NY National Guard Volunteers Give Lift to Trees for Troops

Dec. 2, 2025 | By Richard Goldenberg, New York National Guard |

Seven New York National Guard soldiers and airmen joined local veterans Dec. 1 to load 150 Christmas trees onto a truck at Ellms Family Christmas Tree Farm in Ballston Spa, New York. 

This was the 21st year that tree farmers in the area donated to the Trees for Troops program. The donated trees are destined for service members and their families around the country. 
 
This year, soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters, based in Troy, New York, and the Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing, Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York, pitched in to help load the trees. 
 
Five hundred and fifty members of the 42nd Infantry Division are deployed to the Middle East and 200 airmen assigned to the 109th are deployed in support of Operation Deep Freeze, a National Science Foundation research mission in Antarctica. 
 
The volunteers made loading the trees easy, said Garth Ellms, owner of the Ellms Family Farm. 

"We have a lot of troops that come in and so they work fast," Ellms said. "FedEx handles actually all the trucking of the trees for free throughout the entire country." 
 
For some volunteers, showing up was a way to pay back for receiving trees in the past. 
 
"The first time I did it, it was in 2021, and it was a great experience," said New York Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Mitchell Mihalko, a recruiter assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing. "How could I say no to an opportunity like this?" 
 
"2022, the winter of that holiday season, I was deployed, [and] I received a tree while I was deployed," Mihalko said. "So, to be on both ends of the spectrum, to see the start and the finished product, it made me feel like I had a duty to come back and to return the favor." 

In New York, trees will be delivered in December to military families at Fort Drum, West Point, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in New York City, along with other deliveries to 88 other military sites around the country. 
 
Fresh-cut Christmas trees are gathered at regional farms and retail lots, then picked up and processed through distribution centers for delivery to military bases. 
 
The movement and the morning load out of trees included members of the FedEx shipping team who volunteered to be part of the Trees for Troops event. 
 
Getting an opportunity to sign up for the event was easy for Mark Burby, a FedEx employee who said he has volunteered to be on the load-out team five times. 
 
"I'm a veteran, and I'm the senior guy," Burby said. "It's about helping out other vets." 

Since 2005, Trees for Troops has provided 326,273 Christmas trees to military families and troops in the United States and overseas. 
 
Military volunteers from the National Guard turn out each year to load and unload the trees, knowing they will be delivered to other military families. 
 
It is a very satisfying feeling to be part of that, said Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Felix. 
 
"I'm happy to be here; it's such an honor," Felix said. "This is great support for the troops and that's why I'm here to give my time." 
 
Trees are expected to be delivered to military bases next week for distribution.  

DOW Awards $55 Million Grant for Nathan F. Twining Elementary & Middle School at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

Dec. 2, 2025 |

The Department of War's Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation awarded Grand Force Air Force Base Public School District No. 140 a $55,249,082 grant as the federal share of a larger $69,061,352 project to construct a new Nathan F. Twining Elementary/Middle School at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. 

This project will address facility capacity and condition deficiencies that placed Nathan F. Twining Elementary and Middle School at 70th on the 2019 Deputy Secretary of Defense "Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List" (Priority List).  Upon completion, 500 pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students will be supported through the project.

Funding for this grant is provided under the Department's Public Schools on Military Installations Program.  In making these funds available, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation must give priority consideration to military installations that have schools with the most serious capacity and facility condition deficiencies, as determined by the Priority List. 

A multi-disciplined Federal Evaluation Team, with representatives from the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation reviewed the school project to ensure the award appropriately addresses the noted capacity and facility condition deficiencies.

In correcting the identified facility condition and capacity issues at the Nathan F. Twining Elementary and Middle School, this grant keeps faith with service members, improves the quality of education for defense-connected students, aids in the recruitment and retention of vital skills at Grand Forks Air Force Base, and enhances partnerships between the community and the installation.

Hurricane Hunters Wrap Up 2025 Season After Flying Into Three Category 5 Storms

Dec. 2, 2025 | By Air Force Lt. Col. Marnee Losurdo, 403rd Wing |

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season officially ended Nov. 30, closing another demanding chapter for the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters. 

 
The squadron flew 927.9 hours this year across the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and central Pacific basins, collecting critical data that improved forecasts, saved lives and once again demonstrated the unit's no-fail mission. 
 
From their first flight into Hurricane Erick, June 18, to their final mission into Hurricane Melissa, Oct. 30, the 53rd WRS crews faced one of the most intense storm seasons in recent memory. This year's taskings included three Category 5 hurricanes and the second sub-900 millibar storm the squadron had flown into in as many years. 
 
The Hurricane Hunters kicked off the season when a WC-130J Super Hercules aircrew departed Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, for Hurricane Erick in the eastern Pacific. That marked the first operational flight of the 2025 season and the start of what forecasters predicted would be an active year for tropical systems. 

 
"Our job is to fly directly into the storm and collect vital information such as wind speeds, pressure, temperature and humidity," said Air Force 1st Lt. Mark McCoy, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer. "While satellites provide a significant amount of information, the data we gather within the storm is unique and cannot be captured from space. That information helps the National Hurricane Center refine forecasts and gives people more time to prepare."
 
The squadron, assigned to the 403rd Wing, is the only War Department unit that flies into tropical systems to gather real-time atmospheric data. Using a fleet of 10 WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft, the squadron operates year-round and is prepared to support 24-hour operations during the peak of hurricane season. Data from its flights is transmitted in real time to the National Hurricane Center and shared with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Navy and other domestic and international forecasting agencies. 
 
"Every time we fly into a storm, we're collecting data that can directly impact how communities prepare and respond," said Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Burton, 53rd WRS director of operations and the deployed detachment commander. "We train all year for this. What we do helps save lives and property."
 
According to Warren Madden from the National Hurricane Center, the squadron's 2025 missions were defined not by quantity, but by intensity.

In the Atlantic basin, the squadron flew into Hurricanes Barry, Chantal, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry and Melissa, as well as an early August flight in the northern Gulf of America and another in late August near the Windward Islands. In the eastern Pacific, crews flew into Hurricanes Erick and Lorena, and in the central Pacific, they supported missions into Hurricane Kiko. 

 
"What was unusual this year was the overall lack of activity in both the Gulf and in the Caribbean," Madden said. "We only flew one named storm in the Gulf — Barry — along with two northern Gulf [flights]. Chantal was the only system that produced direct wind impacts to the continental U.S., and Melissa was the only storm we flew in the Caribbean." 
 
What stood out was the strength of several storms. 
 
"Three of the systems — Erin, Humberto and Melissa — reached Category 5 strength, and Melissa became the second sub-900 millibar storm we've flown [into] in as many seasons," Madden said, referencing 2024's Hurricane Milton. "That level of intensity in consecutive years is rare."
 
The Hurricane Hunters' most demanding mission of 2025 came late in the season, when Tropical Storm Melissa rapidly intensified over the Caribbean. On Oct. 21, the 53rd WRS deployed aircraft to a forward operating location in Curaçao, positioning closer to the system as it strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane. Over a seven-day period, the squadron flew 17 missions and 170 flight hours into Melissa, conducting around-the-clock operations to support National Hurricane Center forecasts. 

 
Flying Super Hercules aircraft at roughly 10,000 feet, the crews penetrated Melissa's eye two to four times per mission, releasing equipment that measured temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure from the aircraft down to the ocean surface. 
 
"That information was delivered directly to the National Hurricane Center to improve forecast accuracy as Melissa intensified," Burton said. 
 
The deployment took place during a federal government shutdown, which complicated travel, funding and coordination. 
 
"Despite the administrative hurdles, our Hurricane Hunters continued operations uninterrupted, ensuring forecasters received the critical data needed to protect lives," said Air Force Col. Jaret Fish, 403rd Wing commander. "Our airmen demonstrated the flexibility and dedication that make the reserve force vital to the nation's readiness." 
 
Burton said the shutdown only underscored the team's professionalism and focus. 
 
"Even with the challenges, our crews stayed focused," Burton said. "We knew communities were already feeling Melissa's impact. Every data point we gathered fed into forecasts that helped officials make lifesaving decisions. That's why we do this mission." 
 
Hurricane Melissa devastated the Caribbean with 185-mph winds, torrential rain and flooding, with Jamaica being the hardest hit and suffering widespread destruction and infrastructure failures. The United Nations and U.S. State Department estimate $6 billion to $7 billion in damage to Jamaica, deadly flooding and landslides in Haiti, coastal flooding in Cuba, and at least 90 deaths across the region, including 45 in Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Oct. 28. 
 
By staging out of Curaçao, the Hurricane Hunters reduced flight time to the storm's center, enabling more frequent eye penetrations and higher-density equipment coverage during Melissa's peak intensity. That increased cadence provided near real-time data that helped forecasters and emergency managers issue more accurate warnings and evacuation guidance. 

 
With the last scheduled hurricane mission completed Oct. 30, the Hurricane Hunters spent November transitioning to winter storm reconnaissance operations in support of the National Winter Season Operations Plan. These atmospheric river missions collect data over the Pacific Ocean to help predict heavy rainfall and flooding events that affect the western U.S. 
 
"The hurricane season may be over, but our mission never really stops," Fish said. "Whether it's tropical cyclones or atmospheric rivers, our airmen deliver data that directly supports national preparedness and disaster response."
 
From the first flight into Erick to the last eyewall penetration of Melissa, the 53rd WRS's 2025 season reaffirmed the critical role of manned reconnaissance in weather forecasting. 
 
Fish said the crews flew through some of the most intense storms on record, noting, "their work saves lives, protects property and provides the science that forecasters rely on every day. We're proud of what they accomplished."

Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Departs Seattle for Antarctic Deployment

Dec. 1, 2025 | By U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area |

The Coast Guard cutter Polar Star departed Seattle, Nov. 27, commencing its 29th deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

The operation is an annual joint military mission to resupply the U.S. Antarctic stations in support of the National Science Foundation, the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Historic investment in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" of nearly $25 billion includes $9 billion specifically for icebreakers and infrastructure in the Arctic and Antarctic. This massive investment in icebreakers will secure U.S. access, security and leadership in the polar regions.  

As the Coast Guard prepares to revitalize its icebreaking fleet, the Polar Star remains the only U.S. vessel capable of breaking a navigable channel through the ice to reach McMurdo Station, the largest Antarctic station and the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program.  

Each year, the cutter serves a vital role in ensuring surface access for fuel and supply ships through the Ross Sea to resupply U.S. Antarctic bases. The Polar Star's mission directly protects the security, freedom and prosperity for the U.S., our allies and partners.

"[The] Polar Star's crew does remarkable work maintaining and operating this ship," said Coast Guard Capt. Jeff Rasnake, commanding officer of the ship. "Each year brings unique challenges, and I'm proud to say this crew has risen to meet them all. The way we've come together over the course of maintenance, and our logistical preparations is exciting as we enter the operational phase of our annual deployment cycle."

Commissioned in 1976, the Polar Star is 399 feet long and weighs 13,500 tons with a 34-foot draft. Despite reaching nearly 50 years of age, it remains the world's most powerful nonnuclear icebreaker with the ability to produce up to 75,000 shaft horsepower.

The continuous effort the crew commits to maintaining the aging cutter ensures the nation's access to the continent and the economic, environmental and national security interests in the polar regions. The Polar Star will continue to support Operation Deep Freeze until new polar and Arctic security cutters enter service in the coming decade.

Since 1955, members of the Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy and Army have proudly supported the U.S. Antarctic Program by providing supplies to McMurdo Station.