Guard News - The National Guard

Maryland Air National Guard Demonstrates Readiness
December 6, 2023 — MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - The Maryland Air National Guard conducted a sweeping operational readiness exercise involving the full spectrum of missions and personnel across Martin State Air National Guard... MORE

Maryland Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Edmond Baghdassarian and Staff Sgt. Stefond Johnson, 175th Security Forces Squadron, establish communications during Operation Frosty Strike at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland, Dec. 2, 2023. The 175th Security Forces Squadron participated in a four-day training exercise.

Alaska Guard Spreads Holiday Cheer to Remote Communities
December 6, 2023 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - For the 68th year, the Alaska National Guard's Operation Santa Claus is bringing the magic of the season to the remote communities of Fort Yukon, Golovin,... MORE

Santa and Mrs. Claus disembark from a C-17 Globemaster III and head to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to support Operation Santa Claus at Bethel, Alaska, Nov. 15, 2023. Operation Santa Claus is the AKNG’s yearly community outreach program that provides gifts and Christmas cheer to children in remote communities.

New York Army Guard Salutes Former President Van Buren
December 6, 2023 — KINDERHOOK, N.Y. - New York Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Michel Natali commemorated the 241st birthday of former President Martin Van Buren Dec. 5 by laying a wreath from the White House at the... MORE

New York Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Michel Natali and Command Sgt. Maj. Edwin Garris salute after placing a wreath from the White House marking the birthday of former President Martin Van Buren in Kinderhook, New York, Dec. 5, 2023. Natali presented a wreath from President Joseph Biden at the annual ceremony held at Van Buren’s gravesite in Kinderhook Reformed Cemetery.

Arkansas Air Guard Medics Provide Free Medical Care in Guatemala
December 5, 2023 — NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Thirty-six Arkansas National Guardsmen from the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard base in Fort Smith and the 189th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base in... MORE

Arkansas National Guardsmen from the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard base in Fort Smith and the 189th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville departed Dec. 1 for a seven-day mission providing free medical care in Guatemala City.

Hokanson at Reagan National Defense Forum: National Guard Part of the Fabric of America
December 4, 2023 — SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – When he returned from a tour in Iraq as the commander of the Oregon National Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2009, then-Army Col. Daniel Hokanson saw how the unit’s... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, participates in a panel discussion at the 2023 Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, California, Dec. 2, 2023.

Red Arrow Veteran Awarded Purple Heart Medal Posthumously
December 4, 2023 — APPLETON, Wis. - One hundred and five years after the horrific battle that caused his wounds, a Wisconsin National Guard veteran received his Purple Heart medal at a ceremony Nov. 11 at Outagamie... MORE

Maj. Eric Van Hout, an administrative officer with the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, and Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Johnson, battalion command sergeant major, present a Purple Heart medal to Mike Muthig, the grandson of World War I veteran Pvt. George Arts. Arts enlisted in the battalion’s Company I and was severely wounded Aug. 4, 1918, during the battalion’s assault on the town of Fismes.

New York Guardsmen Conclude Southern Vanguard 24 in Brazil
December 4, 2023 — MACAPA, Brazil - Forty-four New York National Guard Soldiers, working alongside active-duty Army and Brazilian Army Soldiers, conducted three weeks of training in Northern Brazil Nov. 1-16.Exercise... MORE

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers stand at attention during a promotion ceremony in Macapa, Brazil, Nov. 16, 2023. Forty-four New York National Guard Soldiers working alongside active-duty Army and Brazilian Army Soldiers conducted three weeks of training in Northern Brazil Nov. 1-16.

Georgia National Guardsmen Return from Overseas Mission
December 4, 2023 — MARIETTA, Ga. - More than 80 Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard’s 201st Regional Support Group Forward returned home Dec. 1 after a nearly year-long deployment to Europe. Soldiers and family... MORE

Col. Matthew Kukla and Command Sgt. Major Lafayette Deal, command team of the Georgia National Guard’s 201st Regional Support Group (Forward), uncase the unit colors during a welcome home ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Ga., Dec. 1 following a 10-month deployment to Europe.

USEUCOM, Austrian Defense Leaders Explore Expanded Cooperation
December 1, 2023 — STUTTGART, Germany - U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, U.S. European Command deputy commander, hosted Arnold Kammel, secretary general of the Austrian Ministry of Defense, and his staff at the... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, second from right, U.S. European Command deputy commander; and Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes, third from left, civilian deputy and foreign policy advisor to U.S. European Command; host Arnold Kammel, center, secretary general of the Austrian Ministry of Defense, and members of Kammel’s staff at the command’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Nov. 30, 2023. The meeting was aimed at identifying areas for future military cooperation and builds on a the State Partnership Program relationship between Austria and the Vermont National Guard.

Metals Technology Airmen Keep Aircraft in the Air
December 1, 2023 — PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, Ore. - Tucked away on base is the unassuming metals technology shop. The exterior gives no clue to the mission-critical work performed behind those walls.Metals technology... MORE

Staff Sgt. Nathan Carssow, a 142nd Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology craftsman, machines a stringer for a tail cone Nov. 4, 2023, at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. By making the stringer in house, the wing has saved over $70,000.

First Lady Welcomes National Guard Families to White House
December 1, 2023 — WASHINGTON - For the second straight year, first lady Jill Biden welcomed National Guardsmen, spouses and children to the White House to discuss their challenges and how best to support them.The first... MORE

First lady Jill Biden welcomes National Guard senior leaders and family members for a roundtable discussion on support for National Guard children in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington Nov. 27, 2023. Attendees, including Guard children, and adjutants general, also joined the first lady’s presentation of the 2023 White House “Magic, Wonder & Joy” holiday theme and decorations.

New York Guard Soldiers Support Trees for Troops
November 30, 2023 — BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Ten Army National Guard Soldiers from New York’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion volunteered to help send 131 Christmas trees from a Saratoga County tree farm to military... MORE

Volunteers pass a tree to New York Army National Guard Spc. Matthew Clark, a recruiting assistant assigned to the 466th Area Support Medical Company, onto a FedEx truck during the annual Trees for Troops event in Ballston Spa, New York, Nov. 28, 2023. The event has been hosted at Ellms Tree Farm for 19 years.

144th Fighter Wing Provides Theater Security in Indo-Pacific
November 29, 2023 — FRESNO, Calif. - F-15C Eagle pilots, maintainers and support troops led by the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, as the 194th Fighter Generation... MORE

Airmen from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing repair an F-15C Eagle Nov. 16, 2023, at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Injured Skier
November 29, 2023 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Alaska Air National Guard members of the 176th Wing rescued an injured skier Nov. 16 near Arctic Valley about eight miles northeast of downtown Anchorage.The... MORE

A 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk takes off at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Chugach Mountains provide the backdrop and were the site of a Nov. 16, 2023, rescue of an injured skier at the range’s Arctic Valley.

Native Name Inspires Strength, Pride for Virginia Guardsman
November 28, 2023 — RICHMOND, Va. – First Lt. Gavin Steel traces his Native American heritage through his maternal and paternal grandmothers’ bloodlines. His maternal grandmother comes from the Eastern Band of Cherokee... MORE

Virginia National Guard 1st Lt. Gavin Steel, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, shown in Fort Moore, Georgia, after he completed Ranger School in 2021. Steel traces his Native American heritage through his grandmothers.

Exercise Sharpens Virginia Guard Unit’s Expeditionary Skills
November 28, 2023 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Mission Support Group, 192nd Wing, trained on... MORE

Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Mission Support Group, 192nd Wing, train on expeditionary skills during a field training exercise Nov. 3, 2023, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.

South Carolina Guard Airman Receives Bronze Star Medal
November 27, 2023 — MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. - Master Sgt. Christopher Vine with the 245th Air Traffic Control Squadron was recently awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his achievements while deployed to... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Vine, a radar, airfield, and weather systems technician with the 245th Air Traffic Control Squadron at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina Air National Guard, is presented the Bronze Star Medal from Lt. Col. Zachary Counts, the 245th ATCS commander, Oct. 15, 2023. Vine received the award for his achievements while deployed to Iraq in 2022.

Minnesota Air Guard Security Forces Train on High-Tech Drone
November 27, 2023 — CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - The 133rd Security Forces Squadron became the first National Guard unit to certify on the Skydio X2D drone in November.“The strategic plan for the Air Force going forward is to... MORE

The 133rd Security Forces Squadron out of St. Paul, Minnesota, completed initial training for the Skydio X2D drone at Camp Ripley Training Center in Little Falls, Minnesota, Nov. 13-15, 2023. The eight enlisted Airmen are the first National Guard troops to become certified on the X2D drone.

Guam Guard Hosts Central Pacific Cybersecurity Summit
November 27, 2023 — MANGILAO, Guam - Over 100 cybersecurity stakeholders gathered at the University of Guam for the 2024 Central Pacific Cybersecurity Summit, hosted by the Guam National Guard Nov. 6-7.Representatives... MORE

Federal, military, local government, and civilian stakeholders participate in the 2024 Central Pacific Cybersecurity Summit at the University of Guam, Nov. 6, 2023. Hosted by the Guam National Guard, the summit aimed to enhance local and national security by integrating cyber defense to deter adversaries and improve cyber resiliency.

Team Fairchild Demonstrates Readiness During Titan Fury
November 24, 2023 — FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. - Airmen assigned to the 92nd and the 141st Air Refueling Wings conducted exercise Titan Fury 24-1 Nov. 13-17.Airmen demonstrated how support activities contribute to... MORE

Airman 1st Class Ryan Howlett, left, and Senior Airman Keith Beamon, crew chiefs assigned to the 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, drain a drogue of residual fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Titan Fury 24-1 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Nov. 13, 2023. Titan Fury is a recurring total force exercise that ensures Fairchild’s Airmen are trained and ready to support strategic deterrence and the National Defense Strategy.