WELCOME

The more than 8,500 soldiers, airmen and civilian employees of this world-class organization are proud of the heritage of service to this country since 1636, and this state since 1855.

The citizen soldiers of The Washington National Guard are dedicated to the mission of safeguarding lives and property in Washington State. Our citizen soldiers come from every community, profession and background from around the State - we are Neighbors Helping Neighbors Through a Tradition of Service.

NEWS AND REPORTS
The Tacoma Armory Centennial
The Tacoma Armory Centennial

The Tacoma Armory Centennial
A Celebration 100 Years in the Making

The Washington National Guard celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Tacoma Armory at a Centennial Ball on Saturday, December 6, 2008 on the Armory drill floor. The celebration included music, dinner and dancing.

The Tacoma Armory has been a center of the community ever since hosting its first event – a New Years Eve ball hosted by the citizen soldiers of Company A and Troop B on December 31, 1908. Since then, the Armory has hosted countless concerts, dances, weddings, graduations and sporting events. Three sitting Presidents (Taft, Wilson and Truman) have visited the Armory. It has been the site of Washington National Guard units mobilizing to serve in World War I, World War II and the Global War on Terror. It has also been a platform for many State missions to protect lives and property here in Washington.

In 1907, The State Legislature appropriated $95,000 to build the Tacoma Amory on land donated by Pierce County.  Built to resemble a crusader castle, the Armory originally contained horse stables, a shooting range and a swimming pool.

EVENTS 

A special bucket rigged to a Chinook allows crews to drop 2,000 gallons of water onto a fire. It is attached to the aircraft by a 120 foot cable and has a valve that lets them control how much water they release at a time.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

In early March at Yakima Training Center (YTC) there wasn’t any smoke or fire. In fact there probably wasn’t anything dry enough to start a fire if you tried. So why were members of Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation, dumping buckets of water around the training center? Well, it’s like this. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. And once there’s smoke and fire it’s too late to start training to put the fire out.

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