July 2019 Gallery

Honoring Independence Day during annual Red, White & BOOM! celebration

Ohio Air National Guard members provide color guard support July 3, 2019, in downtown Columbus, Ohio as part of the Red, White & BOOM! parade. Despite thunderstorms and humid temperatures into the 90s, the daylong celebration, culminated by a nearly half hour fireworks display, was attended by hundreds of thousands people.

First Shot Ceremony kicks off national shooting competition at Camp Perry

A Civilian Marksmanship Program volunteer fires a cannon as part of the CMP’s 2019 National Matches First Shot Ceremony July 8, 2019, at the Camp Perry Joint Training Center just west of Port Clinton, Ohio. The National Matches is a monthlong mix of original CMP matches along with traditional pistol, smallbore, high-power rifle, and long-range rifle competitions, attracting hundreds of elite-level pistol and rifle shooters from around the world.

ONG Soldier Participates in Infantry Advanced Leader Course

Ohio Army National Guard Sgt. Kevin Dietz uses hand signals while on a foot patrol during a field training exercise as part of Infantry Advanced Leader Course 19-002, hosted this spring by the New Jersey Army National Guard at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The three-week course focuses on leadership and technical skills required to prepare Soldiers to become squad leaders and platoon sergeants. Dietz, a team leader with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment in Xenia, Ohio, was promoted to staff sergeant following his graduation from the course.

180th Fighter Wing breaks ground on new F-16 hangar construction project

State Sen. Theresa Gavarone (left) presents a gift to Col. Kevin V. Doyle, 180th Fighter Wing commander, at a groundbreaking ceremony July 10, 2019, at the 180th Fighter Wing headquarters, located at Toledo Air National Guard Base in Swanton, Ohio. The area behind the two will be a deployment processing facility and a base fitness center, but the project also includes an F-16 fighter jet hangar. The under $9 million project will house up to four aircraft and has a projected completion date of October 2020.

180TH FIGHTER WING | SEE MORE PHOTOS

Governor, Senate honor National Guard Military Child of Year

Gov. Mike DeWine (second from left) stands for a photo with Campbell Miller (third from left), Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® for the National Guard, July 12, 2019, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Also in the photo are Miller’s mother, Col. Allison Miller, former commander of the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, Ohio, and his brother, Cal. DeWine and Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof presented proclamations to Campbell Miller in recognition of his achievement.

179TH AIRLIFT WING | READ STORY

Septuagenarian powerlifter inspires OHARNG general to maintain high level of fitness

Ohio Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Stephen Rhoades (left, in a photo taken prior to his promotion) stands with 74-year-old Jim McNeill, a powerlifter and bodybuilder with 23 world records and 150 trophies, at the YMCA of Mount Vernon, Ohio, where both of them work out regularly. McNeill has been an inspiration to Rhoades in his quest to achieve greater fitness goals and prepare himself for the Army Combat Fitness Test, the new physical fitness assessment that will be the test of record for all Soldiers beginning in October 2020.

~ SPECIAL TROOPS COMMAND | READ STORY

Newest general officer in the Ohio National Guard

Two of Brig. Gen. Stephen Rhoades’ sons, Levi (left) and Carson, pin rank on their father during his official promotion ceremony July 15, 2019, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. Rhoades’ promotion comes as he transitions from command of the 73rd Troop Command and takes command of Special Troops Command (Provisional) on July 20.

~ SPECIAL TROOPS COMMAND (PROVISIONAL)

38th ID assumes authority of Task Force Spartan in Middle East

Maj. Gen. Gordon Ellis (left), commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Dale Shetler, senior enlisted leader, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana Army National Guard, uncase the division colors to symbolize the transfer of authority as the Task Force Spartan division headquarters element, taking over from the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division during a ceremony July 15, 2019, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Ellis, formerly of the Ohio Army National Guard, now is in charge of Task Force Spartan, tasked with maintaining regional stability and expanding regional partnerships in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

~ WATCH VIDEO | MORE PHOTOS

178th Civil Engineering Squadron Airmen gain swift water rescue skills

Airmen with the 178th Civil Engineering Squadron train for swift water rescue missions this spring at various locations throughout Ohio. The 178th CES is one of the first, fully operational Air National Guard units to provide these real-world rescue services during times of need. Firefighters from the unit learned how to understand river currents, operate rescue boats and save lives of individuals affected by swift water disasters.

~ 178th WING | READ STORY

179th Airlift Wing Members Increase Readiness

Airmen from the 179th Airlift Wing don Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) protective gear, used by U.S. military personnel in a contaminated environment caused by a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) agent, during a readiness exercise earlier this year in Mansfield, Ohio. Throughout the exercise, members practiced real-world scenarios in order to increase their readiness and preparedness to deploy anywhere, under any conditions.

~ 179th WING | READ STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

General retires in company of aviator brethren

Brig. Gen. Anthony P. Digiacomo II (center), outgoing commander of the Ohio Army National Guard Special Troops Command (Provisional), stands for a photo with current and retired Soldiers he had previously served with, as part of his retirement celebration July 20, 2019, at the La Navona event center in Gahanna, Ohio. DiGiacomo, retiring after 35 years in the Army, wanted to commemorate their service together during a 2009-10 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, when he commanded the 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment.

~ SPECIAL TROOPS COMMAND

Rhoades takes charge of Special Troops Command

Col. Daniel Shank (left), Ohio assistant adjutant general for Army, passes the Special Troops Command (Provisional) colors to Brig. Gen. Stephen Rhoades during a change of command ceremony July 20, 2019, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. Rhoades, the incoming STC commander, takes over from Brig. Gen. Anthony P. Digiacomo II, who retired after 35 years of military service.

~ SPECIAL TROOPS COMMAND

Counterdrug analyst finds purpose through tragedy

Ohio Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Chelsea Lovelace conducts counterdrug operations as a criminal analyst for the Ohio National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. Lovelace, who was a senior in high school when her father Eric died of a morphine pill overdose, helps the Cincinnati Police Department’s Narcotics Division catch and prosecute drug dealers

~ COUNTERDRUG TASK FORCE | READ STORY

Up, Up and Away: Soldiers sling supplies underneath Chinooks

Soldiers with Company A, 237th Support Battalion conducted sling load training earlier this year at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center near Newton Falls, Ohio. Soldiers practiced preparing and rigging a variety of military equipment and vehicles before attaching them to CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Whether deployed in a combat situation or supporting domestic operations during a natural disaster, National Guard airlift capabilities provide a way to transport cargo to and from largely inaccessible locations.

~ 37TH IBCT | 73RD TC | READ STORY

Airmen connect during 2nd annual Ohio Enlisted Leadership Symposium

Ohio Air National Guard member teams compete against each other in a race July 24, 2019, during the 2nd annual Ohio Enlisted Leadership Symposium at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station in Youngstown, Ohio. The race was part of a team-building exercise designed to help the Airmen learn to communicate and work together toward a common goal, among symposium topics that focused on personal and professional development and relationship building, enhancing leadership skills and allowing Airmen to develop bonds with their counterparts across Ohio.

~ PHOTO GALLERY | READ STORY