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May 2, 2024: Nebraska National Guard supports multiple agencies with storm response efforts
April 26, 2024: Nebraska Air National Guard to host Open Hangar event
February 1, 2024: Nebraska Army National Guard Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing
October 13, 2023: Nebraska Air National Guard's 155th Air Refueling Wing to Welcome New Commander, Receive Unit Honors
May 5, 2023: National Guard Marathon runners return to Lincoln Marathon
March 16, 2023: Nebraska National Guard Soldiers to deploy in support of U.S. European Command
March 14, 2023: Ribbon-cutting planned for Camp Ashland military construction project
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Tag: Nebraska National Guard

Echoes of Valor: Nebraska National Guard Returns to Bastogne 80 Years Later
January 2, 2025 — BASTOGNE, Belgium -- The Battle of Bastogne, a pivotal World War II clash that took place in the frigid Ardennes Forest in December 1944, is etched into military history lore. In a historic battle of wills, German forces fought for control of the strategic city of Bastogne, which was defended by U.S. Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division who had been cutoff and surrounded during Germany’s final major offensive. It was a battle that captured the attention of the entire world. Far less known, however, is the role that Soldiers from the Nebraska National Guard’s 134th Infantry Regiment played during the critical days of the battle. Battling against deep snow, frigid temperatures and near-constant German counterattacks, the efforts of the 134th Infantry Regiment Soldiers helped raise the siege of Bastogne, allowing relief to flow into the devastated city and its airborne defenders. Eighty years later and a few degrees warmer, a new generation of Nebraska National Guard troops returned to Bastogne to honor the legacy of their predecessors and commemorate the anniversary of this hard-fought victory. ... MORE

Five members of the Nebraska National Guard travelled to Bastogne, Belgium, Jan. 9-14, 2025, where they helped commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the city by Soldiers of Nebraska National Guard’s 134th Infantry Regiment under the 35th Infantry Division, during World War II.

The service members participated in a wreath laying ceremony at a memorial honoring those who liberated the region from Nazi Germany. Joining them in the ceremony were local residents and officials from the city of Lutremange as well as the Timberwolves Remembrance Group Belgium, a reenactment group in Belgium.

The Nebraska Soldiers and Airmen also travelled to the Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial where they visited the graves of service members laid to rest there while also placing a wreath at the grave marker for Technical Sergeant John Cantoni, a Nebraska National Guardsman from Omaha, Nebraska. Cantoni was killed in action on Jan. 4, 1944, when his foxhole was struck by German fire as he and other members of his unit were defending Bastogne. He had been with the company for less than a week after recovering from wounds he received during the Battle of St. Lo in July 1944.

Former Nebraska National Guard Soldier donates Olympic Gold Medal winning rifle to Nebraska National Guard Museum
January 2, 2025 — Like an aged warrior, Gary Anderson’s famed rifle is showing its age; the rifle stock, barrel and accompanying sights still bear the scars and marks of countless competitive battles, including a very historic one in Tokyo more than 60 years ago. Masking tape holds bent cardboard in place on the rear of the wooden stock. Similar tape clings to a silver front palm-rest where its “owner” steadied the rifle during its last competition with an athlete representing the U.S.S.R. In its totality, the rifle is understated, both gangly and elegant in appearance. Yet, despite its looks, the rifle holds an honored place amongst American Olympic lore. And now it’s part of the growing collection of artifacts at the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward, Nebraska. “This rifle served me well during the years that I used it,” former Nebraska Army National Guard Lieutenant Gary Anderson wrote recently about the Remington 300-meter free rifle he donated to the Nebraska Guard Museum on Dec. 27. Did it ever. In 1962, Anderson used the rifle to lead the U.S.A. marksmanship team to two 300-meter World Championship Gold Medals. He also used it to win a gold medal in the 1963 Pan American Games in the 300-Meter (3x40) free rifle event with a score of 1,146, just one point shy of the world record at the time... MORE

Gary Anderson, former Nebraska Guardsman, donates his 1964 Olympic gold medal winning rifle to the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward, Nebraska, Dec. 27, 2024. Anderson used the rifle to lead the U.S.A. marksmanship team to two 300-meter World Championship Gold Medals. He also used it to win a gold medal in the 1963 Pan American Games in the 300-Meter (3x40) free rifle event with a score of 1,146, just one point shy of the world record at the time.

It was the same rifle that Anderson used to win a Gold Medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo on Oct. 15, 1964., the first of two consecutive Olympic Golds the Axtell, Nebraska, native earned in the 1960s while also serving as a Nebraska Army Guard engineering officer In Hastings and Grand Island.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gauret Stearns)

National Guard athletes finish strong at Lincoln Marathon
May 6, 2024 — Twenty-one of the National Guard’s best athletes from the All Guard Marathon Team, representing 17 states and territories, competed in the 47th annual Lincoln Marathon May 5. ... MORE

Nebraska National Guard runner Maj. Amanda Schmid crosses the finish line of the 47th annual Lincoln Marathon and Half Marathon May 5, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nebraska National Guard supports multiple agencies with storm response efforts
May 2, 2024 — The Nebraska National Guard is assisting state and local first responders after a tornado caused widespread damage... MORE

On May 1, 2024, a Nebraska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew flew Nebraska Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly and FEMA and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency officials over the area damaged by a tornado to assess the extent of the damage.

Guardians of Freedom Airshow 2023 named Military Air Show of the Year
December 13, 2023 — The 2023 Guardians of Freedom Air Show was named the Military Air Show of the Year by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels, during the International Council of Air Show Convention Dec. 5, 2023. The air show was co-hosted for the first time by the 155th Air Refueling Wing and the 55th Wing at the Lincoln Airport Aug. 26-27, 2023. ... MORE

Nebraska Airman: The Story behind the Uniform
December 2, 2023 — Nebraska Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Jarell Roach, a Religious Affairs Airman with the 155th Air Refueling Wing, recalls how a classmate's tragic story became the catalyst for his desire to join the military and fight to bring direction and hope to everyone he could... MORE

Mission Efficiency: 155th ARW's hot-pit refueling
November 21, 2023 — The 155th Air Refueling Wing performed a hot-pit refueling for their KC-135R Stratotanker, Nov. 4, 2023, where Airmen from the maintenance and operations groups received their initial training. Hot-pit refueling is a method that facilitates the refueling of aircraft while their engines remain operational... MORE

National Guard Performs Flyover in World Record Event
September 26, 2023 — A KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the Nebraska National Guard’s 155th Air Refueling Wing and three F-16 Fighting Falcons from the South Dakota National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing flew over Memorial Stadium for a University of Nebraska outdoor volleyball game. ... MORE

A KC-135R Stratotanker assigned to the 155th Air Refueling Wing along with an F-16 from the 114th Fighter Wing fly over over Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska, Aug. 30, 2023, for a University of Nebraska volleyball game. The flyover celebrated Volleyball Day in Nebraska, where 92,003 fans became the largest crowd in the world to witness a women’s sporting event.

Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac: A transformative leader retires
July 7, 2023 — U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac retires after 45 years of dedicated military service - including 10 as Nebraska's adjutant general. Bohac's tenure as adjutant general was marked by transformations and turbulence, but he hopes the level of trust the organization had in him, and the trust he helped foster throughout the organization and the community will be his legacy... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska's 33rd Adjutant General, poses for a portrait during his last week in the office prior to his retirement following 45 years of dedicated military service, including 10 as adjutant general.

Nebraska National Guard unveils new flag
June 2, 2023 — The Nebraska National Guard unveiled a new flag June 2, 2023, during a ceremony at the Joint Force Headquarters in Lincoln... MORE

The Nebraska National Guard unveils a new flag, June 2, 2023, during a ceremony at the Joint Force Headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Videos

Video by Staff Sgt. Alexander Schriner

155th Air Refueling Wing at the Central Coast AirFest

155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard

Sept. 22, 2024 | 1:54

The 155th Air Refueling Wing presented their KC-135R Stratotanker with a heritage paint scheme at the Central Coast AirFest, held at Santa Maria Airport in California on Sept. 21-22, 2024. The aircraft was part of the static display.

The AirFest had a special guest—101-year-old James Kunkle, a World War II fighter pilot. The heritage paint scheme on the KC-135 was specifically modeled after the markings on Kunkle’s own P-38 Lightning, the aircraft he flew during combat missions in WWII. Kunkle is the last surviving pilot of the 401st Fighter Squadron, which went on to become the 173rd Air Refueling Squadron.