News

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska Army National Guard’s 1-297th Infantry returns from Kosovo deployment
April 6, 2020 — While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate the news cycle in America and all over the globe, Alaskans were reminded this weekend that the American Soldier has rarely had the luxury of prioritizing self. One of the fundamental oaths of the Soldier’s Creed is to always place the mission first. For more than 150 Alaska Army Guardsmen assigned... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment eagerly wait for their luggage to arrive after flying into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Apr. 4, 2020. The Soldiers returned from a 9 month deployment to Kosovo for a NATO peacekeeping mission. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Seth LaCount/Released)

Alaska National Guard Biathlon Team shines during 2020 season
April 6, 2020 — The Alaska National Guard Biathlon Team kicked off their competition season by receiving gold medals at the 2020 National Guard Bureau Western Regional Biathlon Competition at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, in Midway, Utah, Jan. 10-11.At the competition, the Alaska women’s team took first place and the men’s team took home an overall second... MORE

The Alaska National Guard women’s team, from the left, Staff Sgt. Heather Percy, Chief Warrant Officer Five Tracy Dooley. Maj. Bonnie Wickham, Capt. Julie Kane, and 1st Sgt. Angela Horn, pose for a photo during the 2020 Chief, National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championships, Feb. 28-March 5, at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, in Midway, Utah.

Alaska Army Guard helps rescue Iditarod mushers after hitting seawater overflow
March 20, 2020 — Aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, transported three Iditarod mushers after they and their sled dog teams went through flood waters along the Iditarod Trail this morning, about 25 miles outside of Nome.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center received a distress signal from a personal locator beacon... MORE

An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter aircrew performed a search and rescue mission for three Iditarod mushers about 25 miles east of Nome, March 20, 2020. The mushers and their dogs went through Bering Sea flood waters on the race trail and were wet and freezing. The aircrew transported two firefighter emergency medical technicians and Iditarod dog handlers to assist. The mushers were flown to Nome and transported to a local hospital. A local search and rescue team helped race dog handlers care for the sled team and returned them to Nome. (Courtesy photo)

Army Guardsman’s first Alaska exercise brings him to the top of the world in support of Arctic Eagle 2020
March 12, 2020 — Staring out the window of an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto a endless sheet of ice, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Maddox finds himself in unfamiliar territory, over the frozen Beaufort Sea, 3,000 miles north of his hometown of Baker City, Oregon.After 12 years with the Oregon Army National Guard, the flight engineer and instructor,... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with the Alaska Air National Guard assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, takes flight en route from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to Deadhorse, Alaska, in a CH-47 Chinook for exercise Arctic Eagle on Feb. 24, 2020. The Alaska National Guard is hosting Exercise Arctic Eagle 2020, a joint-training exercise, Feb. 20 to March 6, 2020, throughout Alaska, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and as far north as Teshekpuk Lake. As a homeland security and emergency response exercise, Arctic Eagle 20 is designed to increase the National Guard’s ability and effectiveness to operate in the extreme cold-weather conditions found in Arctic environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Amy Picard)

Alaska National Guard’s exercise Arctic Eagle 2020 wraps up
March 12, 2020 — Exercise Arctic Eagle 2020, a two-week biennial exercise organized by the Alaska National Guard, came to an end Mar. 7. The exercise included about 1,250 participants from multiple local and federal civilian agencies as well as foreign and domestic military components, including approximately 900 Air and Army Guardsmen from 15 states, and it took... MORE

Captain Jason Grupp assists in building a polar chief arctic weather shelter as part of the ski way construction team during Air National Guard exercise Arctic Eagle

(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant Jamie Spaulding/released)

Innovators in cold-weather technology integrate with participants at Arctic Eagle 2020
March 5, 2020 — Approximately 70 research and development experts traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, to participate in the Alaska National Guard’s exercise Arctic Eagle 2020.With over 600,000 square miles of diverse terrain and weather, Alaska presents numerous challenges for military members and emergency responders. In the event of a natural disaster or emergency... MORE

United States Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) participate in cold weather training during Operation Arctic Eagle aboard Fort Wainwright, AL. on Feb. 25, 2020. CBIRF conducted this training to practice responding in the extreme cold. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Blakely Graham/Released)

Alaska Army Guard medic participates in Arctic Eagle 2020
February 29, 2020 — Alaska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Conner, a member of the 297th Infantry Battalion medical platoon, participated in Arctic Eagle 2020 at the search and extraction mass casualty simulation venue at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Feb. 25.At this venue, military members from the Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, Air National Guard, Army National... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Conner, a member of the 297th Infantry Battalion medical platoon, poses for a photo. Conner has been an Army Guard medic since 2010, and has worked as a firefighter for about 30 years. His current position is fire chief at Ester Volunteer Fire Department. (Courtesy photo)