Fort Knox, Ky – Cadets from Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan gathered at Fort Knox recently to take part in the Tri-State Challenge hosted by the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy. The students competed in a variety of events including basketball,...

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Spc. Noah Green with the Tennessee National Guard and U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Buck with the Kentucky National Guard take home top honors at the 2024 Region III Best Warrior Competition at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, April 19, 2024. Nineteen competitors from 10 states and territories competed for the titles of Soldier and NCO of the Year for Region III. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Kentucky, Tennessee emerge victorious at 2024 Region III Best Warrior
April 30, 2024
Soldiers from Kentucky and Tennessee earned top honors in the 2024 Army National Guard Region III Best Warrior Competition in Greenville, April 14-19, 2024. Hosted by the Kentucky National Guard, the event put Soldiers from ten states and territories through a week of grueling challenges to see which Soldier and which NCO would finish with the most points. Spc. Noah Green, a combat engineer assigned to 890th Sapper Company, Tennessee Army National Guard, earned the top honor as Region III Soldier of the Year, while Sgt. Robert Buck, a horizontal construction engineer assigned to 130th Engineer Support Company, Kentucky Army National Guard, was named NCO of the Year.

Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy cadets celebrate as their team wins a volleyball match Friday, April 26. Cadets from the Appalachian and Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academies, Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy from Ohio and Battle Creek Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Michigan competed in a variety of events recently at Fort Knox. The competition was hosted by the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Milt Spalding)
Tri-state cadets compete at Fort Knox challenge
April 29, 2024
Cadets from Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan gathered at Fort Knox recently to take part in the Tri-State Challenge hosted by the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy. The students competed in a variety of events including basketball, softball, chess, and a spelling bee among other events.

Ecuadorian Army Col. Gustavo Iturralde, commander of Ecuador's 9th Special Forces Brigade, talks with Kentucky Army National Guard Sergeants 1st Class Gregory Thiemann and Jonathan Senters, Maj. Ryan Hubbs and Staff Sgt. Mason Graves during a subject matter expert exchange at Latacunga, Ecuador, March 18, 2024. These Kentucky Soldiers visited members from the Ecuadorian Army, Air Force and Navy for a subject matter expert exchange in urban operations tactics as a part of the Kentucky National Guard State Partnership Program.  (Kentucky Army National Guard photo by Capt. Cody Stagner)
Kentucky Guardsmen, Ecuador's special forces unite in urban warfare exchange
April 10, 2024
Kentucky infantry soldiers and Ecuadorian military special forces exchanged urban operations tactics in Latacunga, Ecuador, from March 18-22, 2024, enhancing interagency relations and military readiness through the Kentucky National Guard State Partnership Program.

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Soldiers of the 940th Military Police Company, 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade guard the winner’s trophy at the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May 4, 2024. The Kentucky Army National Guard carries a long tradition of escorting the winner’s cup dating back decades. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Caleb Sooter)
Kentucky National Guard Supports 150th Kentucky Derby
May 6, 2024
Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard augmented Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and Churchill Downs to assist with security and traffic for the historic 150th runnings of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, May 4-5. Military Police of the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade were positioned alongside LMPD Officers at more than 20 key intersections and checkpoints around Churchill Downs to assist traffic direction and provide additional safety, lightening the demand on local law enforcement agencies. With over 260,000 spectators in attendance, 149th MEB’s presence at Churchill Downs eased the workload on local law enforcement.

Members of the Ecuadorian Air Force salute during a ceremony welcoming the arrival of a C-130H Hercules to the Ecuadorian Air Force in Latacunga, Ecuador, March 25, 2024. The ceremony, which included top Ecuadorian military and civilian leaders, marked a new milestone in Ecuador’s participation in the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, which has paired Ecuador and the Kentucky National Guard for mutual military cooperation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Phil Speck)
Ecuador-Kentucky Guard partnership welcomes C-130 to Ecuadorian Air Force
May 6, 2024
The Ecuadorian Air Force welcomed a C-130H Hercules into its inventory March 25, 2024, during a ceremony attended by leadership from the Kentucky Air National Guard, who were on hand to congratulate their State Partnership Program colleagues on the new capability.

Spc. Noah Green with the Tennessee National Guard and U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Buck with the Kentucky National Guard take home top honors at the 2024 Region III Best Warrior Competition at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, April 19, 2024. Nineteen competitors from 10 states and territories competed for the titles of Soldier and NCO of the Year for Region III. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Kentucky, Tennessee emerge victorious at 2024 Region III Best Warrior
April 30, 2024
Soldiers from Kentucky and Tennessee earned top honors in the 2024 Army National Guard Region III Best Warrior Competition in Greenville, April 14-19, 2024. Hosted by the Kentucky National Guard, the event put Soldiers from ten states and territories through a week of grueling challenges to see which Soldier and which NCO would finish with the most points. Spc. Noah Green, a combat engineer assigned to 890th Sapper Company, Tennessee Army National Guard, earned the top honor as Region III Soldier of the Year, while Sgt. Robert Buck, a horizontal construction engineer assigned to 130th Engineer Support Company, Kentucky Army National Guard, was named NCO of the Year.

Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy cadets celebrate as their team wins a volleyball match Friday, April 26. Cadets from the Appalachian and Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academies, Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy from Ohio and Battle Creek Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Michigan competed in a variety of events recently at Fort Knox. The competition was hosted by the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Milt Spalding)
Tri-state cadets compete at Fort Knox challenge
April 29, 2024
Cadets from Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan gathered at Fort Knox recently to take part in the Tri-State Challenge hosted by the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy. The students competed in a variety of events including basketball, softball, chess, and a spelling bee among other events.

Shawn Walsh and Stephen Williams, Jim Beam warehouse employees who volunteer with Beam Vets, plant trees at Wendell H. Ford Region Training Center in Greenville Kentucky March 14, 2024 as part of the forest restoration project headed up by Beam Suntory. Kentucky National Guard Soldiers and civilians with the Kentucky Division of Forestry, R.J. Reynolds and Beam Suntory, were all represented. All the trees to be planted were purchased by Beam Suntory in efforts reclaim the old mind land and build something sustainable for the foreseeable future. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane)
KYNG environmental teams up with businesses to enhance Soldier training sites
April 26, 2024
In green initiative that blends military readiness with environmental stewardship, the Kentucky National Guard’s environmental team planted over 77,000 trees at its state training facility, Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, in Greenville, Kentucky on March 14, 2024.

Eli Willingham, son of Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Willingham, readiness Non-commissioned officer for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1792nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, poses with the egg he submitted to the White House for First Lady's Egg Roll design contest that was later picked to be displayed in the White House East Colonnade. (Courtesy Photo)
Kentucky Guardsman’s child picked to have Easter egg represented in DC
April 26, 2024
One Kentucky National Guard family was invited to represent the Kentucky National Guard at the White House for a special tour and honorary showing of personal artwork during the White House Easter Egg Roll, April 1. This year's annual event, hosted by the First Lady and celebrating the theme of National Guard families, invited children in National Guard families to submit colored drawings of Easter eggs that would be recreated on actual eggs and displayed in the White House East Colonnade.

A C-130J Super Hercules from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing deploys flares as part of an aerial demonstration during the Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks display in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event drew hundreds of thousands of spectators to the banks of the Ohio River and featured more than two-dozen aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)
Kentucky Air Guard helps stage Thunder Over Louisville
April 22, 2024
Spectators lined the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana on April 20, 2024, for the annual Thunder Over Louisville air show, made possible with support from the Kentucky Air National Guard.

Spc. Jochell Palacio, processing pay at Final Formation on April 20th, 2024 at the Kentucky National Guard Boone Center ( U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Kirk)
Final Formation for Departing Soldiers
April 22, 2024
In a poignant display of respect and camaraderie, the Kentucky National Guard held its Final Formation ceremony Saturday at the Boone National Guard Center, bidding farewell to Soldiers of various ranks who are concluding their service. The Final Formation Program, overseen by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Adriane Graf, Joint Forces Headquarters retirement and discharge officer, assists Soldiers with out-processing from the Kentucky National Guard whether the Soldier’s term of service is expiring (ETS) or the Soldier is retiring.