Kentucky Guard

Kentucky National Guard Welcomes New Military Judge
July 25, 2022 — Military attorneys from all branches of the Department of Defense attended the Military Judge Course at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School where they received advanced schooling required to qualify as military judges at courts-martial. Army Lt. Col. Richard Couch, a JAG Officer for the Kentucky National Guard and Assistant Clay County Attorney in Manchester, Kentucky was officially robed during an investiture ceremony July 1, 2022... MORE

Army Col. Jason Shepherd (left), Army Lt. Col. Richard Couch, and Army Col. Natalie Lewellen participated in an robing ceremony after Couch completed the Military Judge Course at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Va. on July 1, 2022. (Photo courtesy of the Judge Advocate Generals Legal Center and School).

Kentucky National Guard Youth and Child Camp 2022
July 22, 2022 — Summer camp fun meets military tradition as children of Kentucky’s National Guard (KYNG) attend the week long Child and Youth Camp at Lake Cumberland 4-H Camp in Nancy, Ky. on July 18-22. At the camp, kids ages 9-15 meet and relate to kids with similar experiences, learn about basic fundamentals in the military, and are inspired by their mentors... MORE

Campers attend the Kentucky National Guard (KYNG) Child and Youth Camp at the Lake Cumberland 4-H Camp in Nancy, Ky. on July 18-22, 2022. The Child and Youth Camp is a KYNG sponsored, 4-H supported weeklong camp for children who have ties to the KYNG. (U.S. Army phot by Pfc. Georgia Napier)

Guard Soldiers train with Unmanned Aerial System team
July 22, 2022 — The RQ-11B Raven is a Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) that provides reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and force protection for the battalion commander and below during day and night operations. The Raven is roughly 4.2 pounds and has a wingspan of 4.5 feet. It can operate up to 10km away depending on battery and signal strength but can also be handed off while in the air to another operator at a distant end. The video feed comes back to the team on the ground and then can be streamed through a Global Broadcast System (GBS) for command staff to watch live... MORE

The training was conducted by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joe Alexander and Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Welch from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
and Staff Sgt. Gaylon Johnson, who is the only master trainer in the KYARNG.

New wing chaplain returns to his roots for Air Guard ministry
July 16, 2022 — The Kentucky Air Guard’s newest chaplain, Capt. James Detwiler, is a native of Eminence, Kentucky, who spent four years on active duty before returning home to provide religious ministry to Airmen in the Commonwealth... MORE

Capt. James Detwiler is the newest chaplain at the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing. He previously served as a base chaplain at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., and is a Kentucky native who graduated from the University of Kentucky. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Guardsmen aid in water shortage
July 5, 2022 — The Soldiers with the 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company as well as the 206th Engineer Battalion, 201st Engineer Battalion, and 103rd Chemical Battalion have been working with Kentucky Emergency Management on efficient ways to source water from local rivers due to the recent low levels from Old Town Lake, which is the town’s water source... MORE

Soldiers from within the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade began transporting water from the Trade Water River to Old City Lake, near Marion. Army Palletized Load System (PLS) vehicles transported non-potable storage tanks daily with the goal of moving up to 80,000 gallons of water to the reservoir to minimize decreasing lake concerns. In addition, bottled water was also distributed at the Old Marion Armory to town residents.

Churchill Downs honors fallen Kentucky Guard Special Tactics Airman
July 4, 2022 — Churchill Downs honored a fallen Kentucky Air National Guardsman in Louisville, Ky., June 12, 2022, staging a thoroughbred horse race in his name as part of military appreciation day... MORE

More than 150 Airmen, friends and family members attend Military Appreciation Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., June 12, 2022, to honor Tech. Sgt. Travis Brown, a pararescueman from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron who died Feb. 16. One of the races on the day's card was named in honor of Brown and concluded with eight of his fellow 123rd STS Airmen presenting the trophy. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Army National Guard instructors meet with Ecuadorian instructors
June 30, 2022 — Kentucky Army National Guard instructors met with six Ecuadorian enlisted instructors at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky. on June 27-30, 2022. Senior noncommissioned officer instructors from the 238th Regional Training Institute (RTI) met with senior noncommissioned officer instructors from Ecuador’s Army and Air Force in an engagement to share ideas on how to train their servicemembers. ... MORE

Kentucky Army National Guard and Ecuadorian enlisted instructors pose for a group photo at the rappel tower at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky. on June 29, 2022. Ecuadorian enlisted servicemembers visited the 238th RTI to exchange instructor techniques and procedures in part of the State Partnership Program. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

Field Artillery Showcases firepower
June 30, 2022 — The 1/623rd utilized this requirement to showcase its capabilities to McCreary County’s Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps (JROTC) and demonstrated a joint training effort by certifying a crew from the 238th Regional Training Institute and hosting Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) from the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard. ... MORE

The 1/623rd utilized this requirement to showcase its capabilities to McCreary County’s Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps (JROTC) and demonstrated a joint training effort by certifying a crew from the 238th Regional Training Institute and hosting Joint Terminal Attack

KYARNG engineer company receives outstanding engineer award
June 27, 2022 — For the fifth straight year, a Kentucky Army National Guard engineer unit was named the best in the Guard... MORE

For the fifth straight year, a Kentucky Army National Guard engineer unit was named the best in the Guard.

Kentucky National Guard celebrates 230th birthday
June 27, 2022 — Airmen and Soldiers from across the Commonwealth gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, June 24, 2022, to celebrate the 230th birthday of the Kentucky National Guard, one of the nation’s oldest state militias... MORE

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Wilkinson, left, the Kentucky National Guard’s assistant adjutant general for Air; Airman 1st Class Maryah Bridges, center left; Spc. John Stark, center right; and Col. Joe Gardner, the Kentucky Guard’s Chief of Staff for Army, cut a ceremonial cake during a celebration honoring the 230th birthday of the Kentucky Guard in Louisville, Ky., June 24, 2022. The organization was established in 1792 by Gov. Isaac Shelby, 19 days after the Commonwealth became the 15th state of the Union. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Guarding Pride: An Inside Perspective of Serving During the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy
June 22, 2022 — Have you ever been grocery shopping and found yourself jolting your hand away when your significant other goes to hold your hand out of fear of being seen? If you pass all the military standards to qualify as a Soldier but had to hide who you are, would you leave or continue to serve? These are just a few operational norms service members in our LGBTQ+ community have experienced in the past and, at times, are still confronted by today. Eleven years after the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy has been redacted, now married Kentucky National Guard Soldier’s Staff Sgt. Claudia Rector and Jane Roth-Rothstein, KYNG prior service, discuss the many hardships they faced when they fell in love in Afghanistan in 2007. Many of the habits they established early in their relationship still affect how they approach their lives today. The fear of unacceptance still lingers. This is their story. ... MORE

A letter to the troops about Juneteenth
June 19, 2022 — The Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) released a letter to Soldiers and Airmen through email and social media recognizing Juneteenth signed and dated on June 8, 2022. In the letter, Gen. Daniel Hokanson and Chief Master Sgt. Tony L. Whitehead, senior enlisted adviser to the National Guard Bureau, gave a brief history of the significance of the date and the occasion it celebrated. ... MORE

Letter to the Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard Bureau written by Gen. Daniel Hokanson and Chief Master Sgt. Tony L. Whitehead about the significance of Juneteenth

Decker promoted to brigadier general as KYANG chief of staff
June 17, 2022 — Mary S. Decker, chief of staff for Joint Force Headquarters—Air, Kentucky National Guard, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, June 11, 2022... MORE

The adjutant general of the Kentucky National Guard, Army Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, left, administers the Oath of Office to Mary S. Decker, chief of staff for Joint Force Headquarters — Air, Kentucky National Guard, during a ceremony promoting her to the rank of brigadier general at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 11, 2022. Decker joined the Air Force in 1987 as an airman basic. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Gold Star Families enjoy Riverboat ride
June 14, 2022 — Several hundred Gold Star Families were treated to fun, food and great views of the Ohio River as the Kentucky National Guard and Survivor Outreach Services hosted their annual Riverboat Ride on the Ohio with BB Riverboats June 12... MORE

Carl lost his father when he was 6 years old and Sonja lost her husband Mecolus McDaniel who died in Afghanistan in 2011.

Operation HERoes Hosts Kentucky’s First All-Female Honor Flight
June 14, 2022 — An all-women veteran group boarded an A320 Airbus out of the Blue Grass Airport for Washington, D.C., June 11, 2022, for an historic all-female veteran honor flight... MORE

An all-women veteran group boarded an A320 Airbus out of the Blue Grass Airport for Washington, D.C., June 11, 2022, for an historic all-female veteran honor flight.

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

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