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U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Abdimaik Hashi, a newly commissioned transportation officer, is currently assigned to assist the Vermont National Guard State Resilience Coordinator at Camp Johnson, Joint Force Headquarters, Colchester, VT, pictured on August 13, 2021. Hashi was previously an enlisted M1 tank crewman in the Minnesota National Guard.

Hashi will drill with Task Force Patriot, a rear detachment, until his unit, G. Company 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), returns from an overseas deployment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Joshua T. Cohen)

Aug. 17, 2021

A Soldier’s story: From Kenyan refugee camp to Vt. National Guard officer

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — For 2nd Lt. Abdimaik Hashi, newly commissioned in the Vermont National Guard, the road to commissioning as an officer began in 2016 when he enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard. As a 19K armor crewman, Hashi initially drove M1 main battle tanks with A Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion-194th Armor Regiment.

Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, presents Dr. Maria Mercedes Avila with a coin during a workshop on structural competence and cultural humility at Vermont Air National Guard Base in South Burlington, Vermont, Aug. 13, 2021. Avila is a member of the Vermont Governor's Workforce Equity and Diversity Council and is working with the Vermont National Guard's Joint Diversity Executive Council to improve inclusiveness within the Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Aug. 13, 2021

Soldiers, Airmen discuss structural competence, cultural humility

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont — The Vermont National Guard invited Dr. Maria Mercedes Avila, a member of the Vermont Governor’s Racial Equity Task Force, to conduct a workshop on structural competence and cultural humility at the 158th Fighter Wing in South Burlington, Aug. 13.

Regional Command – East conducted an active shooter exercise on Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo on August 12, 2021 to train Soldiers from a variety of sections with a variety of specialties to ensure readiness in the instance of a real-world active shooter. The exercise included active shooters, casualties, response from the joint operations center, civilian emergency responders, medical personnel, security details, and military police responses. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gloria Kamencik)

Aug. 12, 2021

Regional Command - East conducts mass casualty, active shooter training

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Regional Command – East conducted an active shooter exercise on Camp Bondsteel on Aug.12, 2021 to train Soldiers from a variety of sections with a variety of specialties to ensure readiness in the instance of a real-world active shooter. The exercise included active shooters, casualties, response from the joint operations center, civilian emergency responders, medical personnel, security details, and military police responses.

If you visit Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, you may be met at the front gate by Figo and his handler Cpl. Charles West, with the 131st Military Police Detachment. Figo is a Malinois X, a mix of the Belgian Malinois and the German Shepard dog. The combination results in an intelligent, good-natured, level-headed energetic protector of their beloved human. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Gloria Kamencik, KFOR29)

Aug. 12, 2021

Military Working Dogs provide essential role for Camp Bondsteel security

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — If you visit Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, you may be met at the front gate by Figo and his handler Cpl. Charles West, with the 131st Military Police Detachment. Figo is a Malinois X, a mix of the Belgian malinois and the German shepherd dog. The combination results in an intelligent, good-natured, level-headed energetic protector of their beloved human.

Task Force Valkyrie of the 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, conducts Bambi bucket training in Kosovo July 30, 2021. This training ensures readiness if called upon by Kosovo to assist in any wildfires. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gloria Kamencik)

Aug. 11, 2021

Regional Command - East hits ground running

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Soldiers from the U.S. Army, including Soldiers from multiple National Guard states, Reserve Component, and Active Duty, as well as Soldiers from Poland, Latvia, Switzerland, Turkey, Slovenia, Greece, Hungary, and Italy, have fully established at various locations across Kosovo as part of Regional Command – East. Needless to say, we hit the ground running. Kosovo has experienced a fair amount of wild fires of late, and RC-E has been called upon to assist in combating fires in the Western and Northern portions of Kosovo.

New functionality, resources and content have been added to the Vermont National Guard’s app making it easier for members to access information ranging from The Adjutant General’s Feed, VTNG news, family and military support resources to recruiting contact details and more.

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont Guard mobile app enhanced with additional features

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — New functionality, resources and content have been added to the Vermont National Guard’s app making it easier for members to access information ranging from The Adjutant General’s Feed, VTNG news, family and military support resources to recruiting contact details and more.

Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, shares results of an organizational assessment with local reporters during a media roundtable Aug. 6, 2021. The assessment, conducted by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations in 2020, gives the Vermont National Guard a favorable rating and lists 35 recommendations to improve the organization. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont adjutant general shares organizational assessment results

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, shared on Aug. 6 the results of an organizational assessment conducted in 2020 by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations.

Anna Nasset from Stand Up Resources speaks during event for #NotJustApril on Camp Johnson, Vermont, Aug. 19, 2020. Typically military and civilian organizations host events during the month of April to focus attention on sexual assault awareness and prevention; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions the Vermont National Guard shifted their series of events from April to August and designed them around the theme: #NotJustApril, from Aug. 18-21, 2020. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. J. Scott Detweiler)

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont National Guard introduces new anti-harassment reporting policy

The prevention of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation is a top priority at the Vermont National Guard. Recently, we published a comprehensive Harassment Reporting and Response Plan to address these serious issues.

Aug. 9, 2021

Biden to approve Austin's request to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory

WASHINGTON — By mid-September, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

The Vermont National Guard released on Aug. 8 the results of an organizational assessment conducted from January-April 2020 by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations.

Aug. 8, 2021

Vermont National Guard releases organizational assessment

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — The Vermont National Guard has publicly released a 113-page assessment prepared by the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations at the request of VTNG Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight.

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National Guard News

An officer with Louisville Metro Police's Hazardous Incident Response Team gets out of his hazardous material suit after working a simulated scenario with the help of Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Dormbrusch, 12th CST, New Hampshire National Guard, during a training event at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., March 13, 2023. National Guard CSTs from eight states participated in the one-day exercise.

Kentucky Civil Response Team Hosts Multi-agency Exercise

By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane, | March 17, 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – If there ever were an incident at the Churchill Downs Racetrack requiring the specially trained chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) unit of the National Guard, thanks to training done this...

Alaska Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Heather Pope is a ground transportation specialist with 176th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 176th Mission Support Group, 176th Wing. Pope worked to lose 133 pounds to enlist a day before her 40th birthday, the cutoff age to join the military.

Arctic Guardian Overcomes Obstacles to join Alaska Air Guard

By David Bedard, | March 17, 2023

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Rain boots. An old pair of rain boots was the difference between Airman 1st Class Heather Pope realizing her dream of becoming an Airman or a lifetime of wondering what could have...

Col. Jason Glass, Tennessee National Guard’s assistant adjutant general–air, and Nashville Mayor John Cooper place a commemorative wreath on former President Andrew Jackson’s tomb at Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, outside Nashville March 15, 2023. The ceremony took place on what would have been Jackson’s 256th birthday.

Tennessee Guard Honors Former President Jackson

By Lt. Col. Marlin Malone, | March 16, 2023

HERMITAGE, Tenn. – A wreath-laying ceremony honoring former President Andrew Jackson on what would have been his 256th birthday was held March 15 at Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, outside Nashville.During the ceremony, Col...

Guardian Angels of 212th Rescue Squadron exit a 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II during a training exercise. Members of the 212th RQS jumped from a 211th RQS HC-130J into Pilot Station, Alaska, March 8, 2023, and evacuated a critically injured patient on a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk.

176th Wing Guardian Angels Parachute to Pilot Station for Medevac

By Maj. Chelsea Aspelund, | March 16, 2023

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - During a complex medevac involving three 176th Wing Guardian Angel teams, two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and one HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, a combat rescue officer and a...

Fifteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa became U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti City, Djibouti, Mar. 10, 2023. The Soldiers, all belonging to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, are on a 9-month deployment.

NY Guard Soldiers Become Citizens During African deployment

By Staff Sgt. Alexander Rector, | March 16, 2023

DJIBOUTI, Djibouti – Fifteen New York Army National Soldiers serving with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa became U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti March 10.The Soldiers,...