Kentucky Guard

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.

Bosslift gives employers an inside perspective on Kentucky Air Guard mission
July 14, 2025 — The 123rd Airlift Wing flew a group of civilian employers to Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, Kentucky, aboard a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft May 14 to see how Kentucky Air Guardsmen would respond to a major earthquake... MORE

Staff Sgt. Tyler Phillips, a loadmaster from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 165th Airlift Squadron, explains his duties to a civilian employer during an orientation flight over Kentucky aboard a C-130J Super Hercules as part of a "Bosslift" held May 14, 2025.

123rd CRSS, Chapman earn top national awards in Contingency Response field
July 7, 2025 — The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Support Squadron was selected as the Expeditionary Operations Unit of the Year for 2024 in the National Guard Bureau’s Global Air Mobility Support System Awards. Staff Sgt. Nicholas Chapman was recognized as the Junior Expeditionary Operations Performer of the Year... MORE

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Chapman, a command-and-control specialist in the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Squadron, was named the Junior Expeditionary Operations Performer of the Year for 2024 in the National Guard Bureau's Global Air Mobility Support System Awards.

Bearny appointed command chief for 123rd Airlift Wing
June 30, 2025 — Chief Master Sgt. Blair Baerny accepted the guidon of the 123rd Airlift Wing during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, April 13, signifying his appointment as the unit’s new command chief and highest-raking enlisted Airman... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Blair Baerny, the newly appointed command chief for the 123rd Airlift Wing, speaks during a change-of-responsibility ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville Ky, April 13, 2025. Baerny replaces Chief Master Sgt. Steven Best , who was named state command chief for the Kentucky Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Best named top enlisted leader of Kentucky Air National Guard
June 29, 2025 — Chief Master Sgt. Steven Best officially assumed the post of state command chief for the Kentucky Air National Guard during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, April 13... MORE

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Steven Best, right, accepts the guidon for Joint Force Headquarters—Kentucky/Air from U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton, adjutant general of the Kentucky National Guard, signifying Best’s assumption of the role of state command chief during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 13, 2025. Best replaces U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Tongate, who is retiring. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua Horton)

State command chief Tongate retires after 28 years of service to Kentucky Guard
June 29, 2025 — Chief Master Sgt. James Tongate concluded 28 years of service to the Kentucky National Guard with a retirement ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, April 13... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. James Tongate, right, Kentucky Air National Guard state command chief, is presented with the Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal by U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton, Kentucky’s adjutant general, during Tongate’s retirement ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 13, 2025. Tongate served the U.S. military for 33 years. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua Horton)

123rd Airmen honored by Kentucky, North Carolina for 2024 hurricane response
June 4, 2025 — Eleven members of the 123rd Airlift Wing’s Fatality Search and Recovery Team were recently honored with medals from two states for meritorious service following Hurricane Helene in 2024... MORE

Senior Airman Carolyn Peabody, left, is one of 11 members of the 123rd Airlift Wing Fatality Search and Recovery Team who was recognized with two decorations during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 13, 2025, for disaster-recovery work following Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Kentucky Air National Guard recognizes 2024 retirees
May 27, 2025 — Forty retired members of the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored by the 123rd Airlift Wing in Louisville, Kentucky, April 12 when a plaque bearing their names was unveiled in front of the Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway Headquarters Building... MORE

Current and former members of the 123rd Airlift Wing gather at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 12, 2025, for a ceremony unveiling a new marble tablet honoring retirees.

Exercise Grindstone tests Kentucky Air Guard’s response to a major earthquake
May 24, 2025 — The Kentucky Air National Guard staged a major earthquake-response exercise in Paducah, Kentucky, May 13-15, deploying more than 30 Airmen and three aircraft to establish a regional cargo hub, process relief supplies, provide fuel for helicopter operations and manage aeromedical evacuations at two airports... MORE

An airman from the 123rd Contingency Response Group marshals a C-130J Super Hercules from the Kentucky Air National Guard down a taxiway at Murray-Calloway County Airport in Murray, Ky., May 14, 2025, as part of Exercise Grindstone, a major earthquake-response simulation.

Canine Callie, DOD’s only search-and-rescue dog, retires from service
May 10, 2025 — Callie, the only certified search-and-rescue dog in the Department of Defense, officially retired from military service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Jan. 24, 2025... MORE

Callie, the only certified search-and-rescue dog in the Department of Defense, is retired from service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 24, 2025.

Historic flooding cancels Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks
April 5, 2025 — Flooding along the banks of the Ohio River has led officials to cancel this year’s Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks display, originally scheduled for April 12 in downtown Louisville, Kentucky... MORE

River Road and the boat dock at 4th Street in Louisville, Ky., are under about four feet of water April 5, 2025.

Bancroft takes command of Kentucky Air National Guard
April 4, 2025 — Brig. Gen. Bruce Bancroft took command of the Kentucky Air National Guard during a ceremony at the 123rd Airlift Wing on March 14, 2025, pledging to continue a rich heritage of excellence and teamwork as the state’s new assistant adjutant general for Air... MORE

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bruce Bancroft, right, Kentucky’s new assistant adjutant general for Air, salutes U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton, adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, during a change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., March 14, 2025.

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