Articles
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.

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.

Man speaks from podium.

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.

Marine Pfcs. Preston Toledo and Frank Toledo, both Navajo Code Talkers and cousins, relay orders in the Navajo language on a field radio. They were attached to a Marine artillery regiment in the South Pacific. This photo was taken July 7, 1943.

Aug. 4, 2021

Remembering the Code Talkers

RUTLAND NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY, Vermont — National Navajo Code Talkers Day is Aug. 14, 2021. As the observance approaches, we should take a moment to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of the nearly 25,000 Native Americans who served in the Armed Forces during WWII. In the words of Signal Officer Maj. Howard Connor, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard 2026

Note: the above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. 

Green Mountain Guard Newsletter Archive

National Guard News
U.S. Army Soldiers with the 252nd Engineer Company, assigned to the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, or JTF-SB, in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, pose for a photo in Rio Grande Valley, Texas, July 9, 2026, after assisting a driver following a single-vehicle rollover during a routine patrol. The Soldiers provided immediate assistance until local authorities arrived. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border. Courtesy photo.
Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Aid Motorist After Rollover Crash
By Capt. Shamari Pratt, | July 28, 2026
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – Three Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers, 252nd Engineer Company assigned to the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Task Force–Southern Border, or JTF-SB, in support of Operation Ardent...
Sgt. 1st Class Jose Morales, left, and Sgt. Stephannie LaCasse, both flight medics with the Massachusetts National Guard Detachment 1, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion, use an artificial manual breathing unit on a medical simulation mannequin in the Boston MedFlight simulation training center at their Bedford, Massachusetts headquarters, July 17, 2026. The training is part of a critical care training course. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton.
Massachusetts Guard Flight Medics Strengthen Skills
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton, | July 27, 2026
BEDFORD, Mass. – Soldiers from the Massachusetts National Guard’s Detachment 1, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion, recently spent two weeks training with flight paramedics...
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Saldivar, the alternate emergency manager and noncommissioned officer in charge of the Emergency Management Flight assigned to the 151st Wing, Utah Air National Guard, uses a Joint Chemical Agent Detector to assess a potential hazard during Exercise Serow Samurai at Misawa Air Base, Japan, July 20, 2026. The exercise uses a hub-and-spoke model, with the Emergency Operations Center CBRN Control Center managing the common operating picture while a four-person response team conducts dismounted operations and real-time reporting in the field. Photo by Senior Airman Kyle Blackham.
Air Guardsmen Strengthen Emergency Response in Exercise Serow Samurai
By Senior Airman Kyle Blackham, | July 27, 2026
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – Emergency management Airmen from five Air National Guard units completed Exercise Serow Samurai, a seven-day deployment for training at Misawa Air Base, Japan, focused on chemical, biological,...
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