Articles
Spc. Deedra Irwin, a human resources specialist with 86th Troop Command, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, fires a Biathlon rifle during a practice session at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont, on Nov. 2, 2021. Irwin, a native of Pulaski, Wisconsin, competed in the 2021 Biathlon World Championship and is on Team USA's 2021-2022 National A Team. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Feb. 3, 2022

Schedule released for Vermont National Guard Olympic biathletes

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Vermont National Guard Olympic biathletes will compete in televised events Feb. 5-16, with possibilities to compete on Feb. 18 and 19, National Guard Biathlon training officials announced Feb. 3. Most events will be televised live in the early morning hours on NBC Sports and on www.peacocktv.com, with rebroadcast on USA Network later in the day.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Hampson, an instructor at the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School, gives a block of instruction on mountain casualty evacuation to French service members with the 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment (5e RIAOM) at the French Combat Training Center at Arta Beach, Djibouti, Dec. 14, 2021. Five instructors from the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vt. taught a five-day Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course on basic military mountaineering skills to French service members in Djibouti to strengthen the relationships among the international forces working together in the region. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda Stock)

Jan. 11, 2022

Vermont Guardsman rescues three from a frozen lake on Christmas day

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Immediate action by Vermont National Guard Staff Sgt. John Hampson on Christmas Day, 2021, “very likely saved the lives of three people,” according to U.S. Navy Reserve Cmdr. Jordan Gottfried.

Spc. Vaclav Cervenka, a carpentry and masonry specialist with Det. 1, Headquarters Company, Garrison Support Command, Vermont Army National Guard, practices firing a Biathlon rifle during practice at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont, on Nov. 2, 2021. Cervenka is on Team USA's 2021-2022 X Team. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Jan. 11, 2022

Vermont National Guard Soldiers make 2022 Olympic Biathlon Team

JERICHO, Vermont — Three Vermont National Guard biathletes will compete in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing as part of the U.S. Biathlon Team with an additional member named as the men’s alternate.

The Vermont National Guard has a new psychological health coordinator. In October 2021 Jordan Imhoff was hired for the position. Imhoff previously served as the Vermont National Guard alcohol and drug control officer in the Behavioral Services Office. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Joshua Cohen)

Jan. 6, 2022

Meet Jordan Imhoff: Vermont Guard’s new psychological health coordinator

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — The Vermont National Guard has a new psychological health coordinator. In October 2021 Jordan Imhoff was hired for the position. Imhoff previously served as the Vermont National Guard Alcohol and Drug Control Officer in the Behavioral Services Office.

Command Sgt. Maj. Melinda Crosby, incoming command sergeant major for the 186th Brigade Support Batallion, 86th Infantry Combat Team (Mountain), speaks with her son, Marcus, prior to the change of responsibility ceremony in Northfield, Vermont, Dec. 4, 2021. Crosby succeeds Command Sgt. Maj. Allen King, who is retiring after 38 years of service. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Dec. 23, 2021

Newest 186th command sergeant major seeks to grow Soldiers’ potential

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — The newest command sergeant major for the 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), might not have served beyond her first enlistment if not for a couple of non-commissioned officers who saw her potential and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Now, Command Sgt. Maj. Melinda Crosby wants to help bring out the potential in the Soldiers in her unit.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Elijah Amendola, 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), assists a French service member with the 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment (5e RIAOM) on fixed rope techniques at the Arta Range Complex, Djibouti, Dec. 15, 2021. Five instructors from the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, taught a five-day Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course on basic military mountaineering skills to French service members in Djibouti to strengthen the relationships among the international forces working together in the region.

Dec. 21, 2021

Vermont Army Guard hosts mountain warfare course in Djibouti

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti — Five U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School instructors with the Vermont Army National Guard traveled to Djibouti to teach a five-day Joint Expeditionary Mountain Warfare Course to service members from France’s 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment (5e RIAOM) at the Arta Range Complex Dec. 12-16.

U.S. Soldiers with the 172nd Cavalry Regiment, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, provide security for a traffic control point, in Washington, D.C., Jan 23, 2021. At least 25,000 National Guard men and women have been authorized to conduct security, communication and logistical missions in support of federal and District authorities leading up and through the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Denis Nuñez)

Dec. 17, 2021

The Vermont National Guard in 2021: Looking back on a busy year

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — In 2021 the Vermont National Guard fully engaged both federal and state missions. Overseas deployments and Joint Task Force Coyote, a critical component of the State’s response to the COVID-19, resulted in a high operational tempo, one not experienced in past years.

Col. Randall Gates presents his wife, Lou, with a certificate of appreciation during his retirement ceremony at Camp Johnson, Vermont, on Nov. 30, 2021. Gates, the Vermont National Guard's director of military support, served as an enlisted Soldier for 11 years and a commissioned officer for 27. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Nov. 30, 2021

Vermont Guard bids farewell to director of military support

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Col. Randall Gates retired from the Vermont Army National Guard on Nov. 30, ending a 38-year military career. Prior to his retirement Gates was the Director of Military Support.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the Vermont National Guard gathered to witness the Change of Command ceremony for the Command Chief Warrant Officer of The Vermont National Guard, in Colchester, Vermont, Nov 7, 2021. Outgoing Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Woodworth says farewell as he hands the reigns to incoming Chief Warrant Officer 5 Scott Beaulieu. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Denis Nuñez)

Nov. 19, 2021

Vermont Guard's senior chief warrant officer retires

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Chief Warrant Officer 5 James M. Woodworth will retire from the Vermont National Guard on Nov. 23, after more than 40 years of service.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Nardo, 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, injects James Bordeaux with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Johnson, Vermont, March 18, 2021. The Vermont National Guard has begun offering vaccination to Vermont residents in support of the Vermont Department of Health. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Marcus Tracy)

Nov. 17, 2021

JTF Coyote begins pediatric COVID-19 clinics as adult booster vaccination numbers increase

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — The Vermont National Guard now supports the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccinations for youth in the 5 to 11 age group and booster clinics for the general adult population.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard - April 2025

The above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. Read the transcript of MG Gregory Knight's full State of the Guard here.

Green Mountain Guard Newsletter Archive

National Guard News
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, left, awards Paraguayan Air Force Commander Gen. Julio Rubén Fullaondo Céspedes with the Medal of Merit in Asunción, Paraguay, Jan. 21, 2026. The award recognizes Fullaondo’s leadership and contributions to strengthening aviation cooperation, interoperability and international partnerships between the Massachusetts National Guard and the Paraguayan Armed Forces. Massachusetts and Paraguay marked 25 years of partnership through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, reinforcing a long-standing, mutually beneficial security relationship. Photo by Senior Airman Julia Ahaesy.
Massachusetts Guard’s Adjutant General Leads Engagements in Paraguay
By Senior Airman Julia Ahaesy, | Jan. 28, 2026
ASUNCION, Paraguay – Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, led a series of senior leader engagements in Paraguay from Jan. 16-22 to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.During...
Southampton Fire Department First Assistant Chief Ricky Fowler, right, and Capt. Jason Poremba, left, present representatives of the New York Air Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing and Army Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion with a framed photograph at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, Jan. 9, 2026. The image, presented as a token of appreciation for the Guard’s critical support during a wildfire on March 8, 2025, shows a New York Army National Guard UH-60M Black Hawk releasing water from a helicopter bucket directly over a Southampton brush truck on the front lines. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Daniel H. Farrell.
Southampton Fire Department Thanks New York Guard for Wildfire Support
By Tech. Sgt. Daniel Farrell, | Jan. 28, 2026
FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – Members of the Southampton Fire Department visited Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, on Jan. 9, to thank members...
A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, 96th Aviation Troop Command, Washington National Guard, sling loads a PBY-5A Catalina amphibious aircraft from Oak Harbor, Wash., Jan. 21, 2026. A Washington National Guard CH-47 Chinook lifted the World War II-era patrol bomber, which first operated from U.S. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in 1942, to its new permanent location at the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum. Photo by Adeline Witherspoon.
Washington Guard Lifts WWII-Era Bomber for Move to Museum
By Joseph Siemandel, | Jan. 28, 2026
OAK HARBOR, Wash. – A story, years in the making, came to an end for the city of Oak Harbor when a CH-47 Chinook air crew from the Washington Army National Guard air lifted a World War II-era PBY-5a bomber from downtown Oak...
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