Kentucky Guard

Kentucky National Guard selects the Best Warriors of 2024
November 8, 2023 — The Kentucky Army National Guard announced the winners of the state-wide Best Warrior Competition at the awards breakfast held at Wendell H. Ford Training Center, Nov 5... MORE

Soldiers who competed in Kentucky's Best Warrior Competition received trophies during a ceremony held in Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, November 5, 2023. From left: Spc. Jackie Zheng, Soldier of the Year; Command Sgt. Maj. Benzie Timberlake, 75th Troop Command; Sgt. Jerry Marksbury III, NCO of the Year Runner-Up; Sgt. Robert Buck, NCO of the Year; Command Sgt. Maj. Aaron Lester, 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade; and Spc. Stephen Shelton, Soldier of the Year Runner-Up. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Cody Stagner)

Adoption benefits through Kentucky's Military Family Assistance Trust (MFAST)
October 16, 2023 — Lt. Col. John Harvey and his wife, Miranda, explain the benefits they received through Kentucky's Military Family Assistance Trust (MFAST) program, a program to help military families in emergencies and other needs at their home in Lexington, Kentucky on June 13, 2023. The MFAST program was created by Kentucky law to assist Kentucky service members in need of emergencies such as natural disasters and can also be used to help families in need of financial assistance. (U.S. Army National Guard video by Andy Dickson)... MORE

National Guard Armory named after NCO who served decades to the Guard
September 25, 2023 — Kentucky Army National Guard leadership, veterans, and family of Alpha Co. 1-149th Infantry Battalion gathered at the National Guard Armory in Harlan, Kentucky for the renaming and dedication of the armory on Sept. 21, 2023. The name change from the Harlan National Guard Armory to the 1st Sgt. Ottis W. Capps National Guard Armory was in honor of a first sergeant who dedicated decades of his career and life to making the armory a community gathering area and a home to infantry Soldiers... MORE

The wife of 1st Sgt. Ottis W. Capps, Sherry [left] and their two sons, Jeff and Jason, unveil the new bronze plaque at the Harlan National Guard Armory in Harlan, Kentucky on Sept. 21, 2023. The National Guard armory was named after 1st Sgt. Ottis W. Capps who served as the Alpha Company, 1-149th Infantry full-time support for over 30 years and was a cornerstone of the Harlan National Guard community during his career. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Andy Dickson)

Departure Ceremony for Kentucky Guardsmen deploying to Southwest Asia
August 14, 2023 — Friends, family, and the community gathered to bid farewell to more than 100 Kentucky National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 138th Field Artillery Brigade, “Kentucky Thunder,” at the Clive M. Beck Center on the Transylvania University campus Aug. 13... MORE

Col. Steve Mattingly speaks to Soldiers with the 138th Field Artillery Brigade during a departure ceremony in Lexington, Ky., Aug. 13, 2023. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st. Sgt. Scott Raymond)

KYARNG Judge Advocates complete Basic Trial Advocacy Course
July 5, 2023 — Eight Kentucky Army National Guard Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) recently completed the Basic Trial Advocacy Course (BTAC) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia from May 7-15, 2023. The course, hosted by the Trial Counsel Assistance Program (TCAP), marked the National Guard's first training session at TCAP. This move reflects the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army’s commitment to promoting Active Duty, Army Reserve and National Guard integration. The integration efforts were set in motion by Lt. Col. Richard Couch, the newest military judge in the Kentucky National Guard JAG Corps. ... MORE

Eight Kentucky Army National Guard Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) recently completed the Basic Trial Advocacy Course (BTAC) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia from May 7-15, 2023. The course, hosted by the Trial Counsel Assistance Program (TCAP), marked the National Guard's first training session at TCAP.

Army National Guard company evaluated in regional field feeding competition
June 15, 2023 — Soldiers with the Kentucky Army National Guard competed at the 56th Regional Philip A. Connelly Field Feeding Competition at the Harold L. Disney Training Center in Artemus, Kentucky, on June 14. Soldiers from India Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 75th Troop Command, set up their containerized kitchen (CK) and field sanitation stations for evaluation and competed against Service members from nine other states and territories geographically located in the southeast United States. ... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Adam Bwesi of India Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 75th Troop Command, adds ingredients to a pot in a containerized kitchen during the Regional Philip A. Connelly Field Feeding Competition at the Harlold L. Disney Training Center in Artemus, Kentucky on June 14, 2023. Bwesi and the rest of India Company are competing against nine other states and territories National Guard field feeding units in the southeast United States for a chance to compete nationally against the other regions of the National Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Andy Dickson)

202nd Band Performs at State Capitol
June 13, 2023 — Five Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 202nd Army Band performed at the Kentucky State Capitol rotunda in Frankfort, Kentucky, on June 10th, 2023. Soldiers of the 202nd Army Band provided music for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Act. The 202nd supported the community by performing a variety of music prior to the ceremony and after its completion... MORE

Five Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 202nd Army Band performed at the Kentucky State Capitol rotunda in Frankfort, Kentucky, on June 10th, 2023. The 202nd supported the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Act by performing a variety of music prior to the ceremony and after its completion. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Danielle Sturgill)

Kentucky Military Police take training to the ‘Show Me State’
May 29, 2023 — The 198th Military Police Battalion, and its subordinate units, conducted their annual training at the home of the United States Army Military Police Schools (USAMPS) May 12-26... MORE

The 198th Military Police Battalion, and its subordinate units, conducted their annual training at the home of the United States Army Military Police Schools (USAMPS) May 12-26.

Firefighters respond to unique call
May 15, 2023 — Fire Chief Rondal Hambrick, Crew Chief Kyle Wade and drivers Tyler Henderson and Lincoln Miller, responded to the downed WWI aircraft that crash had landed on the training center May 15... MORE

All four responded to the downed JN4 Jenny that crash landed on the training center.

Kentucky engineer platoon leader wins outstanding platoon leader award
April 28, 2023 — A Kentucky Army National Guard platoon leader was awarded the 2022 Lt. Orville Munson Award at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on April 28, 2023. 1st Lt. Jason Ball, a platoon leader with the 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company, received the award from U.S. Army Col. Joseph C. Goetz, the commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer Regimental School. The Munson award is given annually to honor an engineer lieutenant or warrant officer platoon leader in the Active Army and Army National Guard in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering by demonstrated technical and leadership ability... MORE

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Jason Bell poses with his wife, Dr. Michelle Baltam, after receiving the Lt. Orville Munson Award at the U.S. Army Engineer Regimental School at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri on April 28, 2023. The award is given annually to honor an engineer lietuenant or warrant officer platoon leader in the Active Army and Army National Guard in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering by demonstrated technical and leadership ability. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson)

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)

Kentucky Soldiers and Airmen awarded a new state ribbon for State Partnership Program
April 13, 2023 — Kentucky National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were the first to receive a new joint state ribbon recognizing service with the State Partnership Program (SPP) in a ceremony at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Kentucky on April 13, 2023. As of the ceremony, 34 Soldiers and Airmen qualified for the new ribbon and those present were awarded their orders for record and the official ribbon. ... MORE

The Kentucky State Partnership Program (SPP) ribbon is the newest state ribbon to be awarded to Soldiers and Airmen of the Kentucky National Guard. The new ribbon was created to honor Soldiers and Airmen who enhance military-to-military relationships in subject matter expert engagement with one of Kentucky’s partner nations, Ecuador and Djibouti. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

Letters from Bataan: A Kentucky POW’s letters found after 75 years
April 13, 2023 — This month marks 81 years since the Bataan Death March in the Bataan Peninsula during World War II. Almost every member of the military can tell you the power of receiving mail during times of training; it’s hard to remember but many years ago, letter writing was the only form of communication while in basic training and overseas deployments for centuries before the days of cell phones and the internet. Finding the letters, as a historian, is also very vital to putting together the story of how our troops lived while at training. The author tends to write a detailed picture of their day-to-day life, how they spent their training, who was with them, and how they spent their off time... MORE

Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Jennings Bryan Scanlon from the Service Record, World War I and II in an undated photo album. Scanlon mobilized to the Philippine Islands with the 192nd Tank Battalion shortly before World War II began in the Pacific and was captured as part of the Bataan Death March. Scanlon died shortly after in a POW Camp. (Photo courtesy of the Harrodsburg, Ky. veterans' community).

Kentucky Guardsman and ROTC Cadet Blake Embry sets powerlifting record, qualifies for USPA National Championships
April 11, 2023 — Army Cadet Blake Embry, a Kentucky Army National Guard Soldier and University of Kentucky ROTC Cadet, made history by setting the Mississippi bench-press record in February 2023. This feat was accomplished by lifting 343 pounds, which also earned him a victory in the HQ Fitness Show of Strength competition. As a result, he secured a spot in the United States Powerlifting Association National Championships in Las Vegas... MORE

Army Cadet Blake Embry, a Kentucky Army National Guard Soldier and University of Kentucky ROTC Cadet, made history by setting the Mississippi bench-press record in February 2023.

238th Regiment Change of Command
April 3, 2023 — U.S. Army National Guard Lt. Col. Philip Robinson assumed command of the 238th Regiment from Col. L. Allen Joiner during a change-of-command ceremony held at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, Greenville, Ky., March 31, 2023. Joiner will travel to Scott Airforce Base, Ill. as the FORSCOM Liaison Officer for the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC). Joiner took command of the 238th Regiment in April 2021, but he has served as a member of the 238th Regiment for nine years... MORE

U.S. Army Col. L. Allen Joiner, outgoing commander of the 238th Regiment passes the regimental guidon to Brig. Gen Brian Wertzler, Kentucky National Guard deputy adjutant general, symbolizing the relinquishing of his command of the unit at the 238th Regiment’s Change of Command ceremony held at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, Greenville, Ky., March 25, 2023. (U.S. Army National Guard by Lt. Col. Carla Raisler)

Time capsule left by decorated Kentucky Guard MP unit found in Fort McCoy barracks nearly two decades after unit left for Operation Iraqi Freedom
March 20, 2023 — In November 2004, the 617th Military Police Company of the Kentucky National Guard was one of many military units completing their mobilization at Fort McCoy for deployment. It was in that month the unit wrapped up their training at Wisconsin’s only Army installation and prepared to head off to Iraq for a year deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before they left, however, some members of the unit decided they'd put together a “time capsule” of sorts in a plastic drawer they got from the Fort McCoy Exchange, put some mementos in it, and stash it away in the walls of one of the hundreds of barracks on the installation’s cantonment area... MORE

Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company are shown ikn November 2004 at Fort McCoy, Wis. The unit, before they were deployed to Iraq, were mobilized at Fort McCoy and had left a time capsule in a barracks at McCoy that was discovered in late 2022 by contractors working on Fort McCoy barracks. The company placed the makeshift time capsule in the walls of the barracks thinking they’d come back to it after their deployment completed in 2005 but they forgot about it. The 617th completed their mobilization at Fort McCoy from October to November 2004 and then their demobilization a year later. The unit also is one of the most decorated combat National Guard military police units after completing that deployment. (Contributed photo)

Warrant officer applicants attend new National Guard course
March 8, 2023 — The Army warrant officer is a technical and tactical leader who is critical to today’s operational environment and is a subject matter expert for both enlisted and commissioned officers in their branch. The Kentucky National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate Accession Program (WOCAP) is a streamlined process to help Soldiers achieve their goals of becoming a warrant officer. The path to becoming a warrant officer is not an easy task for many of the branches and depends on the Soldier’s experiences in both their military and civilian careers and education... MORE

Army Warrant Officer Tucker Huff (center) talks to warrant officer applicants during the Warrant Officer Candidate Accession Program (WOCAP) at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky. on Oct. 15, 2022. Huff recently graduated Warrant Officer Candidate School and is giving advice to Soldiers applying to become warrant officers. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company conducts Water Jump
February 13, 2023 — Soldiers of the 20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company (MICO) conducted a water jump at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, Aug. 6, 2022. The jump was conducted to enhance the company’s proficiency in conducting airborne operations that require a water landing... MORE

Soldiers of the 20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company (MICO) conducted a water jump at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, Aug. 6, 2022. The jump was conducted to enhance the company’s proficiency in conducting airborne operations that require a water landing. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Caleb Sooter)

First female Kentucky Army National Guard master sergeant honored
January 12, 2023 — Retired Army Master Sgt. Wilma J. Ross, 81, was laid to rest with military honors at Grove Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville, Ky., on Dec. 3, 2022. Ross, from Shelbyville, served more than 24 years in the military and was the first female to be promoted to the rank of master sergeant in the Kentucky Army National Guard... MORE

Army 1st Sgt. Naarah Stallard presents a folded flag to Paulette Ross, daughter of Master Sgt. Wilma Ross, a retiree of the Kentucky Army National Guard at the Grove Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville, Ky. on Dec. 9, 2022. Wilma Ross retired after 24 years of service and passed away at the age of 81. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Dickson)

Resiliency leads to the Kentucky National Guard’s first female infantry officer
January 4, 2023 — In January 2022, the Kentucky Army National Guard welcomed the commonwealth’s first female infantry officer to the team... MORE

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