From Vietnam to Afghanistan: A Vermont Guard Member’s Lifetime of Service
Story by Master Sgt. Whitney Hughes Colchester, Vt. – “At midnight it was time to move,” said retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Pete Ferrell, recalling a night in Afghanistan. He gripped the handle of one of the four corners of a field stretcher carrying a wounded Soldier. A tray of medical equipment on the Soldier’s chest chirped as it monitored vital signs and sustained him. The team of four Soldiers locked step, carrying the patient onto a plane bound for a higher level of care. As the plane transporting the wounded Soldier took off, Ferrell found himself on the...
Learn MoreWisconsin Army National Guard Aviation Crews Continue Readiness Training at Fort McCoy During October 2026
Story by Scott Sturkol Aircrews from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment (1-147th Aviation) completed another unit training effort Oct. 9, 2026, at Fort McCoy, continuing a longstanding relationship between the aviation unit and the installation. According to Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) scheduling officials, the training was among the first major military training activities at Fort McCoy during the opening days of fiscal year 2027, which began Oct. 1. The officials also noted that the 1-147th maintains a presence at Fort McCoy nearly every month of the year. The Oct....
Learn MoreClear Skies and Tailwinds: Celebrating the Legendary Career of Marvin “Lynn” Hanks
Story by Christy Barnett REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (October 22, 2026) — For more than five decades, the story of United States Army aviation has been written in the skies, defined by rapid technological leaps, rigorous safety standards, and brave pioneers who pushed aircraft to their absolute aerodynamic limits. Few individuals have shaped this narrative as profoundly, or for as long, as Marvin “Lynn” Hanks. This year, Hanks concludes an extraordinary career spanning 56 years of continuous service to the nation. From his collegiate beginnings in aerospace engineering and commissioning as a Corps of Engineers officer, to his final days of...
Learn MoreInaugural UAS Course Begins at Fort Indiantown Gap
Story by Brad Rhen FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The inaugural unmanned aircraft system military occupational specialty transition course began here recently. The course, which began Oct. 19, combines two MOSs – UAS maintainer, or 15E, and UAS operator, or 15W – into one new MOS, known as tactical unmanned aircraft system specialist, or 15X. “‘Whiskeys’ were UAS operators and ‘Echoes’ were UAS maintainers, and ‘X-ray,’ you do all of it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brent Wehr, course manager. The course is being conducted at the UAS Training and Innovation Facility, which underwent numerous upgrades in order to host the...
Learn MoreNew York Air National Guard Members Conduct Fast Rope Insertion Training with New Jersey Army National Guard
A U.S. Air Force Airman assigned to the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, 107th Attack Wing, New York Air National Guard, rappels from a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 1st Battalion, 150th Aviation Regiment, New Jersey Army National Guard, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, Sept. 10, 2026. The training provided Airmen an opportunity to practice rappelling techniques while strengthening interoperability between Air and Army National Guard units. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander Rector)
Learn MoreU.S. Army Aviation Battalion Japan Supports Tokyo Disaster Drill
U.S. Army Aviation Battalion Japan Soldiers deliver two boxes of supplies to local residents on Mikurajima, Japan, during the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Disaster Drill, Oct. 15, 2026. The mission demonstrated the Soldiers’ commitment to supporting disaster response efforts alongside Japanese partners. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jonathon Downs)
Learn More101st CAB Pilots Test Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System
Representatives from Redstone Arsenal listen as 101st Combat Aviation Brigade pilots provide feedback on the Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System (AIRUS) from the cockpit of an AH-64 Apache helicopter at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Oct. 5, 2026. 101st CAB pilots tested the system’s airworthiness Oct. 5-7 as a potential solution to tactical dehydration. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Andrew Lightsey IV)
Learn MoreAFN Bavaria – Photo Coverage: 12th Combat Aviation Brigade Conducts Operation Skyfall II
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, conducted a data link integration exercise and combined arms live-fire exercise with Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment during the Skyfall proof-of-concept series at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Oct. 6, 2026. The training integrated ground-to-air target handover via Link 16, enabling air defense and aviation forces to rapidly detect, identify, track and engage enemy small unmanned aerial systems. The exercise validated a shared kill chain between ground and air assets, strengthening interoperability and advancing tactics, techniques and procedures that increase...
Learn MoreAlaska Army National Guard Black Hawk aviators visit Robert Service High School
Alaska Army National Guard HH-60M Black Hawk MEDEVAC aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, take off after completing a capabilities demonstration for students at Robert Service High School in Anchorage, Alaska, Sept. 29, 2026. The Dustoff aviators collaborated with the AKARNG’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Robert Service High School to showcase Guard job opportunities and answer any questions for the students in attendance. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Pena)
Learn MoreUSARPAC 59th Annual Philip A. Connelly Competition JBLM
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 16th Combat Aviation Brigade conduct emergency resupply training via sling-load operation during the U.S. Army Pacific validation for the 59th Annual Philip A. Connelly competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, September 29, 2026. 564th Quartermaster Company Soldiers executed field feeding support in a simulated combat environment and ensured successful execution of the field training exercise. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Elijah Magaña)
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