Wyoming Army National Guard Spec. 4 Holly R. Swatman guards the perimeter of her unit during annual training at Camp Guernsey. Swatman, assigned to the 115th Field Artillery Brigade, was among some 1,200 Guard members from throughout Wyoming and from Kansas and Utah, who trained at Guernsey June 3-17. (The photo is thought to be from 1978.) (Courtesy of the National Guard)

Six of the National Guard's eight 2013 Outstanding Soldiers and Airmen of the Year kick off the National Guard's 377th birthday celebrations by cutting a cake on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2013. The birthday is today, December 13. (Jim Greenhill/U.S. Army National Guard)

Soldiers from Headquarters, 44th Infantry Division, composed of elements from the New Jersey and New York National Guards, eat Thanksgiving dinner in the closing days of the Carolina Maneuvers, November 1941. (NGB Historical Services Branch)

U.S. Soldiers with the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, prepare to raise the American flag at Multinational Base - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2013. The flags are replaced periodically due to wear from harsh Afghanistan weather conditions. (Jessi Ann McCormick/Courtesy of the National Guard)

Members of the U.S. Army's 1438th Engineer Multi-Role Bridge Company, Missouri National Guard, work through the night to install a portable Mabey-Johnson bridge over a river in Paktia, Afghanistan. The original crossing was washed away in monsoon rains and significantly reduced freedom of movement in the area. The engineers worked around the clock to install the bridge and were supported by field artillery gunners from Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team "Currahee," 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), who provided illumination rounds during the hours of darkness. Taken Sept. 4, 2013. (Courtesy of the National Guard)

Virginia Army National Guard UH-72 helicopter air crews based in Sandston conduct water hoist training with Chesterfield Fire & EMS Scuba Rescue Team personnel Sept. 10, 2013, at Lake Chesdin on the border of Chesterfield County and Dinwiddie County. The training was part of an ongoing effort designed to enhance the emergency response capability of each organization in support of the commonwealth's ability to react to and support emergency management operations. (Terra C. Gatti/Courtesy of the National Guard)