From the US Marine Corps to the Ohio Military Reserve, Command Sergeant Major of the Ohio State Defense Force (E10) Richard Backus led a long and distinguished history of service to his State and Country. CSM Backus started his career years ago by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps,...

The Commanding General of the Texas State Guard, MG Anthony Woods, was recently promoted to the rank of Major General by the Adjutant General (Senior National Guard General) of Texas, Major General Thomas Suelzer. Major General Anthony Woods took command of the Texas State Guard in 2021 after a long...

The Virginia Defense Force spent their recent drill focusing on their communications & security mission. During their Multi-Day Unit Training Assembly (MUTA) they had their troops train on their emergency radio system. This radio system is the Virginia National Guard’s backup communications if cell phone & internet communications become disrupted....

The Spring Class Basic Training Class of the Connecticut Foot Guard (State Defense Force) recently finished their training and held their graduation ceremony. This was the largest Basic Training class the Connecticut Foot Guard has ever held with 23 new recruits now joining the ranks. Among the 23 recruits was...

The Texas State Guard has one of the most important and advanced diving schools in the State Defense Forces. This elite unit spends their time training in “heavy lift” dive operations as well as maritime Search & Rescue.. They have been assisting law enforcement agencies as well as numerous State...

The national news outlet, Bloomberg, recently featured an article on the Ohio Cyber Reserve, one of the departments within the Ohio State Defense Force. The Cyber Reserve is made up of 80 troops who are experts in the IT field volunteering to serve the State of Ohio to ensure its...

Two soldiers from the Ohio State Defense Force recently participated in the Norwegian Ruck March. The Challenge involves a 18.6-mile Foot March with a 25-pound ruck pack while wearing their full boots and uniform. Troops who complete the march in the respective time limit receive a foreign award pin, the...

One of the most physically and mentally demanding professions in the military is that of MOS 92G Army Culinary Specialist. These troops wake up long before reveille to ensure a hot breakfast is waiting for the hungry troops. They spent the rest of the day cooking lunch and dinner meals...

1st Lieutenant Christopher Beck of the Texas State Guard was recently awarded the United States Military Purple Heart. 1st. LT Beck served in Operation Iraqi Freedom III and while medically evacuating an injured soldier he he was injured when a mortar round landed near him. The Commanding General of the...

Yesterday was a big day for Staff Sergeant Bernadette Ramirez of the California State Guard (State Defense Force). She was awarded the President Volunteer Service Award for serving nearly 1400 hours in 2021. She was then presented with the California State Guard 10 year Service Medal for her time in...

One of the key training courses New York Guard troops underwent during their Annual Training week was Engineering Field Operations. This training event focused on responding to emergency and disaster events. As the New York Guard is called on more and more for such events they developed curriculum and field...

The Georgia State Defense Force is celebrating 37 years of continuous service to the State of Georgia and the United States this week. The origins of the Defense Force can be traced back to units in the early 1700’s. Its official birthday begins in 1917 when the state of Georgia...

The 2022 New York Guard (State Defense Force) Initial Entry Training class went through a multitude of training courses during their weeklong basic training. One of those sessions included a STOP THE BLEED course where the recruits learned how to quickly stop excessive blood loss by applying a tourniquet. This...

The 2nd Brigade of the Texas State Guard (State Defense Force) have recently spent many of their weekend training drills developing their Search & Rescue (SAR) skillset. Between classroom instruction and in the field exercises they are ensuring their troops are fully trained and qualified to provide Search & Rescue...