Guard News - The National Guard

Guard Bureau Celebrates 388th Birthday with Fun Run and Ruck
December 18, 2024 — WASHINGTON - National Guard Soldiers and community members gathered at Fort Lesley J. McNair Dec. 13 to celebrate the National Guard’s 388th birthday at the annual National Guard Bureau Fun Run and... MORE

National Guard Soldiers and community members gathered at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington Dec. 13, 2024, to celebrate the National Guard’s 388th birthday at the annual National Guard Bureau Fun Run and Ruck.

Louisiana Guard Youth Challenge Program Marks 30 Years
December 18, 2024 — PINEVILLE, La. – Families and friends filled the sanctuary at the Pentecostals of Alexandria Church in Alexandria to watch 118 cadets graduate from the Louisiana National Guard’s Youth Challenge... MORE

Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program Cadet Myles Dean of West Monroe was recognized during the Class 2024-1 graduation ceremony at the Pentecostals of Alexandria Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Dec. 14, 2024. Dean earned the class’s highest academic marks, including an ACT score of 32 out of 36, an ASVAB score of 93 out of 99, and a HiSET score of 98 out of 100.

Idaho Guardsman Balances Command in Idaho, Security at NASA
December 18, 2024 — BOISE, Idaho - Capt. Megan Mabey has flown over 20 times between Idaho and Texas to balance her duties with the Idaho National Guard and her role as a security specialist at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson... MORE

Capt. Megan Mabey, commander of D Company, 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, poses for a a picture at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in late 2024. In addition to her duties as a member of the Idaho National Guard, Mabey works as a security specialist for NASA.

Army Increases Tuition Assistance, Adjusts Credentialing Program
December 17, 2024 — WASHINGTON - The Army announced policy updates to voluntary education programs for active-duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers. The new guidance includes a $500 increase and a two-semester-hour... MORE

The Army announced policy updates Dec. 11, 2024, for the tuition assistance and credentialing assistance educational programs for Active-Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers. The changes include increased semester hour and dollar amount caps for TA and a reduction in the dollar amount cap for CA.

Idaho Air Guard Range Squadron Trains to Climb Towers
December 17, 2024 — BOISE, Idaho - Radar, airfield and weather systems specialists with the 266th Range Squadron, a geographically separated unit of the 124th Fighter Wing, Idaho Air National Guard, completed tower... MORE

Radar, airfield and weather systems specialists with the 266th Range Squadron, a geographically separated unit of the 124th Fighter Wing, Idaho Air National Guard, complete tower climbing training on Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Dec. 10, 2024. Tower climbing is vital to maintain communication systems at the Saylor Creek Bombing Range, Mountain Home AFB and other military operating areas in Southern Idaho.

Nordhaus Reinforces National Guard’s Dual Status Commander Role
December 16, 2024 — PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo.— The National Guard’s top leader emphasized the role of the dual status commander while visiting leaders at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, addresses nearly nearly 30 officers at the O-6 level and above, from 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia, and active-duty components from across the country during the Dual Status Command Training Course, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command headquarters on Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., Dec. 13, 2024.

Oregon Guard Battalion Trains for Peacekeeping Mission
December 16, 2024 — MCGREGOR RANGE, N.M. - The desert stretches endlessly along U.S. Highway 54 as it leaves El Paso, Texas, cutting through the New Mexico border. After 25 miles of stark Chihuahuan Desert landscape, a... MORE

Spc. Jack Clark, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard, moves through a wall opening while Staff Sgt. Arturo Veloz supervises during urban operations training at Camp McGregor, New Mexico, Dec. 15, 2024. The unit is preparing to deploy to the Multinational Force and Observers mission in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Guard Defenders, Green Berets Prepare for Future Fight
December 16, 2024 — FORT KNOX, Ky. - Approximately 230 Airmen from more than 30 Air National Guard security forces units converged in Kentucky for Sage Eagle 25-1 — a recurring, battalion-sized, unconventional warfare... MORE

U.S. Air Force Security Forces Airmen with the Air National Guard and a U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5SFG) (Airborne), transport a simulated patient of a mass casualty incident on a Humvee assigned to the 5SFG during training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Oct. 23, 2024. This training was a component of exercise Sage Eagle 25-1, a recurring, battalion-sized, unconventional warfare exercise that validates Special Forces’ ability to operate in uncertain environments while training and incorporating conventional forces into an evolving contested environment.

Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa Guard Excel at Sniper Championship
December 16, 2024 — BARLING, Ark. — Thirty-three two-person sniper teams showcased their precision and tactical expertise during the 54th Winston P. Wilson Sniper Championship and the 34th Armed Forces Skill at Arms... MORE

The Nebraska National Guard, shown Dec. 12, 2024, won the 54th WPW Sniper Championship and Chief David R. Logan Sniper Team Trophy is the Nebraska National Guard. The WPW Sniper Championship, held at Fort Chaffee, Ark., and hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, brought together elite marksmen to compete in precision shooting and tactical decision-making, honoring the storied legacy of military sniper excellence.

New York Soldiers, Airman Celebrate National Guard’s Birthday
December 13, 2024 — LATHAM, N.Y. - Two New York National Guard Soldiers and an Airman commemorated the National Guard’s 388th birthday at New York National Guard headquarters Dec. 13.Army Guard Master Sgt. Michael Schin,... MORE

Maj. Gen. Michel Natali, New York assistant adjutant general, and Airman Gabriel Geise, 18, Master Sgt. Michel Schin, 59, and Pvt. 1st Class Aliyah Billar, 17, mark the 388th anniversary of the National Guard's birthday Dec. 13, 2024, at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

National Guard Bureau Civilian Receives DOD CIO Award
December 13, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - A National Guard Bureau information technology specialist received the 2024 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Award at the Pentagon Dec. 3. The award recognizes... MORE

Shawn Achziger, center, an information technology specialist with the National Guard Bureau, with U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, left, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, and Leslie Beavers, the acting chief information officer with the Department of Defense, after receiving a 2024 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon Dec. 3, 2024. Achzinger was recognized for migrating the National Guard from the obsolete Joint Information Exchange Environment system to the updated Common Operating Picture system, used primarily during emergency response operations.

New York Airmen Honored for Saving Lives of 2 Wingmen
December 12, 2024 — STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing were recognized for saving their fellow Airmen’s lives at a Dec. 8 ceremony.The 105th’s Top... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Master Sgt. Roman Jeter, Staff Sgt. Timothy Horton, Capt. Sinead Kirnan and Master Sgt. Jaron Brown, Airmen with the 105th Airlift Wing, pose for a photo following a Henry W. Windels Wingman Award ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, Dec. 8, 2024. Horton and Kirnan were recognized for saving the lives of Jeter and Brown.

Washington Guard Engages with Thai and Malaysian Partners
December 12, 2024 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Washington Air and Army National Guard noncommissioned officers visited Thailand and Malaysia Dec. 1-5 to strengthen military ties and share best practices.This... MORE

Senior Washington National Guard enlisted leaders participating in the State Partnership Program talk with students at the Noncommissioned Officer School, Hua Hin, Thailand, Dec. 3, 2024.

Alaska National Guard Fields Helicopter Engine Test Stand
December 12, 2024 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The 176th Maintenance Squadron marked the fielding of a helicopter engine test stand, the first of its kind in the Air National Guard, during a Dec. 9... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Col. Joshua Armstrong, far left, 176th Wing commander, and Brig. Gen. Brian Kile, far right, Alaska Air National Guard commander, look on as, from center left to center right, Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Devries, 176th MXS Accessories Flight chief, Senior Master Sgt. Troy Freeman, 176th MXS Propulsion Flight supervisor, and Col. Michael Cummings, 176th Maintenance Group commander, cut a ceremonial ribbon Dec. 9, 2024, to mark the fielding of the Propulsion Flight’s T700 Flexible Engine Diagnostic System at JBER. The test stand will save time and money in diagnosing HH-60G Pave Hawk engine faults.

South Carolina Guardsman Realizes Dream to Fly Helicopters
December 11, 2024 — COLUMBIA, S.C. - Seeing a military aircraft flying through the sky can make you feel a sense of awe. But for some, like Warrant Officer Alante Snell, it sparks something deeper — a calling.Snell grew... MORE

Warrant Officer Alante Snell serves his community in his civilian job as a state trooper and in the South Carolina Army National Guard as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.

Maryland National Guard Hosts 250th Annual Pass in Review
December 11, 2024 — DUNDALK, Md. – The Maryland Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, commemorated its 250th anniversary with a Pass in Review Dec. 7 at the Dundalk Readiness Center. The historic... MORE

The Maryland Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, commemorated its 250th anniversary with a Pass in Review Dec. 7, 2024, at the Dundalk Readiness Center. The historic ceremony celebrated the regiment’s legacy as one of the oldest and most distinguished units in the U.S. Army, tracing its roots back to the Baltimore Independent Cadets of 1774.

Louisiana Guard Conducts Disaster Response Training
December 11, 2024 — PERRY, Ga. – The Louisiana National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package conducted a training exercise in Georgia culminating in a... MORE

Louisiana Army National Guardsmen assigned to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package check for contamination levels at a collapsed building at Guardian Centers of Georgia, Perry, Georgia, Dec. 3, 2024. The CERFP conducted a training exercise culminating in a National Guard Bureau evaluation Dec. 1–7.

Remains of World War II Airman Returned Home
December 10, 2024 — WRIGHTSTOWN, N.J. - New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers carried the flag-draped coffin of a World War II Airman in a ceremony attended by family members, friends and state veteran organization... MORE

U.S. Army Honor Guard Soldiers with the New Jersey Army National Guard fold an American flag during the ceremony for U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William Scott at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, New Jersey, Dec. 9, 2024. Scott, a navigator on a B-24 Liberator bomber, was killed when his aircraft was shot down during Operation Tidal Wave over Ploiești, Romania, Aug. 1, 1943.

Michigan Guard Partner Liberia Starts NCO Pilot Course
December 10, 2024 — CAREYSBURG, Liberia – The Armed Forces of Liberia achieved a historic milestone by initiating a Noncommissioned Officer Academy at the AFL’s Armed Forces Training Center.Liberian NCO instructors are... MORE

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ravindra Wagh, assistant adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, with Capt. John Willie, Liberian Coast Guard commander, at Liberian Coast Guard Headquarters, Bushrod Island, Liberia, Dec. 2, 2024. Michigan and Liberia have partnered for 15 years under the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Tennessee Guard Airmen Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross
December 9, 2024 — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Eleven 134th Air Refueling Wing Airmen were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Dec. 7 for their heroic actions during a critical mission defending Israel from a barrage of... MORE

Eleven Airmen from the 134th Air Refueling Wing receive the Distinguished Flying Cross on Dec. 7, 2024, at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Knoxville, Tennessee, for helping defend Israel from a massive missile and drone attack from Iran.

Puerto Rico Air Guard Tests Flexible Communications in Evaluation

Pennsylvania Guard Medical Unit Gains Vital Experience During Field Exercise

California Air National Guard Hosts Reaper Smoke 2025

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

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In