News

‘Cathedrals of the mind’
February 19, 2025 — “I wasn’t going to leave that fight unless it was in a body bag.” Alaska Army National Guard Lt. Col. Luke Bushatz, 297th Regional Support Group operations officer and former 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment commander, made the stone-faced declaration while recollecting the aftermath of surviving a roadside bomb that eviscerated his Stryker in Afghanistan’s Arghandab Valley in 2009. He was serving as an infantry rifle company executive officer determined to continue in the billet despite sustaining debilitating brain trauma during the attack... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Lt. Col. Luke Bushatz, right, outgoing commander for the 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, was rewarded the Meritorious Service Medal by Col. Michele Edwards, the commander of the 297th Regional Support Group, Oct. 20, 2024, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Bushatz was recognized for his commitment to improving his battalion’s readiness in the two years he served as commander

Rescue of 2 plane crash victims in Yukon Territory kicks off 176th Wing’s busy rescue week
February 7, 2025 — The Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing rescued eight individuals during four rescue missions in Alaska and Yukon Territory between Jan. 26 and Jan. 31... MORE

AKARNG 297th RSG to deploy to Eastern Europe in support of NATO allies, expeditionary base operations
January 27, 2025 — The Alaska Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Regional Support Group will deploy approximately 80 Guardsmen on a nine-month mission to Eastern Europe in support of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce... MORE

Aviation distress signal draws rapid, multi-agency response at Merrill Field Airport
January 16, 2025 — The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a mission in response to an emergency locator transmitter notification in the vicinity of the Municipality of Anchorage Merrill Field Airport, Jan. 11, 2025. Lt. Col. Brian Porter, the director of operations for the Civil Air Patrol’s Alaska Wing said that a significant number of ELT notifications are “non-distress,” often because of unintentional operation of the beacon and inadequate servicing. ... MORE

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Capt. Rick Benedict, a fifteen-year-old assigned to the Birchwood Composite Squadron, uses a receiver to measure signal strength to locate a distress beacon during a three-day training event Nov. 4, 2023, at the Birchwood Airport in Chugiak, Alaska.

Alaska National Guard strengthens cooperation with Alaskan Command
January 6, 2025 — Alaska Air National Guard general assumes duties as ALCOM deputy... MORE

From sleigh to Humvee: Operation Santa Claus 2024 wraps up in Yakutat
December 19, 2024 — Approximately 50 Alaska National Guard service members, volunteers from the Salvation Army, AKNG Child and Youth Program and others visited the southeastern Alaskan city of Yakutat, Dec. 18, 2024. Operation Santa Claus is an annual community outreach program aimed at delivering holiday cheer to rural Alaskan communities. ... MORE

Santa Claus rides inside an Alaska Army National Guard Humvee before meeting local children and community members during Operation Santa Claus in Yakutat, Alaska, Dec. 18, 2024.

176th Maintenance Squadron fields helicopter engine test stand
December 11, 2024 — 176th Maintenance Squadron fields helicopter engine test stand... MORE

Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard rescue pilot at Iliamna Lake
November 26, 2024 — Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard rescue pilot at Iliamna Lake... MORE

Alaska National Guard Brings Holiday Cheer to Circle, Alaska with Operation Santa Claus
November 26, 2024 — Continuing the Operation Santa Claus tradition of delivering holiday cheer to remote communities in Alaska, Alaska Army and Air National Guard members and volunteers from the Salvation Army's Fairbanks Corps boarded an AKARNG UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with Santa Claus on Nov 6, 2024, to deliver gifts to Circle, Alaska, a village along the Yukon River... MORE

Alaska National Guard flies 14,000 pounds of meat to Toksook Bay via IRT program
November 22, 2024 — Two years after the remnants of Typhoon Merbok flooded communities across thousands of miles of western Alaska in September 2022, the community of Toksook Bay made a big step toward replenishing what they lost from the storm – thousands of pounds of meat. On Friday Nov. 15, 2024, the Alaska National Guard began the process of delivering nearly 14,000 pounds of frozen beef, chicken and pork to Toksook Bay as part of the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training Program... MORE