An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Vermont National Guard Logo News
Articles
News | July 29, 2021

Voluntary COVID mapping task force concludes operations

By Joshua Cohen Vermont National Guard Public Affairs

In the early winter of 2020, Vermont Governor Phil Scott tasked the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont National Guard with mapping the spread of COVID-19 across the state.

Upon request of the VDH, the Vermont National Guard’s voluntary COVID-19 Mapping Mission began on November 16, 2020, according to Air National Guard Lt. Col. Daniel Rissacher, officer in charge of the "Voluntary COVID Mapping" operation.

Rissacher said the team operated with great autonomy, “Soldiers and Airmen volunteered, with turnover there were over 60 guard members involved, with a steady state of 40 personnel throughout.”

“Of note, when the VTNG was brought on mission, a growing backlog of COVID positive patients needed to be contacted,” Rissacher said.

After completing training, Rissacher said the Guard members “immediately began COVID mapping and cleared the backlog never to experience another for the remainder of the epidemic.”

Rissacher said that due to the time sensitive need to contact COVID positive individuals, “this mission was seven days a week including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.”

In total, the team closed nearly 10,000 COVID-19 positive cases, interviewing more than 13,200 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts.

Interview calls involved notifying the patient they were COVID positive, “calculating and providing isolation times and quarantine guidance, offering state assistance, then gathering names and numbers of close contacts,” according to Rissacher.

The voluntary COVID-19 mapping mission served as one of many state strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, augmenting state efforts to test thousands of Vermonters each week in addition to stringent mask mandates and eventually vaccine distribution.

The VTNG COVID Mapping ended when the State reached its 80 percent vaccination goal.

National Guard News
Soldiers with the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company B, 2-134th Infantry (Airborne), conduct survival, evasion, resistance and escape training Feb. 3-4, 2024, at the Mead Training Site near Yutan, Nebraska. The 59 Soldiers were trained by six U.S. Air Force instructors from the 55th Operations Support Squadron from Offutt Air Force Base.
Nebraska Guard Infantry Trains on Survival Tactics
By Staff Sgt. Lisa Crawford, | March 1, 2024
YUTAN, Neb. - Soldiers with the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company B, 2-134th Infantry (Airborne), conducted survival, evasion, resistance and escape training Feb. 3-4 at the Mead Training Site near Yutan.Six U.S Air...

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Katelyn S. Murphy, superintendent, Crisis Action Team, Air National Guard Readiness Center, National Guard Bureau, simulates gathering pertinent information on crises and events used to inform National Guard senior leaders, at the ANGRC, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Feb. 29, 2024. During event and crisis support, the CAT acts as the central Air Guard point of contact, providing enhanced operational continuity between commanders in the field and senior leaders at NGB.
Air National Guard Crisis Team Recognized for Innovation
By Master Sgt. David Eichaker, | March 1, 2024
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. - The Air National Guard Crisis Action Team was nominated for the 2024 General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award for innovation that improved efficiency and operational readiness across the Air Force...

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion conducted a collective training exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Fort Cavazos, Texas, to prepare for their upcoming federal active duty deployment to Poland. During the exercise, 529th Soldiers worked through different potential scenarios simulating the operations they are scheduled to conduct in Poland.
Virginia National Guard Soldiers Validated for Poland Mission
By Cotton Puryear, | March 1, 2024
FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion have been validated for their upcoming federal active duty mission to Poland after conducting a collective...

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh, Washington Air National Guard commander, and Brig. Gen. Azman bin Jantan, deputy assistant chief of staff operations and strategy of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, sign a sister squadron agreement at Pacific Air Forces Headquarters, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2024. This agreement formalizes the enduring relationship between the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s 320 Squadron, Control and Reporting Center 1, and the Washington Air National Guard’s 225th Air Defense Group, Western Air Defense Sector.
Washington Air Guard, Malaysia Sign Sister Squadron Pact
By Kimberly Burke, | March 1, 2024
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh, Washington Air National Guard commander, and Brig. Gen. Azman bin Jantan, the deputy assistant chief of staff operations and strategy of the Royal...

Camp Ripley Training Center in Little Falls, Minnesota, hosted the 51st annual Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange, a cultural and joint-training event between the Minnesota National Guard and the Norwegian Home Guard Rapid Reaction Force and the Home Defense Youth, Feb. 1-12.
Minnesota Guard, Norway Train Together
By Sgt. Jorden Newbanks, | Feb. 29, 2024
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. - Camp Ripley Training Center hosted the 51st annual Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange between the Minnesota National Guard and the Norwegian Home Guard Rapid Reaction Force and the Home Defense Youth...