Articles

May 19, 2026

From Armor Officer to Educator: Retired Lt. Col. Steven Gagner reflects on service

For retired Lt. Col. Steven Gagner, leadership has never been confined to a battlefield, classroom or boardroom. Instead, it has been a lifelong pursuit shaped by service, education and a commitment to helping others grow.

May 2, 2026

Engineers Build for the Future While Honoring the Past at Centennial Alliance 2026

Marking a century of military training and innovation, leaders of the Vermont Army National Guard and Ethan Allen Firing Range, directed an ambitious effort to blend history, modernization, and hands-on engineer training through Task Force Centennial Alliance 2026.

May 2, 2026

Legacy of the Ethan Allen Firing Range - Centennial Alliance

Established in 1926 as a modest training ground for Vermont’s Citizen-Soldiers, the Ethan Allen Firing Range has grown into one of the premier military training sites in the northeastern United States, marking a century of readiness, resilience and evolution with the completion of Centennial Alliance 2026 on April 24, 2026.

May 2, 2026

181st Engineers Participate in Centennial Alliance

Soldiers assigned to the 181st Engineer Vertical Construction Company, Massachusetts National Guard put their skills to work at Range 6-3 on the Ethan Allen Firing Range, constructing a pole barn as part of exercise Centennial Alliance 2026.

May 1, 2026

Remembering the Crew of 52-1571

Charles W. Diggle III and Bertrand White were young officers with the Vermont Air National Guard, earning their place in the demanding profession of Air Force pilots, where precision is routine, and risk is never far away.

May 1, 2026

HQDA Safety Streamer for the 15th Civil Support Team

The 15th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) of the Vermont Army National Guard was presented the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) Safety Streamer at the Army Aviation Support Facility, in South Burlington, Vermont, on May 1st, 2026, during a formal ceremony attended by Major General Henry "Hank" Harder Jr., The Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, and Brigadier General Matthew M. Brown, Director of the Joint Staff.

April 20, 2026

Centennial Alliance: 100 Years of The Ethan Allen Firing Range

Centennial Alliance: Engineers from multiple Vermont National Guard units completed a series of major infrastructure improvement projects at The Ethan Allen Firing Range, marking the installation’s 100th anniversary and a significant modernization effort to enhance training capabilities.

April 17, 2026

Finance in the Field

In the middle of a fortified U.S. Army convoy through the Kenyan jungle, an airman with $140,000 cash prepares to make a payment to a contractor for an urgent airfield repair. With known threats in the area, the fear of being ambushed was high, but this transaction was required to repair the damaged flightline.

March 20, 2026

Disarming Danger: VTANG EOD's Dual Mission

When a suspicious bazooka round turns up in a Vermont garage or a decades-old artillery round is uncovered at a construction site overseas, Master Sgt. Andrew Borgens and his team are often the ones called to respond. Borgens serves as the 158th Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight chief with the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing, where he leads Airmen charged with protecting people and property from explosive hazards. “The easiest definition would be that we’re in charge of protection of personnel and property when it comes to explosive hazards,” Borgens said.

March 8, 2026

Maj. Gen. Henry Harder Jr. takes command of Vermont National Guard

Maj. Gen. Henry Harder Jr. took command of the Vermont National Guard, relieving Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, at the 158th Fighter Wing in South Burlington, Vt., on March 7.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard 2026

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National Guard News
Jane Horton, right, checks out Ty Dillon's No. 10 Chevrolet before the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, May 24, 2026. Dillon's car carried the name of Horton's husband, Army Spc. Christopher David Horton, a sniper assigned to the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who was killed Sept. 9, 2011, in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo.
National Guard Gold Star Spouse Turns Grief Into Advocacy
By Army Maj. Wes Shinego, | May 26, 2026
CONCORD, N.C. – The loudest place in American sports knew when to be quiet.At Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, the Coca-Cola 600 was everything it is supposed to be: horsepower, heat, noise and 600 miles of...

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Reuben Dominguez, 163d Regional Training Site superintendent, California Air National Guard, gives kudos to Airmen after operating a skid-steer successfully during a weeklong Rapid Damage Repair course at March Air Reserve Base, California, May 19, 2026. Airmen learn to execute full-scale crater repair procedures, beginning with debris removal and upheaval marking before progressing through excavation, backfilling, compaction and surface restoration. Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Julianne Sitterding.
California Guard Trains Airmen to Rapidly Repair Damaged Airfields
By Senior Master Sgt. Julianne Sitterding, | May 26, 2026
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. – Seven instructors assigned to the California National Guard’s 163d Regional Training Site train more than 1,000 Airmen annually through specialty courses such as Rapid Damage Repair, using...

U.S. Air National Guard service members assigned to the 152nd Fighter Squadron Aircraft Maintenance Unit load munitions to an F-16 Fighter Falcon during the annual Weapons Load Competition at Morris Air National Guard Base, Arizona, May 1, 2026. The 152nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit is a specialized team responsible for servicing, launching, recovering and maintaining aircraft to ensure operational readiness. Photo by Staff Sgt. Guadalupe Beltran.
Arizona Airmen Sharpen Combat Readiness in Weapons Load Competition
By Staff Sgt. Guadalupe Beltran, | May 26, 2026
MORRIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ariz. – Airmen assigned to the Arizona National Guard’s 162nd Wing demonstrated combat readiness, precision and lethality during the annual Weapons Load Crew Competition May 1.The event...