Kentucky Guard > News - Tag Kentucky Air National Guard

Pence selected as Kentucky Air Guard’s top first sergeant for 2026
March 8, 2026 — Master Sgt. Josh Pence has been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s First Sergeant of the Year for 2026 and will be honored at the Airman’s Gala banquet in Louisville, Kentucky, March 14, 2016... MORE

Master Sgt. Josh Pence, first sergeant for 123rd Medical Group, has been named the Kentucky Air National Guard’s First Sergeant of the Year for 2026. He will be honored at a banquet in Louisville, Ky., March 14, 2026. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Greco, Bradshaw, Stoll named Airmen of the Year for Kentucky Air Guard
March 8, 2026 — Senior Airman Ethan Greco, Staff Sgt. Lucas Bradshaw and Senior Master Sgt. Dallas Stoll will be honored during a banquet in Louisville, Kentucky, March 14, 2026, as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Airmen of the Year for 2026... MORE

Staff Sgt. Ethan Greco, a medical technician with the 123rd Medical Group, has been named the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Airman of the Year for 2026. He will be honored at a banquet in Louisville, Ky., March 14, 2026. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Kentucky Air Guard to play key role in return of Thunder Over Louisville
February 24, 2026 — Historic flooding canceled Thunder Over Louisville in 2025, but officials promise an exciting air show and fireworks display for its return this spring, thanks to help from the Kentucky Air National Guard... MORE

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, right, speaks at a press conference in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 23, 2025, announcing the return of the Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks display to the banks of the Ohio River April 18, as Matt Gibson, president and CEO of show organizer Kentucky Derby Festival, looks on. Historic flooding caused the cancelation of last year’s event, which typically draws more than 100,000 spectators. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Contingency Response Group earns Governor’s Outstanding Unit Citation
February 22, 2026 — The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group has been recognized for exceptional achievement, earning the Kentucky Governor’s Outstanding Unit Citation... MORE

Brig. Gen. Bruce Bancroft, left, the Kentucky National Guard’s assistant adjutant general for Air, presents Col. Aaron Zamora, commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Group, with the Kentucky Governor’s Outstanding Unit Citation during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 14. The award recognizes the group’s exceptional service to citizens across the state and nation from August 2024 to March 2025. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Air Guard, Ecuador share C-130 expertise
February 6, 2026 — Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard and Ecuadorian Air Force conducted an aircrew subject matter expert exchange recently at Cotopaxi Air Base, Ecuador, as part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program... MORE

More than 30 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing and the Ecuadorian Air Force’s 11th Transportation Wing conducted an aircrew subject matter expert exchange at Cotopaxi Air Force Base, Ecuador, May 19-24, 2025. The effort, part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, helped promote mutual cooperation across a full range of military and civil affairs. (Courtesy photo)

Ketterer takes command of 123rd Operations Group
January 30, 2026 — Lt. Col. Josh Ketterer took command of the 123rd Operations Group during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base Dec. 14, replacing Col. Randall Hood, who was named deputy commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing... MORE

Lt. Col. Josh Ketterer, right, accepts the 123rd Operations Group guidon from Col. Matthew Quenichet, 123rd Airlift Wing commander, during a change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 14, 2025. Ketterer replaces Col. Randall Hood, who was named deputy commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Chloe Ochs)

Kentucky Air Guard provides transportation for medical care after Winter Storm Fern
January 26, 2026 — Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing are transporting medical patients and healthcare workers to and from clinics and hospitals after Winter Storm Fern dumped around 10 inches of snow and ice in Louisville, Kentucky, Jan. 24 and 25, leaving many secondary roads and parking lots impassable with two-wheel-drive vehicles... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Brendan Overstreet from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing drops off Alicia Crawford at Norton Hospital Brownsboro in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 26, 2026, for her shift as a medical-surgical nurse. Crawford was unable to drive to work after Winter Storm Fern dumped around 10 inches of snow and ice in across the city Jan. 24 and 25, leaving many secondary roads and parking lots impassable with two-wheel-drive vehicles. More than 50 Kentucky Guard Airmen will remain on duty as long as needed, officials said. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Man o’ War C-130 returns to ‘Old Kentucky Home’ for retirement
December 22, 2025 — A military cargo aircraft named for a famous thoroughbred racehorse has returned to its old Kentucky home for retirement... MORE

A historic C-130H Hercules taxies onto the flight line at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 22, 2025, ending the 33-year-old transport’s final flight. The plane, which has flown millions of miles around the world over the past three decades, initially was assigned to the Kentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing straight from the Lockheed-Martin factory in 1992 before being reassigned to the Delaware Air Guard in 2021, when the Louisville unit began transitioning to the new C-130J Super Hercules. Named after the famous thoroughbred racehorse “Man o’ War” during its time in Kentucky, tail number 1231 was the 2000th C-130 to roll off the assembly line. It will now be placed on static display for retirement at its original Kentucky home, complete with restored livery and its unique Man o’ War markings. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Kentucky Guard Airmen score top Medical Service Awards
December 17, 2025 — Four members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group have been recognized for excellence in the 2024 Air National Guard Medical Service Awards... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Cristen E. Lane, an aerospace medicine technician for the 123rd Medical Group, speaks with a patient at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 6, 2025. Lane has been named Air National Guard Aerospace Medicine Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year for 2024 by the National Guard Bureau. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Angelee Barnett)

123rd Airlift Wing earns 21st Outstanding Unit Award, 6th Metcalf Trophy for excellence
December 15, 2025 — The 123rd Airlift Wing has earned its 21st Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award and its sixth Curtis N. “Rusty” Metcalf Trophy for excellence, officials announced during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base on Dec. 14, continuing the unit’s legacy as the most decorated tactical airlift wing in the United States Air Force... MORE

Col. Matthew Quenichet, commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, pins the unit’s 21st Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award streamer to the wing guidon during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 14, 2025. The new honor, previously known as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, continues the unit’s legacy as the most decorated tactical airlift wing in the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Raymond retires, concluding more than two decades of military service
December 14, 2025 — Chief Master Sgt. Krome Raymond, senior enlisted leader for the 123rd Mission Support Group, retired from military service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base Sept. 7... MORE

Col. Kevin Krauss, left, commander of the 123rd Mission Support Group, presents a certificate of retirement to Chief Master Sgt. Krome Raymond during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 7, 2025. Raymond, senior enlisted leader for the 123rd Mission Support Group, served 22 years in both the active-duty Air Force and Kentucky Air Guard during three periods of enlistment spread over 38 years. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Annaliese Billings)

Kentucky National Guard supports Louisville food bank
November 20, 2025 — Airmen and Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard packed 1,920 boxes with free groceries at the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, over the past week, providing healthy meals to area residents who are struggling to afford basic sustenance... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brandon Tagarook, left, of the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 202nd Army Band, and U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Alex Koehler of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group pack boxes with free groceries at the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 13, 2025. The boxes, containing canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, pasta and other nutritious foods, will be given to Kentuckians who are struggling to purchase basic groceries. (U.S. Air National Guard photos by Dale Greer)

Kentucky National Guard responds to fatal civilian plane crash
November 5, 2025 — Firefighters from the Kentucky Air National Guard were among hundreds of emergency workers who responded to a fatal civilian plane crash just south of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport here Nov. 4... MORE

Master Sgt. Kyle Miller was one of eight firefighters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing who responded to a fatal civilian plane crash just south of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 4, 2025.

Kentucky Windage tests Mission Support Group for Agile Combat Employment
September 28, 2025 — Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123d Mission Support Group recently completed a field exercise designed to prepare them for operating the new Deployable Combat Wing model in a contested environment... MORE

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Mission Support Group support Exercise Kentucky Windage 2025 aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter over Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., May 22, 2025.

Tellis retires after more than 38 years of service in Air Force, Air Guard
September 27, 2025 — Chief Master Sergeant Chris Tellis, senior enlisted leader for the 123rd Contingency Response Group, retired from military service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville June 7, concluding a career spanning more than 38 years... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Chris Tellis, right, outgoing senior enlisted leader for the 123rd Contingency Response Group, receives his certificate of retirement from Brig. Gen. Bruce Bancroft, Kentucky’s adjutant general for Air, during Tellis’ retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville Ky., June 7, 2025.

Kentucky Air Guard special tactics flexes maritime skill in Caribbean for Emerald Warrior
September 4, 2025 — A squadron of special tactics Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard completed a grueling five-day exercise in the Caribbean Aug. 30, testing their ability to perform a broad spectrum of operations in a maritime environment while responding to an enemy threat... MORE

U.S. Air Force special tactics Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing conduct exfil operations from the Caribbean Sea into a Mississippi Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk off the coast of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Aug. 28, 2025 as part of Emerald Warrior 25.2, a large-scale special operations exercise staged in multiple locations by Air Force Special Operations Command.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists from Kentucky Air Guard recognized for excellence
August 18, 2025 — Three Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have been recognized for excellence by the National Guard Bureau... MORE

Staff Sgt. Austin Duck, a team lead in the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight, leads his team during a training exercise at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Indiana, July 26, 2025.

Kentucky Air Guard civil engineers strengthen operational readiness in the Azores
August 17, 2025 — Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron joined with the Portuguese military to strengthen operational readiness and assist with base repairs during a two-week field training assignment to the Azores in June... MORE

Fire protection specialists from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron extinguish flames from a simulated engine burn during an exercise at Lajes Field, Azores, June 23, 2025.

Kentucky and Djibouti celebrate decade-long partnership
July 29, 2025 — Senior leaders from the Kentucky National Guard and the Djiboutian Armed Forces met in Kentucky from July 21–23, 2025, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their partnership and strengthen ongoing cooperation. The event brought together representatives from the Kentucky Army and Air National Guard, Kentucky Emergency Management, Urban Search and Rescue, the Office of Homeland Security, the Cabinet for Economic Development, the Chamber of Commerce, U.S. National Guard Bureau, and a delegation from Djibouti... MORE

Colonel Amina Mohamed Moussa of the Djiboutian Armed Forces presents a gift to Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton, adjutant general of Kentucky, during a key leader engagement in Frankfort, Kentucky, July 23, 2025.

Kentucky Airmen sharpen war-fighting at Combat Readiness Center field exercise
July 21, 2025 — More than 50 Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Security Forces Squadron and 123rd Contingency Response Group joined with members of the Colorado Air Guard and the Ecuadorian Air Force to sharpen their war-fighting skills during a field exercise at the Combat Readiness Training Center, May 21-29, 2025... MORE

An Airman from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group lays prone to fortify a defensive position at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Michigan, May 24, 2025.

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