Kentucky Guard

Kentucky Air Guard flies in Thunder air show
April 24, 2023 — This year’s Thunder Over Louisville air show, held April 22 along the banks of the Ohio River, featured more than 20 military and civilian aircraft, including a C-130J Super Hercules from the Kentucky Air National Guard, which served as the base of operations for military planes flying in the show. Other highlights included the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy's F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Teams, historic warbirds, and parachute demonstrations by the U.S. Army Golden Knights and the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron... MORE

A C-130J Super Hercules from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing performs an aerial demonstration along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville, Ky., April 22, 2023, as part of the annual Thunder Over Louisville air show. This year’s event featured more than 20 military and civilian planes, from the latest-generation fighter jets to historic warbirds. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Aircraft arrive at Kentucky Air Guard Base for Thunder air show
April 20, 2023 — Military aircraft began arriving at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base April 19 in advance of the 2023 Thunder Over Louisville air show... MORE

An aircraft from the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team arrives at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 19, 2023, in advance of the Thunder Over Louisville air show. The annual event, to be held along the banks of the Ohio River on April 22, will feature more than 20 military and civilian aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

LaMastus, Penne, Newby selected as top Airmen for 2022
March 25, 2023 — Senior Airman Elijah LaMastus, Master Sgt. Ryan Penne and Master Sgt. Jason Newby have been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2022... MORE

Senior Airman Elijah LaMastus has been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year for 2022. He will be honored during a banquet to be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center on March 25, 2023. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

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

Maj. Andrew Kochman, left, commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Squadron, and Lt. Col. Kevin Krauss, right, commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Support Squadron, unfurl new squadron guidons Oct. 15, 2022, during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., as Col. Ryan Adams, commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Group looks on. The units received new names to better reflect their mission sets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

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)

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)

Cooper draws 3-decade career to a close as commander of 123rd Medical Group
November 4, 2022 — Col. Michael A. Cooper concluded his military career with a retirement ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 11, 2022, drawing a close to 30 years of distinguished service... MORE

Col. Michael A. Cooper, commander of the 123rd Medical Group, retires from military service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 11, 2022. Cooper served for 30 years in the Kentucky Army National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Kentucky Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Fatality search and recovery mission helps bring closure to disaster
November 1, 2022 — Never before had Airman 1st Class Brandon Porter seen the kind of destruction left by a tornado after it ripped through a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, in December 2021, starting a fire that killed eight people... MORE

Airman 1st Class Brandon Porter, left, and Master Sgt. Kevin Woodard from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Fatality Search and Recovery Team inspect a generator used in recovery operations during training at the 123rd Airlift Wing in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 8, 2022. The FSRT, part of the 123rd Force Support Squadron, assisted local coroners during historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky this summer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Phil Speck)

Zollman assumes command of 123rd Maintenance Group
October 31, 2022 — Lt. Col. Jerry Zollman took charge of the 123rd Maintenance Group during a change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 11, 2022... MORE

Lt. Col. Jerry Zollman, right, accepts the 123rd Maintenance Group guidon from Col. Bruce Bancroft, 123rd Airlift Wing commander, during the group's change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 11, 2022. Zollman assumed command from Col. Ash Groves, who has been named director of staff at Headquarters, Kentucky Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Mounkes takes command of Kentucky Air Guard as new assistant adjutant general
September 13, 2022 — David J. Mounkes was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and officially took charge of the Kentucky Air National Guard during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 13, 2022, at the 123rd Airlift Wing... MORE

Army Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, left, adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, administers the oath of office to Brig. Gen. David J. Mounkes, assistant adjutant general for Air, during a promotion and change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 13, 2022. Mounkes assumed command of the Kentucky Air Guard at the event, taking on the role of assistant adjutant general for Air from Brig. Gen. Jeffrey L. Wilkinson, who is retiring. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Wilkinson concludes career as special tactics officer who rose to become top Air Guardsman
September 12, 2022 — Brig. Gen. Jeffrey L. Wilkinson concluded his military career at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base Aug. 18, 2022, drawing an end to 28 years of service that saw him rise through the ranks to become the state’s top Air Guardsman... MORE

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey L. Wilkinson, center, outgoing assistant adjutant general for Air, renders his final salute to Army Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, left, adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, during Wilkinson’s retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 13, 2022, as Brig. Gen. David Mounkes, incoming assistant adjutant general for Air, looks on. A career special tactics officer, Wilkinson served the Air Force and Air National Guard for more than 28 years. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Wing completes aircraft modernization with arrival of eighth C-130J Super Hercules
September 11, 2022 — The 123rd Airlift Wing welcomed its eighth C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 25, 2022, completing the unit’s transition from legacy C-130H transports... MORE

A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft arrives at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., from Lockheed-Martin Corp. In Marietta, Ga., Aug. 25, 2022. The plane is the eighth J-model to be delivered to the 123rd Airlift Wing since November, completing the unit’s transition from legacy-model C-130H transports. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chloe Ochs)

Security Forces conduct specialized law-enforcement training
September 10, 2022 — Twenty-two Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Security Forces Squadron recently conducted a week of training San Luis Obispo, California, focused on supporting law enforcement... MORE

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Security Forces Squadron a conduct riot-control exercise at Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif., May 18, 2022. The event was part of law-and-order training completed by more than 20 unit members over six days in central California. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

123rd Airlift Wing welcomes new command chief
September 10, 2022 — The 123rd Airlift Wing welcomed a new wing command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Steven D. Best, to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, May 3, 2022... MORE

Command Chief Master Sgt. Steven Best engages with service members from the 123rd Airlift Wing, after assuming the role of wing command chief for the Kentucky Air National Guard in Louisville, Ky., May 3, 2022. Best has served with the wing since 1998 in the 123rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, and was awarded First Sergeant of the Year for the wing in 2015. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chloe Ochs)

Kentucky Air Guardsman part of Air Force team that won Halo esports competition
August 9, 2022 — Trey Christenson, a technical sergeant in the Kentucky Air National Guard, was attending an esports gaming competition at the beginning of May 2022 to see some friends compete, when a chance meeting led him to assist the United States Air Force team in taking the win by the end of the month during the first official Halo Infinite esports competition in the Department of Defense... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Trey Christensen, an air transportation specialist for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, was part of an Air Force team that competed in the 2022 Halo Infinite World Finals in San Antonio, Texas, May 11-31, taking home first place. (Courtesy photo)

Spaulding concludes distinguished military career after 35 years of service
August 8, 2022 — Chief Master Sgt. Gary L. Spaulding was retired from the Kentucky Air National Guard during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, June 12, 2022, concluding a 35-year career of distinguished service to the Commonwealth and nation... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Gary L. Spaulding, right, military personnel management officer for the Kentucky Air National Guard, receives a plaque from Maj. Gen. Charles M. Walker, director of the Office of Complex Investigations at the National Guard Bureau, during Spaulding’s retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 12, 2022. Spaulding served 35 in the Kentucky Air Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Kentucky Air Guard Special Tactics rescue 19 after devastating floods
August 1, 2022 — Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron rescued 19 stranded residents and two dogs in the aftermath of historic flooding that claimed at least 28 lives in Eastern Kentucky in July 2022... MORE

An Airman from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron search for flood victims from a helicopter in Eastern Kentucky on July 30, 2022. In response to devastating flooding, the unit coordinated 29 rotary-wing relief missions, rescued 19 people and two dogs, and recovered four bodies. Their command-and-control efforts also facilitated the assistance or recovery of 40 people. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Lalonde retires after three decades in the Kentucky Air Guard
July 30, 2022 — After more than 30 years of service to the Kentucky Air National Guard, Col. David S. Lalonde was officially retired in a ceremony held in Louisville, Kentucky, May 14, 2022... MORE

Col. Robert Hamm, left, former commander of the 123rd Operations Group, presents Col. David Lalonde, director of Air operations at Joint Forces Headquarters—Kentucky, with the Legion of Merit during Lalonde’s retirement ceremony, held May 14, 2022 at the Kentucky Air National Guard base in Louisville, Ky. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

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