Kentucky Guard

Thompson named KYANG First Sergeant of the Year
March 25, 2023 — Master Sgt. Joshua Thompson of the 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron has been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 2022 First Sergeant of the Year... MORE

Master Sgt. Joshua Thompson of the 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron has been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 2022 First Sergeant of the Year. Thompson amassed more than 500 hours as an instructor at Maintenance University, leading 325 service members through 12 days of training events and increasing the squadron’s overall aircraft proficiency. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

Grugel oversaw STS growth, retires after 31 years
March 24, 2023 — Chief Master Sgt. Karl Grugel, senior enlisted leader of the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, concluded 31 years of distinguished military service during a retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here Dec. 10, 2022... MORE

Retired Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Wilkinson, left, former assistant adjutant general for Air in the Kentucky National Guard, presents a Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal to Chief Master Sgt. Karl Grugel, senior enlisted leader for the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, during Grugel’s retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 10, 2022. Grugel served the Air Force and Air National Guard for 31 years. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Contingency Response Group renames squadrons
March 23, 2023 — The two squadrons which comprise the 123rd Contingency Response Group were redesignated during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here Oct. 15, 2022... MORE

Brig. Gen. David J. Mounkes, right, assistant adjutant general for Air, sheathes a retired contingency response squadron guidon with the help of Maj. Andrew Kochman during a redesignation ceremony Oct. 16, 2022, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. During the event, the 123rd Global Mobility Readiness Squadron was renamed the 123rd Contingency Response Support Squadron, and the 123rd Global Mobility Squadron was renamed the 123rd Contingency Response Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Honor Guard certifies new Soldiers
March 22, 2023 — Around ten Soldiers from units around Kentucky learned the proper way to fold the flag and present it. They also worked on drill and ceremony and even practiced taps on the bugle... MORE

Soldiers from around the commonwealth were educated, graded and assessed in the ways of the Kentucky National Guard Honor Guard March 20-26.

Time capsule left by decorated Kentucky Guard MP unit found in Fort McCoy barracks nearly two decades after unit left for Operation Iraqi Freedom
March 20, 2023 — In November 2004, the 617th Military Police Company of the Kentucky National Guard was one of many military units completing their mobilization at Fort McCoy for deployment. It was in that month the unit wrapped up their training at Wisconsin’s only Army installation and prepared to head off to Iraq for a year deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before they left, however, some members of the unit decided they'd put together a “time capsule” of sorts in a plastic drawer they got from the Fort McCoy Exchange, put some mementos in it, and stash it away in the walls of one of the hundreds of barracks on the installation’s cantonment area... MORE

Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company are shown ikn November 2004 at Fort McCoy, Wis. The unit, before they were deployed to Iraq, were mobilized at Fort McCoy and had left a time capsule in a barracks at McCoy that was discovered in late 2022 by contractors working on Fort McCoy barracks. The company placed the makeshift time capsule in the walls of the barracks thinking they’d come back to it after their deployment completed in 2005 but they forgot about it. The 617th completed their mobilization at Fort McCoy from October to November 2004 and then their demobilization a year later. The unit also is one of the most decorated combat National Guard military police units after completing that deployment. (Contributed photo)

Infantry Battalion completes mission with reintegration program
March 20, 2023 — More than 200 Soldiers and their families attended the event that added to the more than 1.5 million individuals impacted by the program. The Soldiers were part of NATO’s Kosovo Forces (KFOR) mission as KFOR 30, marking the 30th rotation for U.S. Soldiers. For many of the Soldiers, this was their first deployment... MORE

YRRP has promoted the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and their communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle.

Kentucky’s Civil Response Team Hosts Multi-agency Exercise
March 17, 2023 — Around 20 Soldiers from the 75th Troop Command’s, 41st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (CST), along with Soldiers from CSTs from seven other states’ National Guards, Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), conducted the one-day exercise in preparation for the Kentucky Derby festivities March 14... MORE

During their search, they had to assess victims, test the air quality and investigate suspicions packages.

Kentucky Guardsman takes charge of active-duty division
March 9, 2023 — Brig. Gen. Bryan M. Howay, Kentucky's Land Component Commander and Director of the Joint Staff, has been serving as acting commander for an active-duty unit, First Army Division East, since December 2022... MORE

Brig. Gen. Bryan M. Howay speaks during the Spring 2023 Commander's Forum at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Feb. 23, 2023.

Warrant officer applicants attend new National Guard course
March 8, 2023 — The Army warrant officer is a technical and tactical leader who is critical to today’s operational environment and is a subject matter expert for both enlisted and commissioned officers in their branch. The Kentucky National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate Accession Program (WOCAP) is a streamlined process to help Soldiers achieve their goals of becoming a warrant officer. The path to becoming a warrant officer is not an easy task for many of the branches and depends on the Soldier’s experiences in both their military and civilian careers and education... MORE

Army Warrant Officer Tucker Huff (center) talks to warrant officer applicants during the Warrant Officer Candidate Accession Program (WOCAP) at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky. on Oct. 15, 2022. Huff recently graduated Warrant Officer Candidate School and is giving advice to Soldiers applying to become warrant officers. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

Congressional staff visit Kentucky National Guard
February 28, 2023 — Staff members from Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation spent the day at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 17, 2023, meeting Soldiers and Airmen, and learning about the robust mission capabilities of the Kentucky Guard... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dustin Turner of the 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight, briefs staff members from Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation about unit capabilities Feb. 17, 2023, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. The staffers were touring the base to learn more about the mission sets of the Kentucky National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Kentucky hosts Leadership Development Day
February 27, 2023 — More than 900 Soldiers and Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard attended Leadership Development Day at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Feb. 5, 2023. Governor Andy Beshear started the event off with an address to the officers and senior enlisted personnel in the audience followed by a presentation of awards to Airmen and Soldiers for their exceptional service. ... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton, adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, addresses more than 900 Soldiers and Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard during Leadership Development Day, held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 5, 2023. The event, for officers and senior enlisted troops, also featured presentations by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear; U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville, vice chief of the National Guard Bureau; U.S. Army Maj. Gen Troy Galloway, deputy commanding general of the Army National Guard; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Landes, commander of First Army East; and U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, deputy director of the Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Sgt. 1st Class Lori Lawson wins state and region Recruiter of the Year
February 15, 2023 — Sgt. 1st Class Lori Lawson earns the Army National Guard Recruiter of the Year award for the state and region competition... MORE

Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Lori Lawson, a member of Bravo Company, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, poses for a photo at the Kentucky Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention headquarters building in Frankfort, Kentucky, on February 15, 2023. Lawson won Recruiter of the Year for the state and region for fiscal year 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Reno)

Kentucky Guard Airmen supporting exercise in South Pacific
February 14, 2023 — A team of contingency response Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard arrived in the Northern Mariana Islands Feb. 12, 2023, to provide cargo handling and aircraft maintenance services for Cope North, a multinational exercise designed to enhance combat readiness in the South Pacific... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Monica Sealey, a loadmaster with the North Carolina Air National Guard’s 156th Airlift Squadron, directs the loading of a vehicle onto a C-17 Globemaster III at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 10, 2023. The vehicle is being transported to the Northern Mariana Islands for Cope North, a multinational exercise designed to enhance combat readiness in the South Pacific. Fourteen Kentucky Air Guardsmen from the 123rd Contingency Response Group are providing air base-opening and cargo-handling capabilities for Cope North. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company conducts Water Jump
February 13, 2023 — Soldiers of the 20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company (MICO) conducted a water jump at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, Aug. 6, 2022. The jump was conducted to enhance the company’s proficiency in conducting airborne operations that require a water landing... MORE

Soldiers of the 20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company (MICO) conducted a water jump at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, Aug. 6, 2022. The jump was conducted to enhance the company’s proficiency in conducting airborne operations that require a water landing. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Caleb Sooter)

Longtime Kentucky aviator retires
February 7, 2023 — After thirty plus years of service as an aviator in the Kentucky Army National Guard, one of Kentucky’s finest Soldiers will be moving on to something new... MORE

Army Col. Gary Dwayne Lewis receives a plague of appreciation from Col. Michael Armstrong, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade commander, for his service to the Guard during the retiree's breakfast at the Army Aviation Support Facility on Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky.

ASA-Black Sea Fire Department wins IMCOM-E Fire Department of the Year and Military Officer of the Year, recognized by IMCOM leaders
February 7, 2023 — The fire department at ASA-Black Sea is responsible for providing fire protection and emergency services to the base and its surrounding areas, along with inspections throughout the installation to ensure fire prevention... MORE

Col. Jonathan Doyle, Provost Marshal/Protection Director of IMCOM speaks to Soldiers standing in front of the ASA-Black Sea fire station at MK Air Base on 20 January, 2023.

Kentucky Infantry officer promoted to colonel
January 30, 2023 — Kentucky Army National Guard Lt. Col. Jason P. Penn was promoted to the rank of colonel during a ceremony at Wellman Armory in Frankfort, Ky. on Jan. 18, 2023. Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, Kentucky’s adjutant general, hosted the event and provided remarks... MORE

Jason P. Penn is promoted to colonel during a ceremony at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Kentucky, Jan. 18, 2023.

First female Kentucky Army National Guard master sergeant honored
January 12, 2023 — Retired Army Master Sgt. Wilma J. Ross, 81, was laid to rest with military honors at Grove Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville, Ky., on Dec. 3, 2022. Ross, from Shelbyville, served more than 24 years in the military and was the first female to be promoted to the rank of master sergeant in the Kentucky Army National Guard... MORE

Army 1st Sgt. Naarah Stallard presents a folded flag to Paulette Ross, daughter of Master Sgt. Wilma Ross, a retiree of the Kentucky Army National Guard at the Grove Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville, Ky. on Dec. 9, 2022. Wilma Ross retired after 24 years of service and passed away at the age of 81. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

Resiliency leads to the Kentucky National Guard’s first female infantry officer
January 4, 2023 — In January 2022, the Kentucky Army National Guard welcomed the commonwealth’s first female infantry officer to the team... MORE

Mountain Warriors Complete NATO Mission
December 21, 2022 — Approximately 200 Soldiers returned from their mission in Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian. The Soldiers were part of NATO’s Kosovo Forces (KFOR) mission as KFOR 30, representing the thirtieth rotation for U.S. Soldiers... MORE

Lt. Col. Jason Mendez, commander of the 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Brigade, shares a laugh with his family at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Ky., after he and his unit arrived home from their deployment to Kosovo Nov. 17, 2022.

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