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  • Fighting wildfires almost year-round, Guard preps for more

    ARLINGTON, Va. – The Hermit’s Peak Fire in New Mexico is now the largest fire in state history, scorching more than 310,000 acres and prompting the governor to activate nearly 180 New Mexico National Guard members. The New Mexico Guard is not alone in battling 2022 blazes before the June start of

  • Idaho National Guard assists at minimum-security prison

    BOISE, Idaho – Spc. Kyle Shuman grew up an Army brat and wanted to join the Army himself. Five years ago, he enlisted into the Idaho Army National Guard as a 68W combat medic.“I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” he said. “He used to say good things about the military. I thought that being in

  • 124th SFS conducts joint operations in wing focus exercise

    BOISE, Idaho – Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines participated in joint training as part of a wing focus exercise at the Orchard Combat Training Center south of Gowen Field Feb. 5.During this portion of the exercise, members of the 124th Security Forces Squadron, the 124th Air Support Operations

  • Year in Review: National Guard delivered at home and abroad

    ARLINGTON, Va. – When a series of tornadoes slashed across parts of eight Midwest states late in the evening of Dec. 10, Spc. Zach Neisz sprang into action. He grabbed an ax, flashlight and medical kit and drove to Dawson Springs, Kentucky, to help any way he could.“I couldn’t sit back and not do

  • Idaho Guard sends wildland firefighting crew to northern Idaho

    BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho National Guard made organizational history by sending wildland Firefighter Type 2 Red Card-certified Soldiers and Airmen to northern Idaho to fight fires for the first time.The newly assigned crewmembers of Task Force Timber Shield left Boise Aug. 4 to help the Idaho

  • National Guard well-equipped to handle West Coast wildfires

    ARLINGTON, Va. – When wildfires happen in the West, the National Guard is there to fight those fires. And for now, they've got a good handle on the effort, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said."We've got 500 people and about 19 aircraft," on the firefighting mission, Army Gen. Daniel R.

  • Challenge accepted: from Youth ChalleNGe to Soldier

    PIERCE, Idaho – The Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy’s newest class of candidates is currently going through a two-week acclimation phase. During this phase, candidates are challenged to adapt to the program’s rigid schedule, strict rules and culture of personal accountability.The academy conducts two

  • Idaho Guardsmen step in to help care for ailing WWII veteran

    BOISE, Idaho – Members of the 124th Security Forces Squadron went above and beyond to assist a 96-year-old World War II veteran.Retired Capt. William Brand was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot with the Eighth Air Force in Okinawa, Japan, during WWII. He now lives in Hailey, Idaho, but regularly travels to

  • National Guard, partners to conduct ORCA 21 CBRNE exercise

    JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Hundreds of National Guard Civil Support Team units from 11 states will participate in Exercise ORCA 2021 in Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Seward with emergency responders and other Guard units.During the May 17-21 exercise, participants will

  • Siblings serve in Idaho Guard as Citizen-Soldier, Airman

    BOISE, Idaho – Maj. Christopher Lavelle and his younger sister, Master Sgt. Kerry Lavelle, are known on Gowen Field as "the Lavelles." They have served on base as full-time technicians for several years and as traditional Guardsmen in the Idaho National Guard for nearly 20 years."It's been fun