Brig. Gen. Franklin “Shaune” Jones, a native of Owingsville, Kentucky, was promoted by Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, in a ceremony at the National Guard Memorial Museum, April 3, 2026.

Seven members of the Ecuadorian armed services visited Kentucky recently to learn more about how the Kentucky National Guard responds to emergencies and to share their own techniques for disaster operations.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recognized National Guard counterdrug programs for support to 10 award-winning law enforcement investigations during the National Drug Control Awards Ceremony, April 2.

Historic artifacts discovered in a hidden time capsule inside a Fort McCoy barracks building are now on public display at the Fort McCoy History Center following a new exhibit completed in April 2026 by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office. The exhibit features items that were hidden by Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company in 2004 before the unit deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The collection was unexpectedly discovered nearly two decades later during renovation work in a World War II-era barracks building at Fort McCoy.

Fifty-three retired members of the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored in Louisville April 18 when a plaque bearing their names was unveiled in front of the 123rd Airlift Wing’s Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway Headquarters Building.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Miller returned to the 152nd Kentucky Derby to lead the joint-service trophy detail at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., May 2, 2026. Transitioning from trophy carrier to noncommissioned officer in charge, Miller’s experience highlights a commitment to the Commonwealth’s traditions and exemplifies how NCOs steward the profession through developing the next generation of leaders.

Volunteers, youth leaders and family support staff with the Kentucky National Guard were recognized during Heroes Day at Keeneland Race Course April 12.

Kentucky Officer Candidate School Class 68-26 commissioned in Frankfort, April 18, 2026, following 12 months of rigorous training. Kentucky's newest officers have been tested and are mission-ready leaders, prepared to serve the Commonwealth at home and the nation abroad.

Brig. Gen. Franklin “Shaune” Jones, a native of Owingsville, Kentucky, was promoted by Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, in a ceremony at the National Guard Memorial Museum, April 3, 2026.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and members of the Metro Council paid tribute April 20 to firefighters from the Kentucky Air National Guard and emergency responders from more than 40 other agencies for their coordinated efforts to extinguish a massive blaze after a cargo plane crashed near Grade Lane on Nov. 4.

Friends and family gathered to celebrate U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Elijah Johnson’s appointment to warrant officer during a ceremony in Lexington, Feb. 10, 2026. Johnson is Kentucky’s newest field artillery targeting technician, assigned to the 138th Operational Fires Command.