14 Feb 2008

Commission: Invest in the National Guard

An independent commission has recommended changes for the National Guard and the five other reserve components to reflect their transformation from a strategic reserve to an operational force. "At the core of these changes is the explicit recognition of the evolution of the reserve components from a purely strategic force, with lengthy mobilization

14 Feb 2008

Air Guard Chief Appointed CCAF Vice Commandant

A chief master sergeant from the South Dakota Air National Guard became a part of the Community College of the Air Force's (CCAF) history books in January when he was appointed as its first enlisted vice commandant. As vice commandant, Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Thornell now works as a senior enlisted manager for the CCAF at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force

25 Jan 2008

Reserve Airmen train Guardsmen on Raptor

Reservists here are training members of the Air National Guard as part of total force integration.Airmen from the 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here trained 13 Airmen from the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing Jan. 13 on take-off and recovery procedures for the F-22 Raptor. The Air Guard unit is stationed at nearby Kulis Air National

25 Jan 2008

Total force provides seamless airlift support

Nearly 60 Air National Guardsmen finished a 10-week tour of duty Jan. 11 with the 38th Airlift Squadron here where they'd collectively hauled more than 283 tons of cargo throughout Europe in 109 sorties on C-130 Hercules aircraft.Their mission was a testament of how seamlessly Guard, Reserve and active-duty members have learned to work together as

16 Jan 2008

Oregon F-15s to fly again

After more than two months of being grounded, the F-15s from the 173rd Fighter Wing were expected to start flying again Jan. 10.The jets have been grounded since Nov. 2 after a Missouri Air National Guard F-15 from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport broke apart during flight and crashed. Since then, all F-15 units around the country have been

9 Jan 2008

Upgraded A-10s prove worth in Iraq

A new version of the A-10 Thunderbolt II has been flying over Iraq providing close-air support for the ground troops from Al Asad Air Base for nearly two months.As part of the Precision Engagement Upgrade Program, the Maryland Air National Guard's 175th Wing has been converting it's A-10s from A to C models."We are the first A-10C model squadron to

9 Jan 2008

Air Guard pilots, maintainers make history in Iraq

Capt. Brian "Snap" Curland, a deployed member of the 175th Fighter Wing, Maryland Air National Guard, made history here when he dropped the first Joint Direct Attack Munition from the newly upgraded A-10C Thunderbolt II in combat Sept. 19.The captain's strike, and the Air Guard's participation and support of precision engagement for the A-10, mark

9 Jan 2008

National Guard's eye in the sky wows firefighters

In the same sky from which the National Guard drops flame-suffocating retardant and dumps water on the Southern California wildfires, a camera hanging from the belly of an aircraft gives firefighters unprecedented information about their enemy's progress.The National Guard's fleet of 11 sleek, gray RC-26 aircraft have been a key asset assisting law

9 Jan 2008

ELC phase one nears completion

The first phase of a $10.2 million project to construct the Expeditionary Legal Complex here inches closer to completion as Air Guard civil engineers put their finishing touches on its various structures.With a scheduled phase one completion date of Jan. 15, Air Force Lt. Col. James Starnes, commander of the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineering

9 Jan 2008

Nevada senator surveys flooding; Guard provided meals to displaced

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid inspected the flooded town of Fernely, Nev., in a Nevada Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Monday and requested President George Bush declare the Fernley flood a disaster, making home and business owners and the town eligible for federal aid.Reid said he would make it his priority to get the town's residents back into