Guard News - The National Guard

Idaho Airman Promoted on Same day Son Enlists
March 13, 2023 — BOISE, Idaho - Senior Master Sgt. Virginia Holmgren, 124th Medical Group operational readiness superintendent, was promoted to chief master sergeant March 4, the same day her oldest son, Nathan,... MORE

Senior Master Sgt. Virginia Holmgren, 124th Medical Group operational readiness superintendent, receives a Stripes for Exceptional Performers II Program promotion to chief master sergeant after seeing her oldest son, Nathan Holmgren, enlist in the Idaho Air National Guard the same day at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, March 4, 2023. Holmgren has spent her career with the critical care air transport team as a respiratory therapist.

Honoring with Dignity: Michigan’s Longest Serving Honor Guard Member
March 13, 2023 — LANSING, Mich. - The U.S. Air Force honor guard uniform features epaulets, white gloves, service caps and the silver cord but not the name of the person wearing it. This symbolizes that honor guard... MORE

Master Sgt. Carmen LaGuardia poses for photos at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., Feb. 5, 2023. LaGuardia is Michigan’s longest serving and most decorated honor guard member, having performed more than 2,000 military details.

Indiana Guard Civil Engineers Train for Mission Readiness
March 13, 2023 — CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind. - Airmen from the 181st Civil Engineer Squadron participated in cross-functional training exercises at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Smith, an Airman with the 181st Civil Engineer Squadron, operates heavy machinery during a route-clearing exercise at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Edinburgh, Ind., March 4, 2023. The 181st CES trained to promote cross-functional capabilities.

New Hampshire National Guard Revives Biathlon Program
March 10, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Four years ago, when Tom Echelberger, a former high school and college cross-country skier, was working in a New Hampshire ski shop, he never dreamed he would have a full-time job... MORE

Members of the New Hampshire National Guard’s biathlon team pose for a photo after winning third place in the 2023 Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s Biathlon Championships at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vt., Feb. 22. From left, U.S. Army Spc. Jimmy Small, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Bryce Murdick, U.S. Army Spc. Tom Echelberger, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Parent, U.S. Army Maj. Rob Burnham, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Englehardt, U.S. Army Capt. Pamela Donley.

Virginia Guardsman Named Top Enlisted Ranger School Graduate
March 10, 2023 — RICHMOND, Va. – After months of grueling effort, Staff Sgt. Matthew Dawson, a sniper team leader in the Virginia Army National Guard, completed Ranger School, earned the coveted Ranger Tab and was... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Dawson graduates Ranger School as the enlisted honor graduate during a ceremony Jan. 27, 2023, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dawson is assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as a sniper team leader and completed Ranger School immediately following his deployment to the Horn of Africa.

F-22 Raptors Rearmed in Demonstration of ACE Capabilities
March 10, 2023 — PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY, Hawaii - Total-Force weapons specialists from 154th and 15th wings rearmed F-22 Raptors at the Pacific Missile Range Facility for the first time March 8-9,... MORE

A Hawaii Air National Guard weapons crew from the 154th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron arms an F-22 Raptor with inert munitions at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Hawaii, March 8, 2023.

Pennsylvania Guard Institute Educates Medics Across Army
March 9, 2023 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Instructors with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 4th Battalion, 166th Regiment Regional Training Institute (Medical Battalion Training Site), sent off the Army’s newest... MORE

U.S. Soldiers carry a simulated casualty to a field hospital during an exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, March 3, 2023. This exercise included responding to the scene of a mass casualty event, providing first aid and evacuating the simulated casualties to a field hospital while being assessed by instructors with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 4th Battalion, 166th Regiment Regional Training Institute (Medical Battalion Training Site).

Georgia National Guard Women Compete to be Best Warrior
March 8, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. – Eighteen National Guardsmen compete in the Georgia Army National Guard 2023 Best Warrior Competition March 5-10 to determine the state’s best Soldier and noncommissioned... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Mary Ruiz, an aviation operations specialist representing the 78th Aviation Troop Command, crawls under barbed wire during the obstacle course portion of the 2023 Georgia National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 6, 2023. The competition tested readiness and adaptiveness of Georgia's best Soldiers.

Virginia Guard Soldiers Conduct Infantry Exchange in Tajikistan
March 8, 2023 — DUSHANBE, Tajikistan – Three Virginia National Guard Soldiers conducted an advanced infantry tactics exchange with soldiers and representatives from the Republic of Tajikistan Feb. 26-March 2. The... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers conduct an advanced infantry tactics exchange with soldiers and representatives from the Republic of Tajikistan Feb. 26-March 2, 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The exchange was conducted in support of the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been partners since 2003.

New Course Aims to fix Stryker Mechanic Shortage
March 8, 2023 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – When the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Fort Irwin, California, for a rotation at the National Training Center last year, it was missing a few key pieces:... MORE

Cpl. Wyatt Chapman of India Company, 328th Brigade Support Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, performs maintenance on a Stryker vehicle engine at the California National Guard Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site during the 56 SBCT’s rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., June 22, 2022.

German Soldiers Train with Idaho Air Guard A-10 Pilots
March 7, 2023 — BOISE, Idaho - Soldiers from the German Army’s 6th Battery of the Artillery Battalion 345 joined forces with A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots assigned to the 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron Feb... MORE

Soldiers from the German Army’s 6th Battery of the Artillery Battalion 345 join forces with A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots assigned to the 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron while conducting close air support training at Saylor Creek Range, Idaho, Feb. 11-22.

State Partnership Program a Difference Maker in Africa, U.S. military leaders say
March 7, 2023 — ROME – Africa is fertile ground for external influence, and senior U.S. military leaders underscored the value of partnerships to building security capacity on the continent during the 2023 African... MORE

U.S. Army and Air Force medical professionals with the Vermont National Guard are working for the next two weeks at the Thies Regional Hospital, and two smaller medical centers in and around Thies, Senegal.

Hokanson to Guardsmen in Germany: ‘The Work You’re Doing is Making a Huge Difference’
March 7, 2023 — GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – One week removed from the one-year anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked invasion, the National Guard’s top officer visited Guardsmen helping to ensure the combat effectiveness of... MORE

U.S. Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, speaks with Col. William Murphy, commander of Task Force Orion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, at a training site for the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Grafenwoehr, Germany, March 1, 2023. Hokanson visited Task Force Orion, which is deployed to lead the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, and helps facilitate training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Germany as part of a worldwide effort led by the United Stated and supported by more than 50 nations to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war.

Guard Soldiers Make History at International Culinary Event
March 7, 2023 — FORT LEE, Va. – Eleven Iowa and Rhode Island Army National Guard Soldiers are making history at the 47th Joint Culinary Training Exercise this week. It’s the largest military culinary event in North... MORE

Iowa and Rhode Island National Guard Soldiers pose for a photo during the 47th Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Lee, Virginia, March 5, 2023. The Soldiers made history by being part of the first Army National Guard team to participate in the largest military culinary event in North America.

California, Idaho, Colorado CSTs Collaborate for Exercise
March 7, 2023 — SAN FRANCISCO - The HAZMAT-suited men make their way down the crumbling staircase, their breathing amplified by their gas masks. The site — a dank and dilapidated undergrown cavern on Alcatraz Island... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cameron Hoover with the Idaho National Guard's 101st Civil Support Team climbs down crumbling steps on Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, Feb. 23, 2022. California's 95th CST hosted its annual emergency response exercise, BAY EX, with Idaho's 101st CST, Colorado National Guard's 8th CST, and first responders.

Task Force Mustang Maintainers Sustain CENTCOM Flight Ops
March 6, 2023 — CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - With over six months of overseas duty completed, aviation Soldiers of the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Mustang, continue to maintain and repair aircraft for flight... MORE

U.S. Army aviation maintenance Soldiers from Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, "Task Force Mustang," gather in front of a readied CH-47F Chinook helicopter at the Udairi Landing Zone in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 18, 2023. Left to right: Spc. Jacob Hess, Pfc. Kaleb Fegurgur, Sgt. Adam Scheef, Spc. Sydney McElhany, Spc. Jacob Carreon, Spc. Jorge Gonzalez, Spc. Matthew Glover, Spc. Austin Chancellor, Spc. Louie Chacon, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Schupe, and Sgt. Kevin Vasquez.

Georgia Infantry Battalion Combines Arms to Certify Platoons
March 6, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. - As the weather warms, the Georgia Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment Soldiers are conducting combined arms live-fire training over an extended drill... MORE

Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, and 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion conduct a combined arms live-fire exercise in Fort Stewart, Ga., March 4, 2023. The exercise validated six infantry platoons and allowed the battalion to test its warfighting functions.

Maryland Air National Guard Completes Readiness Exercise
March 6, 2023 — MIDDLE RIVER, Md. – The Maryland Air National Guard conducted a readiness exercise involving Airmen in a simulated deployed environment across Martin State Air National Guard Base March 2-5.Operation... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt Badders, 175th Wing Civil Engineering Squadron member, welds a steel structure at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland, March 2, 2023. Badders was building a hedgehog barrier as part of Operation Lucky Strike 2023.

NY Air Guard Aeromed Technicians Train with Canada in Arctic
March 6, 2023 — NUNAVUT, Canada - New York Air Guard medical technicians who normally transport patients on aircraft like C-130s are learning to do the same on the much smaller Canadian CC-138 “Twin Otter” in a... MORE

Airmen from the 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and medics from the Royal Canadian Armed Forces receive quick response training in a de Havilland Canada CC-138 “Twin Otter” aircraft from the 440 Transport Squadron, Royal Canadian Armed Forces in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada, Feb. 26, 2023.

Mississippi Air Refueling Wing Practices Rapid Response
March 6, 2023 — KEY FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Miss. - The 186th Air Refueling Wing conducted a large-scale readiness exercise Feb. 28-March 3 at the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport.The exercise... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Rainer, crew chief with the 186th Air Refueling Wing Fuels Management flight, connects a fuel hose to a KC-135 during a large-scale readiness exercise at the Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Mississippi, March 1, 2023. The exercise tested Airmen’s ability to respond quickly to adverse situations in a deployed environment.

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In

Colorado Army National Guard Conducts Aviation Training for Wildfire Season

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise