The Arkansas National Guard Foundation will host its third annual National Guard Birthday Gala on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the Robinson Center’s Steel Ballroom in Little Rock. This elegant evening of patriotism and community will celebrate 389 years of National Guard heritage while honoring one of Arkansas’s own, Congressman Stephen A. “Steve” Womack, with the prestigious Major General Harold L. Gwatney Award for Military Service.

A Tradition of Service and Support

The Arkansas National Guard Foundation traces its roots back to 1967, when it was established as the National Guard Association of Arkansas Insurance Trust. For decades, it focused on providing scholarships to Guard members, their families, and survivors.

In 2013, the Trust reorganized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, opening new opportunities for growth. A year later, at the request of the Adjutant General of Arkansas, the Foundation expanded its mission to serve as the primary nonprofit partner for the Arkansas National Guard, consolidating and strengthening philanthropic support. That same year, the Foundation also established an endowment to sustain the Arkansas National Guard Museum, ensuring preservation of military history for generations to come.

In 2022, the Foundation created the Survivor Outreach Services Fund to care for the families of fallen Guardsmen and assumed responsibility for the Child and Youth Programs formerly managed by the Arkansas National Guard Youth Foundation. In 2023, the Adjutant General designated the Foundation to administer the Military Family Relief Trust Fund, providing emergency assistance to Guard members in times of crisis.

Today, the Foundation provides comprehensive support in six key areas:

  • Emergency financial relief for Guard members and families in crisis
  • Scholarships and educational opportunities for service members, dependents, and survivors
  • Youth engagement and leadership programs, including the Arkansas Minuteman Youth Camp
  • Medical and dental readiness support
  • Survivor support and grief care
  • Preservation of military heritage through the Arkansas National Guard Museum and historical programs

Over the years, the Foundation has invested more than $1.8 million directly into programs that strengthen Guard families and preserve the Guard’s legacy.

📜 Arkansas National Guard Foundation: History Snapshot

  • 1967 – Established as the National Guard Association of Arkansas Insurance Trust
  • 1970–2000 – Primary focus: academic scholarships for Guard families
  • 2013 – Reorganized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
  • 2014 – Expanded mission at the request of the Adjutant General, established museum endowment
  • 2022 – Created the Survivor Outreach Services Fund; assumed Child and Youth Programs
  • 2023 – Appointed as administrator of the Military Family Relief Trust Fund
  • Today – More than $1.8 million in direct assistance for Guard families

The Gwatney Award: Honoring Enduring Impact

The Major General Harold L. Gwatney Award for Military Service was established in 2024 to recognize veterans whose service to the military community continues to make an enduring impact long after their time in uniform.

Its namesake, Major General Harold L. Gwatney, embodies that tradition of service. From enlisting in the Arkansas National Guard in 1948, to leading at every level from platoon to brigade, to serving as Adjutant General of Arkansas, Gwatney dedicated his life to the Guard. His leadership helped establish the National Guard Professional Education Center at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, leaving a legacy for generations of Soldiers and Airmen.

Honoring Congressman Steve Womack

This year’s honoree, Congressman Steve Womack, reflects the very spirit of the Gwatney Award. Womack retired from the Arkansas Army National Guard in 2009 at the rank of Colonel after more than thirty years of service. His distinguished career included a deployment to Sinai, Egypt, in 2002, where his Task Force became the first National Guard unit to perform the mission of the Multinational Force and Observers. Under his leadership, the Task Force received praise from the highest levels of military and civilian authority.

Womack’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Arkansas Distinguished Service Medal, and the Harry S. Truman Award, the National Guard Bureau’s highest honor, presented to him in 2015. He is also a member of the Arkansas National Guard Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. His record reflects a lifelong philosophy to “lead by example and lead from the front.”

Beyond his military service, Womack has built a career of public service and community leadership. As Mayor of Rogers, Arkansas, he oversaw more than $1 billion in local investment, fueling an unprecedented expansion of the Rogers economy. He was recognized in 2022 with the Dick Trammel Good Neighbor Award, the city’s highest community honor.

A graduate of Arkansas Tech University and inductee into the ATU Hall of Distinction, Womack also plays a vital national role as Chairman of the West Point Board of Visitors (BOV), where he helps guide the U.S. Military Academy in preparing the next generation of Army officers. First appointed in 2012 and elected Chairman in 2017, Womack is currently the only congressional representative from Arkansas to serve on the board.

His sustained service—to the Guard, to his state, to his community, and to the nation—make him a fitting recipient of the Gwatney Award.

A Celebration of Heritage and Community

The National Guard Birthday Gala has quickly become a highlight of Arkansas’s military and civic calendar. Now in its third year, the Gala brings together community leaders, military families, and supporters to reflect on the Guard’s heritage of service—stretching back nearly four centuries—and to ensure the men and women who serve, and their families, are never left behind.

As the Foundation celebrates this milestone, the Gala remains more than an evening of elegance and tribute. It is a reaffirmation of Arkansas’s promise to its Guard members: Always Ready, Always There—on the battlefield, at home in times of disaster, and within the community they call home.

About the Arkansas National Guard Foundation: For more information about the Arkansas National Guard Foundation, it’s Mission and Program Areas please visit our website at [https://www.angf.us/].

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BACKGROUND ON ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD FOUNDATION: The Arkansas National Guard Foundation was established in 2013 as the successor to the National Guard Association of Arkansas Insurance Trust, which was created in 1967. Its mission is to provide charitable and educational support to members of the Arkansas National Guard, their dependents and survivors, veterans, and other charitable organizations that support veteran communities in Arkansas. The Foundation continues to expand its impact by implementing programs that enhance education, job training, emergency relief, youth programs, legacy preservation and overall readiness for Arkansas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.

For media inquiries please contact:  Colonel (ret) Damon N. Cluck, 501-772-1270 or dcluck@angf.us.

Arkansas National Guard Foundation
P.O. Box 663
North Little Rock, AR 72115