National Guard

By Staff Sgt. Julian Kemper  175th WG – Maryland Air National Guard MIDDLE RIVER, Md. – The day before Thanksgiving, most people are thinking about a short list of things to do – ensuring the turkey is thawed, cleaning the house for a family visit, or preparing for a long trip to see relatives. For Maryland Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Brooke ...

By Master Sgt. Chris Schepers MIDDLE RIVER, Md. — Approximately 300 members of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing deployed to the United States Central Command area of operations for an approximately 100-day deployment at multiple locations supporting three separate and ongoing operations: Inherent Resolve, Spartan Shield, and Poseidon Archer. The maintenance Airmen, pilots, and staff operated as the 104th Expeditionary ...

Article and Photos by Master Sgt. Arthur Wright LAUREL, Md. — Cadets embraced the importance of teamwork and competition during the Battle of the Beltway at the Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Laurel, Maryland, on June 18, 2024. Teams representing the Maryland Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and the CGYCA competed in five activities for a title and bragging rights.“Nobody understands being a ...

By Capt. Dylan Bradford ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Maryland Army National Guard Col. Craig M. Hunter, the adjutant general’s special assistant for strategic initiatives, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony held at the Top of the Bay restaurant, June 15, 2024.   Brig. Gen. Hunter recently transitioned from the District of Columbia Army National Guard to be ...

By: Capt. Michael Fedner VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Maryland Army National Guard’s Cyber Protection Team 169 conducted a validation exercise or “VALEX” for four CPTs from the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard concurrently during Cyber Shield 2024 at the Virginia State National Guard Reservation from May 31 to June 15, 2024. Cyber Shield is an annual National Guard ...

By 2nd Lt Enjoli Saunders EDGEWOOD, Md. – The Maryland Army National Guard held a civic leader engagement event to enhance awareness and understanding of those leaders about the career opportunities, benefits, and mission of the National Guard at Aberdeen Proving Ground – South, June 12, 2024. The event, hosted at Weide Army Heliport, included a tour of the aviation facility and ...

Story by 2nd Lt Enjoli Saunders REISTERSTOWN, Md. (June 1, 2024) – The Maryland National Guard held their Fallen Warrior Memorial ceremony with a wreath-laying today at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation to honor the Maryland Army National Soldiers who have died during the Global War on Terrorism.U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. ...

By Philip Regina A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard, teaches basic rifle marksmanship to members of the Ghana Armed Forces for grouping and zeroing on the range in Domongo, Ghana, May 21, 2024. This range day was held during exercise African Lion 2024 (AL24) and showcased multinational partnership and willingness to share ...

Article by Sgt. Lindiwe Henry BALTIMORE, Md. — Approximately 230 Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment from the Maryland Army National Guard participated in the African Lion 2024 Exercise from April 19 to May 31, 2024. This exercise marks the 1-175th Infantry Regiment’s largest deployment of Guard members in more than 10 years. The exercise locations spanned the countries Morocco, Tunisia, ...

Article by Capt. Billy Lacroix VICENZA, Italy — African Lion 24 (AL24), U.S. Africa Command’s premier, annual combined joint exercise conducted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), concluded on May 31, 2024, in Morocco. AL24 ran from April 19 to May 31 in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. Over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents participated. The exercise ...

Story by Nicholas J. De La Pena DODJI, Senegal — After more than six years, Maryland National Guardsman Spc. Djibril Diop, a 92Y Supply Specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, returned to his native country to provide critical support and help bridge cultural gaps with partner-led training activities in support of Exercise African Lion 2024 (AL24). Growing ...