News from the Oklahoma National Guard

WRANGB hosts arrival ceremony for OA-1K Skyraider II
June 8, 2025 — The 137th Special Operations Wing held a welcome ceremony for the arrival of OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft to Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, June 7, 2025, Oklahoma City. The Skyraider II is a cost-effective, versatile aircraft that will provide essential support for operations outlined in the 2025 Interim National Defense Strategy. WRANGB now serves as the home for the Skyraider II’s formal training unit under the 492nd Special Operations Wing... MORE

A group of Airmen stand in formation in front of an American flag and two aircraft

Oklahoma National Guard lays ground work to honor WWII sacrifice, victory
June 5, 2025 — Eight decades after the 45th Infantry Division marked its final day of combat during World War II, the Oklahoma National Guard has returned to Italy to begin preserving the history of the Thunderbirds who gave the last full measure of devotion in the fight for freedom... MORE

Lt. Col. Luke Kimbrel, commander of the 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Greg Kratochwill, command chief warrant officer for the Oklahoma National Guard, survey a hillside near Oliveto, Italy, on May 6, 2025, where in 1943 2nd Lt. Ernest Childers led an assault against German troops that would result in him being presented with the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions. The hill, now called Heroes’ Hill by locals, is one the many sites Oklahoma National Guard leadership is evaluating for possible monuments and memorials commemorating the 45th Infantry Division’s World War II service. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones)

Dachau concentration camp unveils plaque honoring liberators of the 45th Infantry Division
May 29, 2025 — Members of the Oklahoma National Guard and the 45th Infantry Division Association unveiled a new memorial plaque at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site on April 29, honoring the Soldiers of the 45th Infantry Division who liberated the camp 80 years ago. ... MORE

A plaque commemorating the Soldiers of the 45th Infantry Division who helped liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp on April 29, 1945, and honoring the memory of Holocaust victims, is displayed at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Germany. Unveiled on the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, the April 29, 2025 ceremony included members of the Oklahoma National Guard, 45th Infantry Division Association, a Holocaust survivor, a 20th Armored Division veteran, and representatives from the Bavarian Memorial Foundation and the Comité International de Dachau. (Oklahoma National Guard Photo by Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones)

Oklahoma Guardsman receives Star of Valor for saving fellow Soldier
May 20, 2025 — 1st Sgt. Matthew Klemann was awarded the Oklahoma Star of Valor in a ceremony held at the Armed Forces Reserves Center in Norman, Oklahoma, May 18, 2025... MORE

Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Mancino, adjutant general for Oklahoma, presents 1st Sgt. Matthew Klemann, Echo Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, with the Oklahoma Star of Valor award at the Armed Forces Reserves Center in Norman, Oklahoma, May 18, 2025. The medal is Oklahoma’s second-highest military award and honors Oklahoma National Guard members who perform heroic or valorous acts in non-combat situations. Klemann received the Star of Valor for his quick and courageous action in administering the Heimlich maneuver during a retirement ceremony in 2021. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Spc. Cambrie Cannon)

Nebraska National Guardsmen take 2025 National Guard Region V Best Warrior Competition
May 17, 2025 — Nebraska National Guardsmen Sgt. Luke Entz and Spc. Alexander Thomson, both infantrymen from Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 134th Infantry Regiment, were named winners of the 2025 National Guard Region V Best Warrior Competition on May 16 in Oklahoma City. The competition took place May 12-15 at Camp Gruber Training Center near Braggs, Oklahoma, and featured 12 competitors from six states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri... MORE

Nebraska National Guardsman Spc. Alexander Thomson, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 134th Infantry Regiment was named the 2025 National Guard Region V Soldier of the year during an awards ceremony held May 16, 2025 in Oklahoma City. The Region V Best Warrior Competition is an annual event that tests Soldiers and non-commissioned officers on their physical and mental endurance, tactical proficiency and overall Soldiering skills. The winning NCO and Soldier of the year will go on to represent Region V at the National Guard Best Warrior Competition later this year, where they will compete against top Soldiers from all 54 states and territories. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Spc. Brooklyn Clark)

DFT Provides Training While Enhancing Welfare
May 14, 2025 — Training and the welfare of service members are just two of the vital aspects of keeping the 138th Civil Engineer Squadron, and the Air Force, mission ready. Recently, the 138th CES participated in a Deployment For Training in Seward, Alaska, that helped facilitate both of these things... MORE

Members from the 138th Fighter Wing and the Seward Military Resort take a group photo during a deployment for training in Seward, Alaska, April 19, 2025. During the DFT, the 138th CES completed vital training while enhancing the resort’s ability to provide support to service members and their families. (Oklahoma Air National Guard Photo by Master Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle)

137th SOW OKANG Airmen maneuver through TRADEWINDS25
May 13, 2025 — Mission Ready Airmen assigned to the 137th Special Operations Wing mission sustainment team, Oklahoma Air National Guard, strengthened critical self-sustaining skills and assessed their ability to operate in multiple expeditionary environments across the Caribbean during TRADEWINDS25, April 21-May 5, 2025... MORE

Skyraider II at Will Rogers ANGB, Ushers in New Era of Special Operations Training
April 22, 2025 — The 492nd Special Operations Wing, in partnership with the 137th SOW, Air National Guard, welcomed the first missionized OA-1K Skyraider II earlier this month. The Skyraider II is a cost-effective, versatile aircraft that will provide close air support, armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and precision strike capabilities — all essential for operations outlined in the 2022 National Defense Strategy... MORE

A U.S. Air Force OA-1K Skyraider II is parked on the flightline at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Jan. 28, 2025. The OA-1K Skyraider II is a new, flexible, cost-effective crewed aircraft adaptable to deliver capabilities in support of defense priorities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Fiorilli)

OKNG hosts second annual Domestic Operations Symposium
April 17, 2025 — Emergency response agencies from across the state gathered for the Oklahoma National Guard’s second annual Domestic Operations Symposium, held at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma, April 14-15, 2025. The symposium brought city, state, federal and neighboring states together to find ways to build partnerships in the event of a domestic emergency or man-made disaster. ... MORE

Emergency management professionals and military members answer questions about natural disaster response during the 2025 Oklahoma National Guard Domestic Operations Symposium, in Norman, Oklahoma, April 15, 2025. The symposium brings city, county, state, federal and neighboring states together to build partnerships to face future natural and man-made disasters. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Anthony Jones)

CW5 Murphy retires after nearly 40 years
April 1, 2025 — Family, friends and fellow Oklahoma National Guard members gathered at the Norman Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma to celebrate a retirement ceremony for Chief Warrant Officer 5 Melvin J. Murphy, Mar. 20, 2025... MORE

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Melvin J. Murphy receives the Legion of Merit from Col. Eric W. Frazier, chief of staff for logistics, during Murphy’s retirement ceremony held at the Norman Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma, Mar. 20, 2025. Murphy, a full-time Soldier with the OKARNG, was recognized for his outstanding career spanning 39-years in the military as an expert logistician. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Spc. Anthony Ackah-Mensah)

Video by Sgt. Haden Tolbert

From scrap paper to state-of-the-art: Oklahoma National Guard unveils new Wellness Center

Oklahoma National Guard

Feb. 19, 2026 | 1:04

Oklahoma National Guard leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, for the Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center, a nearly 35,000-square-foot facility at the Oklahoma City Military Complex in Oklahoma City. Amenities within the wellness center include a fully equipped workout space for resistance training and agility, indoor and outdoor meditation spaces, a chapel, conference rooms, classroom spaces, and a teaching kitchen. The facility also houses OKNG programs and services, including Behavioral Health, Chaplain, Equal Employment Opportunity, Family Programs, Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F), Integrated Primary Prevention, Resilience, Suicide Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Risk Reduction, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.