Michigan National Guard

Active, Guard and Reserve Soldiers attend Fort Custer vehicle recovery course
May 23, 2022 — AUGUSTA, Mich.—Soldiers assigned to all three components of the Army came together to attend a wheeled vehicle recovery course held at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance (RTS-M) at Fort Custer Training Center. Located at the 7,500-acre Michigan National Guard base, the RTS-M runs approximately 24 classes and averages 396 students per year... MORE

Soldiers with the Army active, Reserve, and National Guard components attend a vehicle recovery course at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance (RTS-M), 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, Michigan, May 19, 2022. With 13 training centers available throughout the Army, Michigan’s RTS-M runs approximately 24 classes and averages 396 students per year. The RTS-M has added unique training to the wheeled vehicle recovery course which includes land navigation to locate disabled vehicles. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Ukrainian emigrant serves as a Michigan Army National Guard Soldier
May 19, 2022 — AUGUSTA, Mich.,—People join the military for a variety of reasons ranging from educational and insurance benefits, or to simply travel. One Michigan Army National Guard Soldier, who emigrated from Ukraine, joined to give back to the U.S., which has provided for his family. “I was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union before gaining its independence,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sergey Zelenskiy, senior instructor with the 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Michigan Army National Guard. “While I lived in Ukraine, I finished my degree in railroad engineering and began operating cargo and passenger trains before switching to subway trains.”... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sergey Zelenskiy, a senior instructor with the 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Michigan Army National Guard, poses for a photo at Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, Michigan, May 10, 2022. Zelenskiy an emigrant from Kyiv, Ukraine, joined the Michigan Army National Guard in 2007 and as a senior instructor, teaches Advanced Leadership Course, Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course, Rough Terrain Container Handler, and Combat Recovery for Wheeled Vehicles. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Virtual workshop unites Public Affairs from Michigan National Guard, Latvia and Liberia
May 12, 2022 — More than 25 Public Affairs specialists from the Michigan National Guard, Latvian National Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces of Liberia teamed up April 12-22 to hold a virtual storytelling workshop under the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. This trilateral cooperation is the sixth event in a series of storytelling workshops initiated by colleagues in Michigan and Latvia in 2019. After four in-person events in 2019, the series went virtual in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This online environment is opening new opportunities for the program in 2022... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna, attends the Trilateral Public Affairs workshop from his home in Lansing, Michigan, April 6, 2022.More than 25 Public Affairs specialists from the Michigan National Guard, Latvian National Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces of Liberia teamed up April 12-22 to hold a virtual storytelling workshop under the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna)

Michigan National Guard supports Coast Guard, Federal, State and local agencies for Mackinac active shooter exercise
May 10, 2022 — From April 26-27, Martzke represented the Michigan National Guard at a full-scale area maritime security exercise called Straits Shield 22, led by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector, Sault Ste. Marie. Straits Shield validates local, state and regional response plans by simulating an active shooter aboard a ferry vessel to Mackinac Island, a popular summer tourist destination off the coast of Lake Huron... MORE

A U.S. Army UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the Michigan Army National Guard’s 112th Aviation Regiment, Grand Ledge Army Aviation Support Facility, provides overwatch for a simulated active shooter incident on Lake Huron during exercise Straits Shield 22, April 27, 2022. The U.S. Coast Guard, Michigan State Police, Michigan National Guard, and other agencies joined together at Straits Shield 22 to improve the effectiveness multiagency response plans and Sault region maritime security plans. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna)

Michigan National Guard Soldier advances through career progression
May 10, 2022 — WYOMING, Mich.—Career progression is an important part of military growth and development as a Michigan Army National Guard Soldier found out first hand. After graduating high school, Warrant Officer Carl Merchant, a wage leader at the Grand Valley Armory, followed his family tradition and enlisted in the U.S. Army as an active duty Soldier. His father and grandfather served a combined 31 years in the Army, molding the mind of Merchant to continue their legacy... MORE

U.S. Army Warrant Officer Carl Merchant, wage leader, Michigan Army National Guard, who recently graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School, poses for a photo at the Grand Valley Armory, Wyoming, Michigan, May 3, 2022. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Michigan Air National Guard fuels ability to accelerate change; increase value through hybrid innovation
May 3, 2022 — Since September 11, 2020, the Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center (KJJADIC) has been at the forefront of innovation, leading transformational impacts to change the ways organizations conduct operations. On March 14, through Academia, Industry, Military, Hybrid Innovations (AIM-HI), the Michigan Air National Guard and KJJADIC sponsored the Cohort 3 Pitch Day, where Guard members who embrace modernization were given an opportunity to present innovative solutions to National Guard, US Air Force, and Department of Defense (DoD) agency leadership. AIM-HI is an Air National Guard innovation program to educate military members on the process of innovation through challenging problem-statements to combat near-peer threats to advance the modernization of our military... MORE

A team made up of National Guard members speaks to Michigan National Guard leadership during Pitch Day, where Guard members who embrace modernization, were given an opportunity to present innovative solutions to National Guard leadership, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, April 14, 2022. The Pitch, which happened during Cohort 3, used real-world problems to grow the innovation ecosystem and integrate with diverse, non-traditional organization to expand capabilities of the Air Force, Air National Guard, and the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Michigan Guard medical team saves life while mentoring Liberian partners
May 2, 2022 — Gomberg’s medical team visited the hospital as part of Michigan’s State Partnership Program (SPP) with Liberia. MING began working with the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) in November 2009, assisting the country with their medical response to infectious disease, engineering support and exchange of military best practices. The SPP is unique in that it links a state's National Guard with the military forces of another country in a mutually beneficial military partnership. Although many previous engagements involved sharing of military best practices, this current weeklong visit, from April 25-29, 2022, focused exclusively on advancing the capabilities of Liberia’s 14 Military Hospital. ... MORE

U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Gomberg, a battalion physician assistant assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment (3-126th IN), Michigan National Guard (MING) stands with a cardiac patient in 14 Military Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia April 26, 2022. The man had died the day before, but MING's medical team assisted hospital staff to bring him back to life. MING's State Partnership Program with Liberia was on full display as various medial units conducted a medical "best practices" exchange in Monrovia April 25-29, 2022, at the hospital. Together with the AFL, MING helped establish the facility in September 2021, making it the country's first military hospital. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Joe Legros)

Building leadership: MING hosts annual joint professional development training
April 26, 2022 — Every solid house has a strong foundation and the U.S military is built on a knowledgeable and confident noncommissioned and company grade officer corps. Building and maintaining this bedrock is an ongoing process, as the Michigan National Guard (MING) hosted its sixth annual joint professional development training April 20-22 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. ... MORE

Michigan National Guard members participate in a team-building exercise during a joint professional development training April 20, 2022, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan. The event focused on leadership strategies, professional organizations and some of the MING’s innovative programs.

Michigan National Guard Engineers one of first Army units to field new equipment
April 26, 2022 — "The M917A3 heavy dump truck is an important innovation that enables the Michigan National Guard and 1434th Engineer Company (1434th EN CO) to be at the forefront of future operations,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Adam Stojak, 1434th EN CO, 507th Engineer Battalion. “We always hear about the push for modernization in our military and this is a huge step in that direction.”... MORE

The heavy dump truck arrives in Michigan. The 1434th Engineer Company, Michigan National Guard, fielded the dump trucks April 14, 2022, in Lansing, Mich., becoming one of the first Army units to receive the technologically advanced vehicle. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Joe Legros).

Museum exhibit celebrates 75 years of the Air National Guard in Battle Creek
April 15, 2022 — The Battle Creek Regional History Museum recently unveiled a temporary exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. The exhibit features numerous artifacts including photographs, flags and awards dating to the base’s federal activation in September 1947... MORE

Col. Shawn Holtz, 110th Wing Commander, Battle Creek Air National Guard, visits the Battle Creek Regional History Museum, Battle Creek, Mich., Thursday, April 14, 2022. The museum recently unveiled a temporary exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. Pictured here Doug Sturdivant, BCRHM director, Col. Shawn Holtz, 110th Wing Commander and Rich Bauer, BCRHM volunteer. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Sonia Pawloski)