Articles

Oct. 13, 2021

Vermont Guard Soldiers introduce students to heavy equipment

The Center for Technology Essex has partnered with the Vermont National Guard for years to offer students hands-on vocational training, but a visit to the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site on Oct. 12 marked the first chance for an entire classroom of students to attend.

Oct. 6, 2021

VTANG Partners with USDA for Rabies Vaccine Study

A collective partnership that began more than 10 years ago between the Vermont Air National Guard, the Burlington International Airport and the United States Department of Agriculture continues to aid in the prevention of rabies-related deaths. This summer, the VTANG and the USDA’s National Rabies Management Program collaborated with the goal of preventing the spread of rabies in wildlife by containing and eliminating the virus.

Oct. 6, 2021

Joint Task Force Coyote continues COVID-19 vaccination clinics

Recently extended until Dec. 31, the Vermont National Guard’s support to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues. According to Maj. Daniel Dykeman, officer in charge of the Guard’s COVID joint task force, “JTF Coyote is currently occupied conducting vaccination clinics to meet the needs of the State of Vermont.”

Oct. 1, 2021

Vermont National Guard force protection officers practice active shooter response

On Sept. 26-27, the Vermont National Guard hosted a first-of-its-kind active shooter response training conducted at the Vermont Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho by state civilian force protection employees from the Vermont Army and Air National Guard as well as Air Force security forces Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing.

Sept. 23, 2021

Vermont Guardsman awarded $8,000 for M17 training round extraction solution

Shortly after the U.S. Army adopted the M17 service pistol in 2017, new individual weapons qualifications requiring the use of Dummy, Drilled, Inert (DDI) practice rounds prior to attempting the live fire qualification course were implemented.

Sept. 21, 2021

Vermont, North Macedonia officials discuss expanding state partnership

The Vermont National Guard hosted a press conference Sept. 21 with North Macedonia Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska, Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lindsay Kurrle to discuss new steps toward increased cooperation between the state and the new NATO ally.

Sept. 16, 2021

Training is Critical: Current Vermont Deployments are Proof

Training in the Army prepares Soldiers for a variety of circumstances and events. Vigilant Guard is a training event that puts to test our response to domestic emergencies. The Joint Readiness Training Center at Folk Polk, Louisiana, trains Soldiers to operate in a combat environment. Vermont Soldiers conducted pre-mobilization training at Fort Bliss and Fort McGregor prior to their deployments, focusing on a variety of elements Soldiers would most likely face on deployment. All the jobs and specialties in the Army are put to the test to make sure Soldiers are ready for whatever missions they may face. Our current deployments across the world are clear evidence as to why training is so important.

Sept. 15, 2021

Vermont National Guard continues pandemic support at Medical Countermeasures Warehouse

Soldiers and Airmen of the Vermont National Guard continue to support delivery of Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19 vaccines from the State of Vermont’s Medical Countermeasures Warehouse.

Sept. 1, 2021

158th religious affairs team hones combat skills

Airmen with the 158th Chaplain office participated in the second annual Deployed Security Operations Chaplains Course at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont, Aug. 24-26.

Aug. 28, 2021

Vermont Guard engineers provide input for new crew-served weapon's scope

Annual training for the Vermont Army National Guard’s Head and Headquarters Company, 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (Mountain) was a bit different this year as Soldiers were trained to use the new Family of Weapons Sight-Crew Served (FWS-CS) mounted on M2 .50 caliber heavy machine guns. During four days of live fire, from Aug. 17-20, those involved were asked to provide "Soldier Touchpoints," feedback used to refine the FWS-CS prior to an Army-wide deployment starting in 2023.

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.

National Guard News
Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general, Washington National Guard, talks during a news conference with Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Emergency Management Division at the State Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray, Wash., Dec. 10, 2025. Ferguson signed Emergency Proclamation 25-07 on Dec. 10, authorizing the use of the Washington National Guard in response to flooding in Western Washington. Photo by Joseph Siemandel.
National Guard Mobilizes in Support of Floods in Western Washington
By Joseph Siemandel, | Dec. 11, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – As catastrophic flooding continues to cause damage across the state, the Washington National Guard will mobilize up to 300 personnel to help local agencies respond to the ongoing crisis.“There will be...

Imagery captured during the dignified transfer of U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, at the Dodd & Reed Funeral Home in her hometown of Webster Springs, West Virginia, Dec. 5, 2025. Beckstrom, 20, died Nov. 27, after she was fatally wounded in a shooting attack the previous day while performing her duties near the Farragut Square Metro Station in Washington, D.C. Photo by Edwin L. Wriston.
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom Laid to Rest at West Virginia National Cemetery
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Dec. 11, 2025
GRAFTON, W.Va. – U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, West Virginia Army National Guard, was laid to rest with full military honors during a ceremony and interment...

The second flight of Soldiers of the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment exits the plane at the Greater Rockford Airport for a homecoming ceremony Dec. 6, 2025. The unit mobilized in February 2025 to seven countries in the U.S. Central Command to support Operation Spartan Shield. Photo by Sgt. Haesi Fanizzo.
Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers Return from Overseas Deployment
By Barbara Wilson, | Dec. 10, 2025
ROCKFORD, Ill. – Approximately 265 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Marion, Illinois, with units based in Effingham, Litchfield, and Mt. Vernon, were...