News - Page 3

Alaska Army National Guard rescues overdue snowmachiner in remote area north of Bethel
February 19, 2026 — An Alaska Army National Guard aircrew assigned to Bethel conducted a successful search and rescue mission to locate and extract an overdue snowmachiner during a mission coordinated through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. The mission opened Feb. 15 in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers to perform a search for an overdue snowmachiner who had been snowmachining north of Pilot Station. The Alaska Army National Guard accepted the mission through AKRCC and launched a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter from Bethel to search the area. ...

Alaska Air National Guardsmen conduct a medical evacuation at night
January 14, 2026 — Alaska Air National Guardsmen assigned to the 176th Wing medically evacuated an individual in Southcentral Alaska, Jan. 12. In response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a MEDEVAC mission for an individual experiencing a cardiac emergency. Due to weather conditions, the absence of daylight, and the lack of an illuminated airstrip near the distressed individual, local civilian air ambulance services were unable to conduct the mission. ...

Op Santa comes to Anchorage, spreads holiday cheer for Western Alaskans
December 17, 2025 — For nearly 70 years, the Alaska National Guard has worked with partner agencies to spread holiday cheer to rural Alaskan communities. For the first time in recent memory, Op Santa came to Anchorage to serve Western Alaska families displaced by Typhoon Halong...

Alaska Guard’s snowstorm response inspires local PD officer to enlist
December 11, 2025 — What began as a chance encounter during a severe Yakutat snowstorm set Spc. Brad Adams on an unexpected path to the Alaska Army National Guard and toward a new sense of purpose, stability and opportunity for his family...

Beloved, longest serving AKNG command senior enlisted leader Small hands reigns to Phlegar, celebrates retirement
December 9, 2025 — Alaska National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, leaders, families, and community members gathered to witness a time-honored military tradition as Command Sgt. Maj. Julie Small transferred responsibility of the AKNG command senior enlisted leader position to Command Sgt. Maj. John Phlegar and celebrated her retirement following 31 years of service during a dual ceremony at the JBER Arctic Warrior Events Center Dec. 5...

‘Someone real’: AKNG’s Matthew Komatsu’s path through fire and ice leads first CRO in Alaska Guard history to promote to general
December 8, 2025 — Long before he became the first Alaska National Guard combat rescue officer (CRO) in history to pin on a general star, Brig. Gen. Matthew Komatsu was a kid in the Midwest, mesmerized by Top Gun and dreaming of fighter jets. “I was eight or nine when I saw the greatest recruiting propaganda in the nation’s history,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to be a fighter pilot like Maverick.” The dream carried him all the way to the U.S. Air Force Academy, but once there, reality arrived quickly. He struggled to fit in, chafing at the rigid environment. “I realized pretty early I was a nonconformist, and it’s not a place that encourages that,” he said. “Those first four years, you’re becoming an adult and figuring things out. I barely hung on.”...

AKOM logistics experts key to Typhoon Halong response
November 26, 2025 — The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region of Alaska is approximately the size of the state of Louisiana. Despite its size and population of about 25,000 residents scattered across 48 communities, there isn’t a paved network of highways connecting outlying villages to the hub city of Bethel, so logistics can be complex and require much planning. Bethel, located near the Kuskokwim River about 60 miles downriver from the seacoast, is home to the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center and its adjoining helicopter hangar, both critical logistical hubs for the Alaska Organized Militia’s ongoing response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Halong on the region...

Alaska National Guard named top performer in sexual assault prevention efforts
November 24, 2025 — At a time when sexual assault prevention remains a national priority across the U.S. military, the Alaska National Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program has been recognized as one of the strongest programs in the country following a recent National Guard Bureau review...

Alaska Naval Militia sailor provides crucial aviation coordination for Operation Halong Response
November 20, 2025 — Bethel is 56 miles from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River and the adjoining salt water of the Kuskokwim Bay and the Bering Sea. The Western Alaska hub city is 1,136 miles from the small but crucial Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility at Ketchikan and is 1,762 miles from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, the closest major Navy installation...

AKOM’s communication team launches critical connectivity during disaster
November 17, 2025 — Following severe storms that struck Western Alaska earlier this month, members of the Alaska Organized Militia’s Communications and Information Systems Directorate, known as J6, deployed new handheld satellite tracking devices called SHOUT Nanos to maintain critical communication links with response teams operating in isolated communities...