Photos

Army Pfc. Angel Farias stands guard at a traffic control point near an area affected by the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, Jan. 14, 2025.

A participant in the District of Columbia Army National Guard’s Junior Leaders Course takes position in a field training exercise at Camp Dawson, W.Va., Sept. 25, 2024. This course was established to grow and empower the next generation of enlisted leaders.

A Florida Army National Guard Humvee travels to conduct damage assessment patrols after Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida, Oct. 10, 2024.

Florida Army National Guard soldiers prepare for flight operations during Hurricane Helene support missions at Army Aviation Support Facility 1, Fla., Sept. 27, 2024.

Georgia Army National Guard soldiers work with Georgia State Defense Force personnel to unload cases of water during a point of distribution mission in Augusta, Ga., Sept. 30, 2024. Guardsmen mobilized to provide response and recovery support to areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

Gold Star family members paint canvases during the annual West Virginia National Guard Gold Star Families Weekend Retreat at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, W.Va., Sept. 28, 2024. The last Sunday in September is recognized as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.

California Army National Guard soldiers attach an M1193A howitzer to a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 17, 2024.

Soldiers participate in the Combat Medic military occupational specialty transition course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., June 24, 2024.

Hawaii National Guard soldiers conduct sling-load operations during annual training at Kapolei, Hawaii, June 1, 2024. Soldiers routinely train on tactical insertion and extraction of equipment using air assets.

Army National Guard conduct a sling load exercise as part of the Exportable Combat Training Capability at Fort Cavazos, Texas, June 10, 2024. The training improves the service members’ readiness.

Airmen conduct short-range marksmanship training at Fort Harrison, Mont., May 29, 2024. The training helps build proficiency.

U.S. service members join allied partners for a ceremony at the National Guard Monument in Vierville-sur-Mer, France, June 4, 2024. The event honored service members who fought in World War II.

Soldiers train with M224 60 mm mortar systems during an exercise at Fort Barfoot, Va., May 16, 2024.

Oregon National Guard scout snipers fire their M4 rifles during the Winston P. Wilson Small Arms Championship at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Ark., May 1, 2024. The marksmanship competition pushed the soldiers through realistic rifle courses to elevate their battlefield lethality.

Members of the East Africa Response Force, assigned to Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, stand by to leave Baledogle Airfield, Somalia. The force is an Army National Guard infantry company tasked with providing rapid security augmentation, disaster response assistance and military-assisted departure of State Department personnel at U.S. embassies during crises.

An Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System fires a missile at simulated targets during exercise Cobra Gold 2024 near Lopburi, Thailand, March 4, 2024. Cobra Gold is the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia.

Michigan Army National Guard soldiers move through a wooded area as an illumination flare burns overhead during Northern Strike at Camp Grayling, Mich., Jan. 21, 2024. The exercise prepares participants to operate in cold conditions.

Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Warner Ross embraces his wife, Becky, during his promotion ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 21, 2023. As Adjutant General, Ross is responsible for Tennessee's Army and Air National Guard, Tennessee State Guard and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

A New Jersey Army National Guard soldier participates in a weapons qualification at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 8, 2023.

A Washington National Guard explosive ordnance technician prepares to enter an incident site in Pasco, Wash., Aug. 14, 2023. The training scenario focused on strengthening communication and building relationships between the National Guard and community responders.