Kentucky Guard

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

Several units from three Kentucky National Guard Brigades and the 123rd Air Lift Wing supported local agencies in a variety of ways during the 50th Anniversary of Thunder over Louisville Air Show, on April 24, 2022, on Louisville’s Great Lawn.

Thunder air show draws large crowds for 75th Air Force celebration
April 25, 2022 — Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the banks of the Ohio River on April 23 for the annual Thunder Over Louisville air show, which marked its return with more than 30 aircraft to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Air Force... MORE

The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va., performs an aerial demonstration over the Ohio River in downtown Louisville, Ky., April 23, 2022 as part of the Thunder Over Louisville air show. This year’s event celebrated the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Aircraft arrive at Kentucky Air Guard Base for Thunder air show
April 21, 2022 — Military aircraft began arriving at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, April 21, 2022 for this weekend’s Thunder Over Louisville air show, including the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team... MORE

A U.S. Air Force pilot guides his F-22 Raptor to a parking spot on the flight line of the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., April 21, 2022. The two-ship Raptor Demonstration Team
will be among the highlights of this year’s Thunder Over Louisville air show, to be held on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville on April 23. The event, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force, is slated to feature more than 30 military and civilian aircraft, including the B-2 Spirit, C-17 Globemaster III, CV-22 Osprey, CH-53 Sea Stallion, F-16 Viper and UH-60 Blackhawk, in addition to eight historic warbirds like the B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress and P-51 Mustang. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Ky. Air Guard Public Affairs earns 4 more national awards, eclipsing triple-digit mark
March 30, 2022 — Public Affairs specialists from the Kentucky Air National Guard earned four awards of excellence in the 2021 Air National Guard media contest, the National Guard Bureau announced March 24, bringing their total number of national honors to 103... MORE

Senior Airman Eric Burk (left) and Master Sgt. Judson Wisely, loadmasters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Operations Group, simulate an airdrop June 14, 2021, over mountain terrain in Puerto Rico as part of Maintenance University. Kentucky aircrews also re-certified on low-level tactical maneuvers and open-ocean flying during the week-long event. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Kentucky Air Guardsman recalls Evansville crash 30 years later
February 28, 2022 — Steve Bullard remembers the morning of Feb. 6, 1992 with perfect clarity. That day, the former Kentucky Air National Guard navigator was pulled off a fatal C-130B Hercules training flight just minutes before takeoff. ... MORE

The base newspaper of the 123rd Tactical Airlift Wing provided coverage of a fatal C-130B Hercules crash in Evansville, Ind., on Feb. 6 1992. The mishap claimed 16 lives. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Air Guard director meets Airmen at 123rd Airlift Wing
January 13, 2022 — The director of the Air National Guard arrived in style at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Jan. 7, landing aboard a new C-130J Super Hercules being delivered from the Lockheed-Martin factory in Marietta, Georgia... MORE

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, director, Air National Guard, speaks to Airmen from the 123rd Airlift Wing at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Jan. 8, 2022. During the visit, Loh toured the base and learned about the various mission sets within the Kentucky Air Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Air Guardsmen featured in national ad campaign
December 31, 2021 — Three Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard are being highlighted in a new national ad campaign funded by the National Guard Bureau... MORE

A member of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron is filmed by members of GSD&M, a marketing and advertising company, at FRP LaGrange Quarry, in La Grange, Ky., on April 14, 2021. The production shoot is part of a national ad campaign funded by the National Guard Bureau to advertise the Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Air Guard supports tornado recovery effort in Mayfield
December 23, 2021 — Seventeen Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard have completed a 10-day mission to Mayfield, Kentucky, to provide traffic control and security patrols as residents struggle to recover from a Category 5 tornado that carved a 220-mile-long path of destruction across five states Dec. 10 and 11, leveling much of this small town and leaving 76 people dead in Kentucky... MORE

Airman 1st Class Jayden Guthrie of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Security Forces Squadron directs traffic in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 18, 2021. Guthrie and 16 other security forces Airmen mobilized from Louisville, Ky., to augment the Mayfield Police Department following a Category 5 tornado that leveled much of the town. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

Kentucky’s 123rd Airlift Wing named top mobility flying unit in Air National Guard
December 5, 2021 — The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing has been named the top mobility flying unit in Air National Guard for 2021, officials announced in Louisville, Kentucky, Dec. 5... MORE

Col. Bruce Bancroft, commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, speaks to hundreds of Air Guardsmen during a ceremony celebrating the wing’s fifth Curtis N. “Rusty” Metcalf Trophy at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 5, 2021. Bestowed annually by the National Guard Association of the United States, the trophy recognizes the airlift or air refueling unit that demonstrates the highest standards of mission accomplishment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Air Guard enters new era with arrival of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft
November 6, 2021 — Two new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft buzzed over the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 6, 2021, before taxing to stop on the flight line under the spray of water cannons while a crowd of Airmen cheered their dramatic arrival... MORE

One of two new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft arrives at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 6, 2021, ushering in a new era of aviation for the 123rd Airlift Wing. The state-of-the-art transports are among eight the wing will receive over the next 11 months to replace eight aging C-130 H-model aircraft, which entered service in 1992 and have seen duty all over the world. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Clayton Wear)

C-130J Super Hercules aircraft being prepped for debut at Kentucky Air Guard
November 5, 2021 — Two new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft are being readied in California to join the Kentucky Air National Guard fleet as maintainers apply distinctive artwork to the planes’ exterior paint in preparation for their debut in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 6... MORE

A decal is applied to the tail of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft by Airmen from the 123rd Maintenance Group, completing the tail flash for one of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s newly acquired C-130Js at Channel Islands Air Guard Station in Port Hueneme, Calif., Nov. 3, 2021. The aircraft will be replacing the C-130H Hercules, which has been in service to the Kentucky Air National Guard since 1992. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

New technology reduces energy costs, improves air quality at Response Forces Facility
October 30, 2021 — The 123rd Airlift Wing’s recently dedicated Response Forces Facility features new air handling technology that can reduce energy use by up to 36 percent while improving air quality for occupants... MORE

Current and retired members of the 123rd Airlift Wing joined friends and family for the dedication of a new Response Forces Facility at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., July 30, 2021. The 28,000-square-foot building will house the 123rd Security Forces Squadron, the 123rd Contingency Response Group, a Fatality Search and Recovery Team, and a medical detachment for the state’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Soldiers participate in leadership engagement course
October 27, 2021 — The course intends to give leaders practical concepts and models to guide them toward better communication with their colleagues and practical engagement with their subordinates... MORE

Kentucky Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Withers meets with attendees of the leadership engagement course Sept. 9-10 at the 123rd Air Lift Wing. The 2 day course is designed to help Soldiers progress their effective leadership skills.

Jenkins, Blevins, Wariner named top Airmen for 2021
October 17, 2021 — Staff Sgt. Harrison Jenkins, Master Sgt. Jacob Blevins and Master Sgt. Duane Wariner have been selected as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2021... MORE

Staff Sgt. Harrison Jenkins, an intelligence analyst with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Operations Support Squadron, performs inflight aircrew training aboard a C-130 Hercules at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on June 16, 2021. Jenkins is the Kentucky Air National Guard's Outstanding Airman of the Year for 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Last C-130H rolls down the stretch at Kentucky Air Guard
September 24, 2021 — The last C-130H aircraft assigned to the 123rd Airlift Wing departed the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 24, 2021, for its new home at the Delaware Air Guard... MORE

The last of eight C-130 H-model aircraft departs the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 24, 2021, as the 123rd Airlift Wing prepares to convert to the C-130J Super Hercules. The unit is slated to begin receiving the most modern variant of the venerable transport plane on Nov. 6. In the meantime, the departing H-models — which the Kentucky Air Guard has flown since 1992 — are being transferred to the Delaware Air National Guard. Tail number 11233 has logged 9,967 hours of flight time all over the world, supporting every kind of mission from humanitarian airlift to combat resupply operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Kentucky Air Guard supporting COVID fight at Louisville hospitals
September 14, 2021 — More than 40 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard reported to Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 14, 2021, to provide logistical support for medical staff fighting a rising tide of critically ill COVID patients... MORE

Staff Sgt. Keontay Curry, a communications specialist in the Kentucky Air National Guard, reports to Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 14, 2021, to provide logistical support to medical staff struggling to keep pace with the rising number of critically ill COVID patients. He is one of 45 Airmen, all of whom volunteered for the mission, who will serve at the hospital as long as needed. The group is part of 310 Kentucky Army and Air National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who were activated last week by Gov. Andy Beshear to provide non-clinical support to 21 hospitals across the Commonwealth. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer)

Adams takes command of 123rd Contingency Response Group
September 12, 2021 — With family and colleagues looking on, Col. Ryan Adams assumed command of the 123rd Contingency Response Group during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 7, 2021... MORE

Col. Ryan Adams (right), incoming commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Group, accepts the unit’s guidon from Col. David Mounkes (left), outgoing commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, during a change-of-command ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug 7, 2021. Adams is replacing Col. Bruce Bancroft, who assumed command of the 123rd Airlift Wing during a ceremony later the same day. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)

Kentucky Guard Engineers conduct Djibouti State Partnership training
September 8, 2021 — For over 25 years, through SPP, the National Guard has conducted military-to-military engagements in support of defense security goals, and leverages whole-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency and corollary engagements; spanning military, government, and economic and social spheres. Kentucky maintains state partnerships with Djibouti and Ecuador... MORE

Bancroft assumes command of 123rd Airlift Wing
August 8, 2021 — Col. Bruce Bancroft assumed command of the 123rd Airlift Wing during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville on Aug. 7, 2021, accepting the wing’s guidon before an audience of more than 50 socially distanced family, friends and fellow Airmen... MORE

Col. Bruce Bancroft (center) accepts the 123rd Airlift Wing guidon from Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Wilkinson (left), Kentucky’s assistant adjutant general for Air, during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 7, 2021, formally recognizing Bancroft’s assumption of command of the wing from Col. David Mounkes (right). Mounkes, who had served as wing commander since 2016, has been named director of policy for air operations, plans and programs at Joint Forces Headquarters—Kentucky. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

123rd Airlift Wing earns 19th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
August 7, 2021 — The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing received its 19th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 7, 2021, maintaining a lengthy record as the most decorated airlift unit in the U.S. Air Force... MORE

Col. David Mounkes (right), outgoing commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, pins a streamer representing the wing’s 19th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award to the wing guidon during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 7, 2021. The award, which is bestowed on the top 10 percent of all units, recognizes the wing’s outstanding achievement across a full spectrum of operations, from homeland disaster response to the war effort overseas, between October 2017 and September 2019. No other airlift unit in the United States Air Force — active duty, Guard or Reserve — has earned 19 AFOUAs. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

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