Kentucky Guard

Kentucky Army National Guard veteran awarded bronze star with valor
June 13, 2022 — A Kentucky Army National Guard veteran was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor in a ceremony at the Owensboro Armory in Owensboro, Ky. on June 10, 2022... MORE

Kentucky National Guard veteran Sgt. John Burlew speaks to friends and family that attend an awards ceremony at the Owensboro Armory in Owensboro, Ky. on June 10, 2022. Burlew was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for actions in Afghanistan in 2002 (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson).

Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the death of Lieutenant Hugh Wilson McKee.
June 11, 2022 — Navy Lieutenant Hugh Wilson McKee was a native of Lexington, Kentucky, where he was born on April 23, 1844. Hugh was the youngest son of William Robertson and Jane Wilson McKee and named after his maternal grandfather, Hugh Wilson. His father, Colonel William R. McKee was a graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and in 1847, was killed while leading the Second Kentucky Foot at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican War. Hugh’s older brother, George Wilson McKee followed in their father’s footsteps, graduating West Point in 1863. During the Civil War George served in the Union Army, as a Major of Ordinance and commander of the Frankford Arsenal at Philadelphia... MORE

Hugh Wilson McKee, US Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Kentucky National Guard Soldier plays TAPS with childhood Bugle hero on Memorial Day 2022
June 2, 2022 — In 2010, Spc. Anthony Rayburn, 223rd Military Police Company, witnessed his first bugle call during a Boy Scout's event at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Steve Buttleman, the official bugler of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, played for the group of young men, where 10-year-old Rayburn vividly recalls telling his mother after, "When I grow up, I want to do that."... MORE

Spc. Anthony Rayburn, 223rd Military Police Company, and Steve Buttleman, the official bugler of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, play Taps on Memorial Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., May 30, 2022. Rayburn was inspired to learn the bugle after Buttleman played for the group of young Boy Scouts in 2010.

Names of 13 fallen Soldiers added to Kentucky National Guard Memorial
June 1, 2022 — The names of 13 fallen Soldiers were added to the Kentucky National Guard Memorial during a ceremony in Frankfort, Kentucky, May 30, 2022, recognizing their ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom... MORE

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James R. Tongate, left, Kentucky Air National Guard state command chief; and Army Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, the adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, place a wreath at the Kentucky National Guard Memorial during a ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., May 30, 2022. The memorial honors 286 Solders and Airmen from the Kentucky Guard who have paid the ultimate price for freedom since 1912. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Kentucky National Guard participates in Tradewinds 22
May 31, 2022 — Kentucky National Guard Soldiers traveled out of the country to support Operation Tradewinds 22 in Belize between Aug. 29 through May 25, 2022. Almost 40 Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 75th Troop Command, including six support Soldiers from other units, set up brigade level operations to support 1,802 servicemembers from 22 partner nations at the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) at Price Barracks... MORE

Kentucky National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 75th Troop Command poses for a group photo at the end of Operation Tradewinds 2022 at Price Barracks, Belize on May 20, 2022. HHD, 75th Troop Command provided brigade level support to Tradewinds 22, a multinational exercise designed to expand the Caribbean region’s capability to mitigate, plan for and respond to crises; increase regional training capacity and interoperability; develop new and refine existing standard operating procedures (SOPs); enhance ability to defend exclusive economic zones (EEZ); and promote human rights and adherence to shared international norms and values; fully integrate women into defense, peace and security missions; and increase maritime domain awareness to deter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Dickson).

My Sapper School Experience
May 18, 2022 — Sapper Leader Course is the premier leadership school for the Engineer Regiment. The 28-day training is broken up into two, two-week phases. The first phase -- General Subjects focuses heavily on Engineering tasks from expedient demolitions, engagement area development, obstacle emplacement, obstacle breaching, along with mobility and counter-mobility operations. Additionally, there are physical fitness events, mountaineering, air operations, and land navigation blocks of instruction during this phase... MORE

A SAPPER Soldier is responsible for tasks such as building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines.

Malawi Defense Force JAG visits Boone Center, Guard Staff Judge Advocates
May 17, 2022 — Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard's legal team hosted Brig. Gen. Dan Kuwali of the Malawi Defense Force, for a 2-day visit that included a tour of Kentucky's Capital building and presentations to Guardsmen Apr. 21-22... MORE

Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard's legal team hosted Brig. Gen. Dan Kuwali of the Malawi Defense Force, for a 2-day visit that included a tour of Kentucky's Capital building and presentations to Guardsmen Apr. 21-22.

Several countries, ONE TEAM, Tradewinds 22
May 16, 2022 — Two Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard’s Directorate of Information Management (DOIM) traveled to Belize to support U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)-sponsored Operation Tradewinds 2022 in May, 2022. Maj. Stephen Young, the J6 plans and policy officer for DOIM and Staff Sgt. Brian Bingham, the mission command (MC) spectrum manager, conducted many forms of planning, resourcing and installing communications for Combat Net Radios (CNR), AN/PRC-150s (base-station, man-pack and antennae radios), satellite messaging handhelds and satellite phones for use at multiple locations in Belize and Mexico... MORE

Kentucky National Guard Staff Sgt. Brian Bingham and Maj. Stephen Young pose beside the sign for the Belize Coast Guard (BCG) Forward Operating Base in Calabash Caye, Belize on May 6, 2022. Bingham and Young worked with the BCG to establish communications between all the different training sites involved in SOUTHCOM-sponsored Operations Tradewinds 2022 (U.S. Army photo courtesy of Maj. Stephen Young).

Derby 148 back in full force and so was the Kentucky Guard
May 7, 2022 — Soldiers of the 223rd ensured that the return to the first 100% capacity Derby since the COVID-19 pandemic was safe and enjoyable for this year’s attendees... MORE

The Kentucky National Guard has been assisting local security and police every year for the past 116 years.

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

Two Soldiers from the 2/138th Field Artillery Bn. wait for the command to load thir 105mm howitzer on the Second Street Bridge on April 23, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. The Soldiers manned six – 105mm howitzers in support of Kentucky's Thunder over Louisville. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Wilhoit)

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

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