Approximately 600 U.S. Soldiers and 39 members of the Canadian Brigade Group conducted a winter field training exercise in sub-freezing temperatures at the Donnelly Training Area outside of Fort Greely, Alaska, as a part of Exercise Arctic Eagle 2018. The winter training was intended to improve arctic skills as well as individual and collective tasks, while simultaneously strengthening our international partnership with Canadian service members.
His hands trembled with anticipation, soaked in a mixture of anxiety and excitement. The room was quiet as the mushers of the Kuskokwim 300 waited to pick a bib number which would determine their starting order. He knew he was ready, but the helm he was about to take up was still overwhelming. He had never run a team of dogs further than 75 miles, and dog sledding was a family tradition. Staff Sgt. Thomas Carl, an Alaska Army National Guard infantryman with B Company, 1-297th Infantry Battalion, competed in his first Kuskokwim-300 dogsled race in Bethel, January 19-21, 2018. Carl is an Akiak native and the son in law of Michael Williams Sr, a village council member known statewide for his 16 appearances in the Iditarod and 29 in the K-300. This year, due to health concerns, Williams Sr. asked Carl to drive his team.
“There are a lot of non-military jobs that being an Air National Guard crew chief can prepare you for. You can work for the FAA, FedEx, UPS, and any other company that may have aircraft; or you can work on any other types of mechanics because of the advanced skills applied in this job,” said Galindo.
The Alaska National Guard has a tradition of serving communities throughout Alaska during the holiday season, delivering Christmas gifts and a variety of delights to the children. In its 61st year, some things have changed over time, but the joyfulness and excitement never does. The island-town of St. Michael was selected for a visit this year, and they expressed joy, gratitude and enthusiasm to their out-of-town guests who showed up to spread holiday cheer.
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – After their historical first-time activation for duty outside of Alaska, four Alaska State Defense Force Soldiers are expected to return next week from a Puerto Rico deployment where they assisted with relief efforts on the hurricane-ravaged island.
Nearly 100 people attended a workshop hosted by the Alaska Veterans Museum (AVM) and led by the Veterans History Project (VHP) and the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian. Attendees learned techniques for collecting oral histories from Alaska’s veterans and how to submit them to VHP, within the Library of Congress, to ensure the stories are preserved for future generations. Col. (ret) Suellyn Novak serves as the president and director for AVM, which is headquartered in Anchorage. AVM’s mission is to educate, honor and inspire by preserving artifacts and stories from Alaskan veterans. AVM has spearheaded numerous oral history efforts for this reason. The workshop fine-tuned those efforts and provided a clear avenue for those stories to be preserved at the Library of Congress.
Vidor, Texas—Air National Guardsmen from Alaska’s Chugach Mountains and the heart of California’s Silicon Valley spent last week in the flooded cities of Southeast Texas, with one mission—to save lives. Aircrews, combat rescue officers, pararescuemen and support personnel from the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing and members of the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing joined more than 18,000 National Guard personnel who responded to the call to assist with Hurricane Harvey humanitarian disaster relief operations. The Airmen left home Aug. 28 to help their neighbors in Texas still needing relief and evacuation.
Remember how helpless we all felt after the ground quit quaking and we re-entered our homes if they were still standing? Sirens, ham radio operator message relays, and National Guardsmen rescuing people trapped in the wreckage that Good Friday in 1964. I was one scared kid—in a frontier town of 100,000 people. Now some Alaskans are joining hundreds of Red Cross volunteers from all over the country to provide safe shelter and comfort to people impacted by the hurricane disaster from Tropical Storm Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.
My friends and family, as Lions we are taught there is no color of skin, no politics allowed, and no religion. We are in 214 countries with all colors of skin, all kinds of political views and many religions. We overcome all of that and work together in common goal of helping our communities. Continue reading to learn how America comes together in this historic flooding event to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska—The Alaska Air National Guard is assisting with Hurricane Harvey humanitarian disaster relief operations in Texas this week, taking to the skies and the waters to search for victims needing to be evacuated. The 176th Wing deployed 14 pararescuemen and combat rescue officers from the 212th Rescue Squadron, who have teamed up with PJs from the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing, to respond to mission taskings in Vidor, Texas today.
