Kentucky Guard

Kentucky Infantry unit welcomes new commander
May 30, 2023 — Lt. Col. Jason Mendez relinquished command of the 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry, to Lt. Col. Jason Partin during a ceremony held at Harold L. Disney Training Center in Artemus, Kentucky, May 21, 2023... MORE

Members from 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry, Kentucky Army National Guard, salute during a battalion change of command ceremony held at Harold L. Disney Training Center in Artemus, Kentucky, May 21, 2023.

New Command Team ushers in a new era for the Recruiting and Retention Battalion
May 25, 2023 — The Kentucky Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion changed its leadership team during a ceremony held May 22, 2023, at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort. Lt. Col. Jason Mendez took charge of the battalion, headquartered in Frankfort, from Lt. Col. Jacob McKinney, while Command Sgt. Maj. Johnnie Parton turned over his responsibility to Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan Reed... MORE

Lt. Col. Jason Mendez, the incoming commander of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion,

Celebrating Excellence: Kentucky Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School Graduates Emerge as Leaders
April 15, 2023 — The ceremony honored the Soldiers who successfully completed the 12-month training program and have now been commissioned as new officers in the Kentucky Army National Guard... MORE

The ceremony honored the Soldiers who successfully completed the 12-month training program and have now been commissioned as new officers in the Kentucky Army National Guard.

Kentucky's H2F conducts first ever Performance Course aimed at helping recruiters
March 28, 2023 — For two weeks in February 2023, the Kentucky Army National Guard Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) team conducted their first performance course at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort as part of a push to help Soldiers perform at their best... MORE

Recruiters race to the finish during H2F Performance Course

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 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.

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.

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.

Kentucky Aviators say their goodbyes, set to deploy to Africa
November 16, 2022 — Soldiers with Detachment 4, Charlie Company, 2/245th Aviation Regiment, 63rd Theater Aviation Battalion will be charged with flying C-12 King Air fixed wing aircraft in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During their deployment they will be providing air movement support throughout the Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) area of responsibility... MORE

Four Soldiers with Detachment 4, Charlie Company, 2/245th Aviation Regiment, 63rd Theater Aviation Battalion will be charged with flying C-12 King Air fixed wing aircraft in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During their deployment they will be providing air movement support throughout the Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) area of responsibility.

Command Chief Warrant Officers change over
October 28, 2022 — Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dwight D. Harlan relinquished the responsibility over Kentucky’s warrant officer corps to the new Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ricky L. Skelton... MORE

Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Harlan relinquished the responsibility over Kentucky’s warrant officer corps to the Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ricky L. Skelton.

Kentucky Engineer Soldier takes advantage of flood recovery resources available to aid in cleanup.
September 1, 2022 — Sgt. Ronnie Banks is a maintenance section leader with the 207th Engineer Company and a full-time technician as a production controller at FMS 6, which flooded when the North Fork Kentucky River rose to over 43 feet on July 28... MORE

The Armory sits on the North Fork Kentucky River, whose waters rose to over 43 feet.

Kentucky Artillerymen step up, help battle buddy in need
August 15, 2022 — Three years ago, Spc. Akir Jackson was involved in an automobile accident in January 2019 and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Since the accident, he has been bound to a wheelchair and unable to walk. Recently, Jackson got a bigger motorized wheelchair but it was going to be too big to access his house and fellow Guardsmen stepped in to help... MORE

Several Kentucky National Guard Soldiers, as well as, a few civilians, donated their time to help build a needed ramp so Spc. Akir Jackson could access his home with his new electrical wheelchair.

2/147th Bravo Co. Renegades take over Camp Grayling Airfield to Conduct Annual Training
July 26, 2022 — Fifty-six Soldiers from Bravo Co. 2/147th and two medics from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, or HHC, loaded five UH-60 helicopters on July 9th in Frankfort, Ky., and made their way north to Camp Grayling Airfield on Michigan's northern peninsula to conduct annual training... MORE

Fifty-six Soldiers from Bravo Co. 2/147th and two medics from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, or HHC, loaded five UH-60 helicopters on July 9th in Frankfort, Ky., and made their way north to Camp Grayling Airfield on Michigan's northern peninsula to conduct annual training.

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.

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.

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

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 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)

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 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.

News Search

Narrow Search

Expand Articles by Year and Month

Kentucky National Guard Links