The South Dakota National Guard presented three awards for distinguished service, including an award to the Neuhardt family of Rapid City.

Abigail Hylton from Oneonta, assigned to the Company B, NY National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion, received a promotion Jan. 15, to the rank of private first class.

On the deployment, “we spent a lot of time with force protection, trying to enhance the safety of our forces,” he said.