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  • It’s just business….nothing personal. Airman 1st Class Anna Solis applies a free-style stranglehold on Senior Airman Jessica Switzer on March 21 at the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site gym in Marana, Ariz. The two security forces specialists were part of an intense 5-day, Army National Guard-instructed training event titled Basic Combative Course. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Chris Drzazgowski/Released)

    Grappling, pummeling, trapping: 162nd Airmen learn to 'close with the enemy'

    The words on the gym wall summed it up best for 13 security forces specialists who trained at the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site here March 17-21.   "The defining characteristic of a warrior is the willingness to close with the enemy."  Through the Basic Combative Course taught by Arizona's Citizen-Soldiers, the men and women
  • Out with the old, in with the new…a new wing name that is. The 162nd Fighter Wing is now the 162nd Wing, marking the official inclusion of the 214th Reconnaissance Group. Brig. Gen. Edward Maxwell, Commander of the Arizona Air National Guard, Col. Phil Purcell, the 162nd Wing Commander and Command Chief Master Sgt. Shane G. Clark, Chief Enlisted Advisor, witness the unfurling of the new 162nd Wing flag by Air National Guard Honor Guardsmen April 5 here at the Tucson International Airport. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Hollie Hansen)

    162nd Fighter Wing now 162nd Wing; F-16 schoolhouse embraces new name, new group

    There will still be hush houses, a fire station, an avionics hangar, a dining hall, and the business of the world's premier international F-16 training unit will continue: foreign pilots trained, aircraft maintained, parts supplied, munitions assembled and so forth. Now the wing can add the MQ-1 Predator to its arsenal of military might and air
  • Federal, state and county officials manage simulated response efforts from Arizona’s Emergency Operations Center in Phoenix during an annual Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station emergency exercise Feb. 5. (U.S. National Guard photo by Army Sgt. Lauren Twigg)

    Exercise highlights Arizona’s Emergency Management capabilities

    "In case of emergency, pull handle," seems like an easy task - all one has to do is pull the lever and first responders come to the rescue.  If only all emergencies were that simple. In the event of a major disaster, the response is complex and requires coordination with dozens of agencies. State officials say practice is the key to ensuring a
  • Col. Phil Purcell, Commander of the 162nd Fighter Wing and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild discuss the wing missions during a mission brief at the 162nd Fighter Wing Feb. 7. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Dave Neve/Released)

    Mayor of Tucson visits the 162nd Fighter Wing

    Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor of Tucson, visited the Tucson Air National Guard Feb. 7, to tour the 162nd Fighter Wing and learn more about the wing's missions.Col. Phil Purcell, the 162nd Fighter Wing Commander, met the mayor and presented a wing mission brief. Although he has visited before, the mayor never had the opportunity to tour the base.The
  • Chief Master Sgt. Brian Karas congratulates Master Sgt. Wendell Jones for graduating from the Sheriff’s Department Academy Jan. 24. Jones has dedicated himself to serve the Tucson community as both a sheriff and Air Guardsman. (Courtesy Photo)

    A new sheriff in town

    Former high school teacher and current Air Guard member Master Sgt. Wendell Jones, a Weapons Safety NCO, recently graduated from the Pima County Sheriff's Department Academy Jan. 24. As one of the newer deputies in Pima County, Jones has dedicated himself to serve the people in the community of Tucson.After teaching Interactive Digital Media and
  • David Ray, left, Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association charitable research committee chairman, Tom Contreras, Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association president, present Col. Phil Purcell, Commander of the 162nd Fighter Wing with $1,000 check for Family Readiness Office.

    Golf association donates $1,000 to the Family Readiness Office

    Tom Contreras, president of the Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association presented the 162nd Fighter Wing Commander, Col. Phil Purcell with a $1,000 check during a presentation here Jan. 23.Quail Creek, a community 20 miles south of Tucson is home to a championship golf course and seven golf associations. The Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association is a
  • Airmen in the community, 162nd Fighter Wing members deliver meals to homebound individuals. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Neve/Released)

    Warm meals, warm hearts; wing members deliver meals to homebound community members

    Fondly referred to as 'Heroes and Angels', volunteers from the 162Fighter Wing deliver meals, and kindness, to homebound individuals in Southern Tucson. Master Sgt. Joe Duyck, lead technician of database management here at the 162FW, has been volunteering with Mobile Meals of Tucson, Inc. for three years. He describes his biggest joy in
  • Brian Andrews, President of the Air Guardians, listens to a briefing given by Lt. Col. Rosson discussing the 162nd mission during a base tour for the Air Guardians Jan. 11. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Hollie Hansen/Released)

    Air Guardians Visit 162nd

    Members and guests of the 162nd Air Guardians, an organization consisting of Southern Arizona community and business leaders, participated in a base tour of the 162nd Fighter Wing Jan. 11. The Air Guardians mission in Southern Arizona is to educate the community about the Air Guard and to support members of the 162nd and their families. The tour
  • PHOENIX - Chief Master Sgt. Dan Gutierrez (left) talks to the Arizona National Guard Air Staff at Papago Military Reservation here Jan 11. Gutierrez assumed the duties of Arizona’s command chief master sergeant during the January drill weekend. (Arizona National Guard photo by Air Force Capt. Matt Murphy)

    New state command chief emphasizes Air Force, Guard standards

    The Arizona Air National Guard's new command chief master sergeant assumed duties as the state's top enlisted Airman during a formal ceremony here Jan. 11 at Papago Military Reservation. As Arizona's senior enlisted leader, Chief Master Sgt. Dan Gutierrez will advise commanders and staff on the effectiveness, training, utilization, health, morale,
  • Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, director of the Air National Guard, greets the leadership of the 162nd Fighter Wing, during a visit to Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 13, 2013. The visit is Clarke's first to the Arizona Air Guard since becoming director. During the visit, Clarke met with Airmen from 162nd Fighter and the 214th Reconnaissance Group. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Dina Farmer/Released)

    ANG director visits Tucson Airmen

    The director of the Air National Guard arrived at the Tucson International Airport Thursday, touring facilities and speaking with Airmen from the 162nd Fighter Wing and the 214th Air Reconnaissance Group.Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III's visit to the guard units included attending an annual conference involving weapons and tactics issues for
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