Virginia National Guard

29th ID Headquarters Battalion changes command at Fort Belvoir
November 7, 2017 — Lt. Col. Edward Lewis assumed command of Headquarters Battalion, 29th Infantry Division from Lt. Col. H. Cary Payne during a traditional change of command ceremony Nov. 4, 2017, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Blake C. Ortner, commanding general of the 29th Infantry Division, presided over the passing of colors that symbolizes the transfer of command from Payne to Lewis... MORE

Virginia National Guard hosts ribbon cutting ceremony for new building in Virginia Beach
November 2, 2017 — The Virginia National Guard hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 2, 2017, to officially open a new multi-purpose building at Camp Pendleton State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, constructed by the Virginia Air National Guard’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer, or RED HORSE. Construction on the new 9,000 square foot metal building served as a training opportunity for the Airmen to hone a core capability in expeditionary facility construction that they perform during federal active duty deployments overseas... MORE

Gate City-based transportation battalion welcomes new commander
October 31, 2017 — Lt. Col. Todd Pegg took command of the Virginia National Guard’s Gate City-based 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group from Lt. Col. Steve Williams in a change of command ceremony held Oct. 14, 2017, at the Gate City Armory. Col. Weedon Gallagher, the 329th Regional Support Group commander, presided over the exchange of unit colors that represented the transfer of command from Williams to Pegg... MORE

UAS Soldiers support recruiters at Aviation Education and Career Expo
October 30, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Unmanned Aerial System Platoon helped recruiters educate high school students about potential opportunities in aviation and technology Oct. 27, 2017, at the ProJet Aviation’s 12th Annual Aviation Education and Career Expo at the Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia... MORE

Final group of Va. Soldiers return from U.S. Virgin Islands
October 19, 2017 — Senior leaders from state government and the Virginia National Guard welcomed home the final group of Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as they returned from hurricane recovery duty in the U.S. Virgin Islands Oct. 17, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia. The Soldiers provided mission command for the joint task force that consisted of just over 1,300 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 25 states and Washington, D.C. supporting the U.S. Virgin Islands government and Virgin Islands National Guard... MORE

Fort Pickett firefighters work to earn aircraft rescue certification
October 17, 2017 — Members of the Fort Pickett Fire & Rescue Department along with firefighters from neighboring localities conducted aircraft rescue training Oct. 13, 2017, at the Blackstone Army Airfield near Fort Pickett, Virginia. Adjunct instructors from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs using fire training simulators administered the Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Course that meets the job performance requirements of the National Fire Protection Association Standard for Airport Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications... MORE

New urban training facility open at Fort Pickett
October 15, 2017 — The first Virginia National Guard unit to utilize Fort Pickett’s new urban operations training site took advantage of the facility’s instrumentation to create more realistic training scenarios and provide leaders with the ability to watch multiple locations in real time and capture video for after action reviews. Soldiers assigned to the Bedford-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted civil disturbance training Oct. 14, 2017, at the newly-opened Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, or CACTF... MORE

Lynchburg-based infantry battalion receives second national training readiness award
October 9, 2017 — The Virginia National Guard’s Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was recognized as the most combat-ready Army National Guard battalion in the country with the Walter T. Kerwin, Jr., Readiness Award Oct. 9, 2017, at the Association of the United States Army Guard and Reserve Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Gen... MORE

Kentucky Guard infantry battalion conducts patching ceremony with 116th Infantry
October 9, 2017 — Kentucky National Guard Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry based out of London, Kentucky, conducted a patching ceremony to mark their new affiliation with the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at the Command Sgt. Maj. Harold L. Disney Training Center Oct. 15, 2017, in Artemus, Kentucky... MORE

Soldiers recognized for contributions to state-level logistics inspection
October 5, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers who made significant contributions to a successful state-level logistics inspections received Army Commendation Medals Oct. 4, 2017, in Sandston, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presented the awards along with the Col. Michael H. Swanson, Virginia Army National Guard Director of Logistics, to recognize the role the Soldiers played in the Virginia National Guard receiving a 90 percent compliance rating during the Command Logistics Review Team inspection March 8-12, 2017... MORE

Active shooter exercise tests Fort Pickett, local first responders’ capabilities
October 4, 2017 — Fort Pickett staff members and first responders from the Town of Blackstone, Dinwiddie County and the Virginia State Police conducted an active shooter training exercise Sept. 29, 2017, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The exercise was designed to assess Virginia National Guard, state and local first responders’ capabilities and identify any gaps or shortfalls in the current active shooter response plans... MORE

Virginia Guard historical collection helps tell centuries-old stories
October 4, 2017 — For many Virginia National Guard units, 2017 marks their 100th anniversary. Units like the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division and the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Regiment both formed as the United States prepared to enter World War I in 1917. Fort Pickett and Camp Pendleton, the Virginia National Guard’s premier training installations, also celebrated their respective 75th and 100th birthdays this year... MORE

34th CST trains with federal, state and local authorities
September 30, 2017 — Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s 34th Civil Support Team joined members of the FBI, the Virginia State Police and local law enforcement in a scenario-based training exercise Oct. 24, 2017, in Glen Allen, Virginia. The exercise, dubbed Marble Challenge and led by the FBI, aimed to increase cohesion between the participating agencies. The 34th CST is a response force capable of responding to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear incident. At the exercise, they provided reconnaissance and decontamination support, assisted in collecting and identifying samples and supported incident command... MORE

First group of Virginia National Guard Soldiers departs for U.S. Virgin Islands
September 25, 2017 — The first group of Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team departed for the U.S Virgin Islands Sept. 24, 2017, from Blackstone Army Airfield in Blackstone, Virginia, to join a multi-state, multi-agency response effort to recent hurricanes. The Soldiers will serve as a mission command headquarters and synchronize all National Guard operations assisting with recovery effort, and additional Soldiers from multiple units from across the commonwealth will continue to deploy in the coming days to provide additional assistance... MORE

VDF evaluates response teams across the commonwealth
September 24, 2017 — Virginia Defense Force response teams deploy to multiple locations in the commonwealth Sept. 23, 2017, for Purple Guardian 2017 MayHem, an exercise designed to simulate the support the VDF provides to the Virginia National Guard during state active duty. Teams providing operations center augmentation, high frequency radio communications and incident management assistance as well as mobile communication platform trailers were deployed to Fort Pickett, Sandston, Lynchburg and Culpeper for a scenario-driven evaluation of personnel and equipment to include set up and exercise of organic communications equipment... MORE

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