Guard News - The National Guard

Guard Leaders Welcome Ukraine Family Support Organizers
June 2, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Virginia – Caring for those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine took a personal turn for National Guardsmen at the Temple Army Readiness Center recently.Members of TAPS Ukraine, a... MORE

Maj. Gen. Giselle Wilz, director of staff, National Guard Bureau (NGB), speaks with Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)

SEA Whitehead Honors Families of the Fallen
June 2, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, honored surviving military families May 26-29 during a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors... MORE

Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony L. Whitehead, SEA to the chief, National Guard Bureau, cheers with surviving military children during the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors’ 29th Annual National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp, Arlington, Virginia, May 29, 2023. The seminar welcomes hundreds of surviving military families to the nation’s capital over Memorial Day weekend every year.

Virginia, West Virginia Guardsmen are Regional Best Warriors
June 2, 2023 — FORT BARFOOT, Va. - Virginia National Guard Staff Sgt. Dan Abbott and West Virginia National Guard Spc. Bret Williams took top honors in the five-day Army National Guard Region II Best Warrior... MORE

Army National Guard noncommissioned officers and Soldiers run the confidence course during the Region II Best Warrior Competition May 17, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The Soldiers and NCOs of the Year from Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia competed for the right to represent the region at the national competition in Alaska in July.

New York Army National Guard MPs Aid Car Crash Victims
June 2, 2023 — MANORVILLE, N.Y. - Seven New York Army National Guard MPs worked together to help two people severely injured in a car accident on Long Island’s Sunrise Highway May 20.The Soldiers, assigned to the... MORE

Soldiers assigned to the 442nd Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard, came to the aid of two people injured in a car accident while on their way to training at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., May 20, 2023.

Connecticut Guard Takes Holistic Approach to Fitness
June 1, 2023 — HARTFORD, Conn. - The Connecticut Army National Guard’s Fitness Improvement Program (FIP), run by 2nd Lt. Jeremy Slen and Staff Sgt. Ashton Christopher, intends to revitalize Army fitness culture and... MORE

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Jeremy Slen, left, and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashton Christopher, right, lead coordinators for the Connecticut Army National Guard's Fitness Improvement Program, inside the gym of the Governor William A. O’Neill Armory, Hartford, Connecticut, March 29, 2023. The program aims to revitalize fitness culture within the Connecticut National Guard and help Soldiers live a healthier, well-rounded lifestyle.

Pennsylvania Guard Takes Part in African Lion 23 in Tunisia
May 31, 2023 — BEN GHILOUF, Tunisia – Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers from C Battery, 1-107th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, are in Tunisia to take part in African Lion 23, U.S... MORE

Sgt. Jackson McNair, C Battery, 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, reviews notes with a member of the Tunisian armed forces in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, during African Lion 23, May 25, 2023. Eighteen nations and approximately 8,000 personnel are participating in U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined, joint exercise in multiple countries May 13-June 18, 2023. (Blurred for OPSEC purposes.)

Royal Thai Army Commander Visits Washington Guard Leaders
May 31, 2023 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - The commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army visited leaders of the Washington National Guard in a State Partnership Program exchange May 25.“I made plans to come four years ago,... MORE

Gen. Narongpan Jittkaewtae, commander in chief, Royal Thai Army, and Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, the adjutant general, share a laugh at the Washington National Guard Museum at Camp Murray, Wash., on May 25, 2023. During the visit to Camp Murray, Jittkaewtae and his staff got a better understanding of the Washington National Guard’s force structure, training and abilities.

Michigan Guard Brings HIMARS Capability to Swift Response 23
May 31, 2023 — CAMP ĀDAŽI, Latvia - For most of the year, National Guard members have civilian occupations — some are firefighters, police officers, teachers, mechanics and electricians. But when military duty... MORE

U.S. Army crew with the 1-182nd Field Artillery Regiment Michigan National Guard, fire a rocket with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System into the Baltic Sea at Skede, Latvia, May 13, 2023. The Soldiers participated in a live fire event in support of the Defender 23 exercise to build readiness and interoperability between U.S., NATO allies and partners.

194th Wing Conducts Phoenix Dawn Readiness Exercise
May 31, 2023 — CAMP MURRAY, WASH. - Washington Air National Guard Airmen from the 194th Wing participated in a multi-day, base-wide readiness exercise to evaluate their ability to generate, employ and sustain combat... MORE

Senior Airman Cameron Ashworth, 194th Security Forces Squadron, patrols Camp Murray, Wash., during Exercise Phoenix Dawn May 9, 2023. The large-scale readiness exercise validated the wing’s ability to generate, employ and sustain combat power to combatant commanders.

National Guard Provides Medical Care to Idaho, Nevada Tribes
May 30, 2023 — LAPWAI, Idaho - Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota and Nevada National Guard members provided medical, dental and eye care for Native American Tribes in Idaho and Nevada as part of Operation Nimiipuu Health in... MORE

Approximately 100 Ctizen-Soldiers and -Airmen from the Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota and Nevada National Guard cared for two Native American Tribes in Idaho and Nevada May 11-26 as part of Operation Nimiipuu Health, a Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training program. Guard members provided medical, dental and optometry services to the Nez Perce Tribe and surrounding community of Lapwai, Idaho, and similar care, in addition to behavioral health services, to members of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes and surrounding community of Duck Valley, Nevada.

Maryland National Guard, Estonia Partner in Overseas Exercise
May 30, 2023 — TAPA, Estonia – Maryland Army National Guard members participated in the Spring Storm 23 exercise in Tapa, Estonia, May 13-27. Twenty-two Soldiers assigned to the 291st Digital Liaison Detachment... MORE

Apache helicopter firing on targets at Spring Storm 23 in Tapa, Estonia, May 25, 2023. The Maryland National Guard participated in the two-week exercise with Estonia, its longtime partner through the State Partnership Program.

Iowa National Guard Trains in Wyoming’s Higher Elevation
May 30, 2023 — CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. – Iowa National Guard infantry and aviation units traveled west by ground convoy and air to conduct annual training at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center in Wyoming at the end... MORE

Spc. Chris Cortez, an infantryman assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, fires an M240 machine gun during a squad live-fire at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center in Wyoming on May 20, 2023. The Iowa National Guard unit completed two weeks of individual and collective training.

Texas Air Guard Medical Group Completes Required Training
May 30, 2023 — HONOLULU - Nearly 50 Texas Air National Guardsmen assigned to the 136th Medical Group traveled in the wing’s C130J Super Hercules to Tripler Army Medical Center, Army Post Schofield Barracks, and... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Amanda Nichols and Senior Airman Magut Abednego, both 136th Airlift Wing aerospace medical technicians, apply emergency care to a medical grade mannequin during training at U.S. Army Installation Schofield Barracks in Hawaii May 18, 2023.

188th Wing Hosts Emergency Management Course
May 30, 2023 — EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. - The 188th Wing hosted the Air National Guard’s Specialized Personnel and Equipment for Austere Reconnaissance and Surveillance (SPEARS) course at the Fort... MORE

SPEARS students prepare to load their MRZR vehicle on a CH-47 Chinook that will transport them into an austere training environment May 25, 2023, at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Ark. The MRZR is engineered to meet the demands of emergency response operation in various terrains and environments.

Saber Guardian 23 Begins with Opening Ceremony in Slobozia
May 30, 2023 — SLOBOZIA, Romania – Four countries’ anthems filled the air as hundreds of Army Soldiers and NATO allies from Romania, Albania and Bulgaria stood in formation for the opening ceremony of Saber Guardian... MORE

Romanian military service members mass between U.S. formations at the opening ceremony as part of Saber Guardian 23 in Slobozia, Romania, May 29, 2023. The exercise, a component of Defender Europe 23, is led by Romanian Land Forces and the U.S. Army in Romania to improve the integration of multinational combat forces.

National Guard Honors Fallen in Memorial Day Observances
May 26, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard is honoring service members who died for their country in Memorial Day observances across the country this weekend. “When we remember what the fallen have given us,... MORE

New York Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Michele Natali, left, the assistant adjutant general, Army; and New York Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Hewson, the senior enlisted advisor for the New York Air National Guard, salute following the presentation of a wreath during a Memorial Day ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, New York, May 25, 2023. The names of 12 members of the New York Military Forces and civilian employees of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs who have died in the past year were also read during the ceremony.

40th Infantry Division Hosts Urban Operations Planner Course
May 26, 2023 — LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - With over half the world’s climbing population living in cities, the future of urban warfare is inevitable. Consequently, the same military strategies used in desert and forest... MORE

Brigade and division-level officers and senior noncommissioned officers in the 40th Infantry Division's Urban Operations Planner Course conduct a practical exercise at the Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, May 16, 2023. Course students visited the NTC's mock town of Razish to examine urban warfare scenarios in collaboration with NTC cadre.

173rd Fighter Wing to Host F-35 Training Squadron
May 26, 2023 — KINGSLEY FIELD, Ore. - The Air Force has selected the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing as the preferred location to host the service’s next F-35A Lightning II training squadron. The... MORE

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to Luke Air Force Base flies over Southern Oregon May 17, 2023, on a mission with the 173rd Fighter Wing assigned to Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The 173rd Fighter Wing was selected as the Air Force's preferred location to host a F-35A Lightning II formal training unit.

Texas Army Guard Team Wins Marksmanship Contest
May 25, 2023 — CAMP ROBINSON, Ark. – Four Texas Army National Guard members won the 52nd Annual Winston P. Wilson Championship in Little Rock April 29-May 5.The National Guard annually hosts the competition to... MORE

Texas Alpha team stands with the 176th Engineer Brigade command team just before competing in the X lane at the 52nd Annual Winston P. Wilson Championship, April 29-May 5, 2023, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Left to right, Command Sgt. Maj. Corey Chester, Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Duron, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Stevener, Capt. Ross Buntyn, 1st Lt. Samuel Slichter, Col. Kevin Crawford.

157th Civil Engineers Work with Pacific Air Forces Command
May 25, 2023 — MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan - After two weeks of early mornings on the flight line, throughout the installation, and inside the fire training site, more than 50 Airmen in the 157th Civil Engineer Squadron... MORE

Airman 1st Class Cahleel Gentillon, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning specialist with the 157th Civil Engineer Squadron, New Hampshire Air Nationbal Guard, teaches Airman 1st Class Isaac Dargan, an HVAC specialist with the 35th CES, how to flare tubing on a heating unit May 11, 2023, at the Draughon Bombing Range, Misawa Air Base, Japan. The two teams integrated and trained one another while removing a faulty mini-split heating unit and installing a new model.