Kentucky Guard

Guarding Thunder over Louisville: a Behind the Scenes Look at the Kentucky National Guard's Involvement in one of the State's Most Significant Annual Events
April 30, 2022 — On April 23rd the Louisville waterfront hosted the 33rd annual Thunder Over Louisville in coordination with the Kentucky Derby Festival. The Kentucky National Guard supported the event in several capacities from the air and on the ground. This is a behind-the-scenes story of the KYNG Thunder Over Louisville mission... MORE

Several units from three Kentucky National Guard Brigades and the 123rd Air Lift Wing supported local agencies in a variety of ways during the 50th Anniversary of Thunder over Louisville Air Show, on April 24, 2022, on Louisville’s Great Lawn.

Kentucky Guard hosts first Senior Leader Engagement with Ecuador in over a decade
April 27, 2022 — Key leaders from the Kentucky Army and Air National Guard welcomed Ecuadorian military forces and political leaders from March 28 through 31, 2022, for the most significant Ecuadorian delegation visit to the United States in over a decade... MORE

Ecuadorian leaders visit Kentucky National Guard as a part of the State Partnership Program on March 28, 2022, in Frankfort, Kentucky. The week-long engagement is the first in-person conference the two countries have held together since 2018.

Thunder air show draws large crowds for 75th Air Force celebration
April 25, 2022 — Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the banks of the Ohio River on April 23 for the annual Thunder Over Louisville air show, which marked its return with more than 30 aircraft to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Air Force... MORE

The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va., performs an aerial demonstration over the Ohio River in downtown Louisville, Ky., April 23, 2022 as part of the Thunder Over Louisville air show. This year’s event celebrated the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff inspires next generation of cadets to serve
April 25, 2022 — Gen. David W. Allvin, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, encouraged the military’s next generation of leaders to remain flexible and embrace innovation during a reception held at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, April 22... MORE

U.S. Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, speaks to ROTC cadets at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., April 22, 2022. Allvin was in town for the Thunder Over Louisville air show, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. The Kentucky Air Guard served as the base of operations for military aircraft participating in the event. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Aviators Get Dunked
April 24, 2022 — The course put Soldiers in a chamber resembling the troop area of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that submerged and flipped over in an indoor pool. The training given allowed the Soldiers to develop survival skills that could save their lives if they were ever in a helicopter crash over water... MORE

Dunker is a training that prepares helicopter pilots and crew members in life saving measure if they were to ever find themselves having to abandon their air craft in an inadvertent submerged situation.

Kentucky Guard brings “Thunder” back to Louisville
April 23, 2022 — More than 450 Kentucky National Guard Soldiers and Airmen supported this year’s event by manning the cannons on the Clark Memorial Bridge, providing security and traffic control, as well as participating in the airshow... MORE

Thunder Over Louisville kicks off the two week celebration leading up to the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Guard gives helicopter rides to ChalleNGe Academy cadets
April 21, 2022 — The youth challenge programs are a 22-week alternative education program for at-risk kids that gives them the opportunity to learn various skills, values and self-discipline. Each year they partner with the Kentucky National Guard and allow the teens to get a ride over Frankfort in a military aircraft. Something these kids never imagined getting to do and are even scared to do. ... MORE

Each year they partner with the Guard and allow the teens to get a ride over Frankfort in a military aircraft. Something these kids never imagined getting to do and are even scared to do.

Aircraft arrive at Kentucky Air Guard Base for Thunder air show
April 21, 2022 — Military aircraft began arriving at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, April 21, 2022 for this weekend’s Thunder Over Louisville air show, including the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team... MORE

A U.S. Air Force pilot guides his F-22 Raptor to a parking spot on the flight line of the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 21, 2022. The two-ship Raptor Demonstration Team
will be among the highlights of this year’s Thunder Over Louisville air show, to be held on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville on April 23. The event, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force, is slated to feature more than 30 military and civilian aircraft, including the B-2 Spirit, C-17 Globemaster III, CV-22 Osprey, CH-53 Sea Stallion, F-16 Viper and UH-60 Blackhawk, in addition to eight historic warbirds like the B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress and P-51 Mustang. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

The Mystery of “Old Long Tom” Kentucky’s Mexican-American War Trophy
April 18, 2022 — The story of “Old Long Tom” and his brother Kentucky’s Mexican-American War Trophies is an interesting one, which has never been fully told. What happened to “Tom” and his brother after they were removed from the State Arsenal by Confederate forces in the fall of 1862, is still a mystery waiting to be discovered... MORE

6th U.S. Infantry, The Battle of Cerro Gordo, Mexico, April 18, 1847

History is made during change of command
April 15, 2022 — With Davies becoming the battery commander, it makes her the first female Field Artillery commander in the history of the Kentucky National Guard... MORE

The unit guidon representing an historic exchange of command was handed off to Army Capt. Taylor Davies as she assumed command of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery Brigade in a ceremony Mar. 27.

New BAOs for Ecuador and Djibouti
April 15, 2022 — The Kentucky National Guard has two new leaders heading up the State partnership program as their Bilateral Affairs Officers for Ecuador and Djibouti. ... MORE

Air Force 1st Lt. Joshua Selby will be the Bilateral Affairs Officer in Ecuador responsible for planning and executing future subject matter expert exchanges, key leader engagements, and exercises between both the Kentucky State Partnership Program, US SOUTHCOM, and all branches of the Ecuadorian military

Walker promoted to major general in Capitol Rotunda ceremony
April 14, 2022 — Charles M. Walker, the Kentucky Air National Guard’s chief of staff, was promoted to the rank of major general during a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, Kentucky, March 12, 2022... MORE

Charles M. Walker is promoted to the rank of major general during ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, Ky., March 12, 2022. Walker, who previously served as chief of staff for the Kentucky Air National Guard, is the director of the Office of Complex Investigations at the National Guard Bureau. Participating in the ceremony were Walker’s wife, Suleena Walker (right), and J. Michael Brown, left, secretary of the executive cabinet for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

A Call to Action
April 12, 2022 — It seemed like just another day in the city of Kamenica, Kosovo. Traffic was much heavier than normal and at a standstill with a tractor-trailer blocking the road. Sgt. Jessey McDaniel, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Kentucky National Guard, and member of one of Kosovo Force’s Liaison Monitoring Teams, was traveling to a Soldier level engagement with the director of economic development for Kamenica. Just outside of Partes, Kosovo, McDaniel and a teammate circumvented the traffic to assess the situation. They found a live power line lying in the road and a man nearby... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Jessey McDaniel, an infantryman with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Kentucky National Guard, and member of one of Kosovo Force's Liaison Monitoring Teams, poses for a photograph at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, April 8, 2022. McDaniel, a native of Lexington, Ky., is part of the U.S.'s 30th rotation of the KFOR mission, which is committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people of Kosovo. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexander Hellmann 1-149 INF)

Ecuadorian Army’s demining effort gets new, updated equipment
April 11, 2022 — Ecuadorian civil engineers recently welcomed a team of Air National Guard, active duty Air Force and civilian personnel from U.S. Southern Command to observe, train and equip a battalion of demining soldiers... MORE

Col. Jaime Gómez (left), U.S. Senior Defense Official, and Brig. Gen. Edwin Adatty (right), Commander, Ecuadorian Army Corps of Engineers, sign equipment transfer documents at a ceremony held on Feb. 25, 2022, in Sangolquí, Ecuador. The equipment, from U.S. Southern Command, will be used to help clear the last remaining part of the country's southern border so it can be returned to the local population for farming and other activities. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Allison Stephens)

Kentucky Air Guardsmen rescue drowning infant
April 7, 2022 — Three Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron saved the life of a drowning infant at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center in Louisville, Kentucky, March 15, 2022... MORE

Three pararescuemen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Special Tactics Squadron rescued a drowning infant at a pool in Louisville, Ky., March 15, 2022. Master Sgt. Elmer Quijada, left; Tech. Sgt. Ryan Penne, center; and Master Sgt. Devin Butcher, who were conducting unrelated training at the pool and are certified paramedics, administered life-saving aid to the child, who had stopped breathing. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Ky. Air Guard Public Affairs earns 4 more national awards, eclipsing triple-digit mark
March 30, 2022 — Public Affairs specialists from the Kentucky Air National Guard earned four awards of excellence in the 2021 Air National Guard media contest, the National Guard Bureau announced March 24, bringing their total number of national honors to 103... MORE

Senior Airman Eric Burk (left) and Master Sgt. Judson Wisely, loadmasters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Operations Group, simulate an airdrop June 14, 2021, over mountain terrain in Puerto Rico as part of Maintenance University. Kentucky aircrews also re-certified on low-level tactical maneuvers and open-ocean flying during the week-long event. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Kentucky Air Guard special tactics Airmen train for arctic warfare in Sweden
March 29, 2022 — Fifteen Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard recently completed an arctic warfare training course during two weeks of field exercises at the Swedish Subarctic Warfare Center... MORE

Airmen with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron fire their M4 rifles while on skis at a range in Grubbnäsudden, Sweden, Jan. 13, 2022. Fifteen members from the 123rd STS — including combat controllers; pararescuemen; special reconnaissance personnel; search, evasion, resistance and escape troops; and support Airmen — came here to build upon their relationship with European partners during an arctic warfare training course. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Ewing, Wright, Zena named Kentucky Air Guard’s Airmen of the Year for 2021
March 12, 2022 — Senior Airman Xavier Ewing, Tech. Sgt. Elijah Wright and Master Sgt. Andrew Zena will be honored at a banquet in Louisville, Kentucky, March 12 as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 2021 Airmen of the Year... MORE

Senior Airman Xavier Ewing has been named the 2021 Kentucky Air National Guard Airman of the Year in the Airman category. Ewing is a C-130 Hercules crew chief in the 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Thunder air show returns to banks of Ohio River with KYANG aircraft
March 5, 2022 — The Thunder Over Louisville air show will return to the banks of the Ohio River April 23 for the first time in three years with a salute to the United States Air Force, organizers announced in Louisville, Kentucky, March 3... MORE

Kentucky Air Guardsman recalls Evansville crash 30 years later
February 28, 2022 — Steve Bullard remembers the morning of Feb. 6, 1992 with perfect clarity. That day, the former Kentucky Air National Guard navigator was pulled off a fatal C-130B Hercules training flight just minutes before takeoff. ... MORE

The base newspaper of the 123rd Tactical Airlift Wing provided coverage of a fatal C-130B Hercules crash in Evansville, Ind., on Feb. 6 1992. The mishap claimed 16 lives. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

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