportation, temporary housing, medical screening and logistics support as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

Nebraska, Czech Republic firefighters strengthen partnership
September 3, 2021 — LINCOLN AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. - Fourteen firefighters from the Army of the Czech Republic trained alongside their U.S. counterparts with the 155th Air Refueling Wing Aug. 16-19 at Lincoln Air Force... MORE

Firefighters from the Army of the Czech Republic perform car extrication tactics, Aug. 16, 2021, during a training exercise with the 155th Air Refueling Wing fire department at Lincoln Air Force Base, Neb. This Nebraska National Guard and Czech Republic armed forces training exchange is one of many facilitated by the National Guard’s State Partnership Program.

South Dakota Guard trains Army Soldiers for deployment
September 3, 2021 — SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 4th Battalion, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade received field artillery training from South Dakota Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 196th... MORE

Members of the U.S. Army’s Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade, evaluate operations of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System while attending the Combined Duties Training Course hosted by the 2nd Battalion 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), South Dakota National Guard, Aug. 28, 2021, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The training prepared 4-4th SFAB for deployment to Europe.

Kentucky Air Guard welcomes Afghan evacuees in Wisconsin
September 3, 2021 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. – More than 40 Kentucky Air National Guard members have played a key role in the reception of evacuees arriving from Afghanistan since Aug. 22.The Airmen, all from the Louisville-based... MORE

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 271st Movement Control Team and Kentucky National Guard Airmen assigned to the 123rd Contingency Response team receive a plane of Afghan evacuees at Volk Field, Wisconsin, Aug. 29, 2021. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security, is temporarily housing up to 50,000 Afghan evacuees around the United States.

Refugee is now a Vermont National Guard officer
September 3, 2021 — CAMP JOHNSON, Vt. – The road to becoming an officer in the Vermont National Guard began in 2016 for 2nd Lt. Abdimaik Hashi when he enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard.As a 19K armor... MORE

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Abdimaik Hashi, a newly commissioned transportation officer in the Vermont National Guard, is assigned to assist the Vermont National Guard state resilience coordinator at Camp Johnson, Joint Force Headquarters, Colchester, Vermont. Hashi, shown on Aug. 13, 2021, spent the first eight years of his life in a refugee camp in Kenya.

Maryland, Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Emerge as Region II’s Best Warriors

National Guard Spouse Highlights Strength of Family Support During Maine Visit

Virginia National Guard Team Trains for Disaster Response

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

Maine Guard Airmen Exercise Rapid-Response Communications Skills