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Stewarding Service: Protecting Kentucky Derby Tradition
May 7, 2026 — 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...

Kentucky National Guard community recognized during Heroes Day at Keeneland
April 30, 2026 — Volunteers, youth leaders and family support staff with the Kentucky National Guard were recognized during Heroes Day at Keeneland Race Course April 12...

Kentucky welcomes newest officers
April 29, 2026 — 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...

Kentucky Native Col. Franklin (Shaune) Jones Promoted to Brigadier General
April 28, 2026 — 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...

Mayor, city council recognize Air Guard firefighters for plane crash response
April 24, 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...

Kentucky welcomes its newest targeting officer
April 21, 2026 — 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...

Aircraft arrive at Kentucky Air National Guard Base for Thunder air show
April 16, 2026 — Military aircraft began arriving at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base on April 16 in preparation for this weekend’s Thunder Over Louisville air show...

Ecuadorian military team visits Kentucky Guard to share disaster-response techniques
April 14, 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...

Kentucky Air Guard firefighters honored for civilian plane-crash response
April 10, 2026 — Eight firefighters from the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored here recently for their role in subduing a massive fire after a United Parcel Service cargo jet crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in 2025...

White House Honors National Guard-Supported Counterdrug Operations
April 9, 2026 — 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...

Kentucky National Guard Soldiers Support Army Reserve Best Squad Competition at Fort Knox
April 8, 2026 — Approximately ten Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard’s 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company (MRBC) supported the 2026 U.S. Army Reserve Combined Best Squad Competition at Fort Knox March 26, while simultaneously conducting their own annual training...

Kentucky National Guard hosts job shadow event in Bardstown
March 31, 2026 — The Kentucky National Guard hosted a job shadow event for ten local high school students at the National Guard Armory in Bardstown on March 24. Organized by the Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, the event provided students with a firsthand look at military careers such as combat medicine, field artillery, signal support, and equipment maintenance through interactive stations...

Weapons qualifications and leadership evaluations completed at WHFRTC
March 31, 2026 — The 103rd Brigade Support Battalion conducted training in Greenville, Ky., March 20-21. Soldiers qualified on various weapons, leaders were evaluated, and the battalion's logistical capabilities were tested to ensure the unit remains a prepared and effective force...

Guard Airmen earn Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal for life-saving actions
March 31, 2026 — Master Sgt. Sarah Cobb and Lt. Col. Daniel Dierfeldt were awarded the Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base on Dec. 14 for their role in saving the life of an Airman undergoing cardiac arrest...

Kentucky names 2026 ‘Best Warriors’
March 25, 2026 — Twenty Kentucky Army National Guard Soldiers representing major commands across the commonwealth competed in the 2026 Best Warrior Competition at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, March 20-22...

Kentucky Air Guard honors top Airmen
March 25, 2026 — The Kentucky Air National Guard recognized the 123rd Airlift Wing’s top Airmen for 2026 during the Airman’s Gala in Louisville on March 14...

Kentucky Guard medics sharpen lifesaving skills
March 24, 2026 — Kentucky Army National Guard medics from around the state sharpened their lifesaving skills during a two-week annual recertification course at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, Feb. 21- March 6. The course brought together combat medics, combat paramedics and critical care flight paramedics–all military occupational specialty 68W–to refresh critical medical knowledge and ensure they remain fully qualified to provide care in combat environments...

Kentucky surpasses expectations through ‘KEEP’, a non-traditional National Guard recruiting program
March 18, 2026 — In response to nationwide recruiting struggles, the Kentucky National Guard has implemented a successful new strategy. The Kentucky Enlistment Enhancement Program (KEEP) incentivizes its own Soldiers and Airmen—not professional recruiters—to find new enlistees. This approach has proven highly effective, bringing more than 600 new members into the Kentucky force since its inception in February 2023...

Kentucky Guard answers the call for Winter Storm Fern
March 12, 2026 — More than 2,200 Kentucky National Guard Soldiers and Airmen activated to support emergency operations across the state as Winter Storm Fern swept through the commonwealth in late January...

Kentucky National Guard ‘Ready for the Future,’ Army Guard Director Tells Leaders
March 11, 2026 — The director of the Army National Guard praised the Kentucky National Guard’s combat readiness, domestic response capabilities and international partnerships during remarks at a leadership conference, Feb. 28...

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