Fort Pickett, Virginia, will support the State Department in providing temporary housing and sustainment for Afghan Special Immigration Visa applicants, their families and other at-risk individuals, according to a formal announcement made Aug. 25, 2021, by the Department of Defense.

The Virginia National Guard is a unique dual-status force with a federal mission to provide a combat reserve for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to fight our nation’s wars and a state mission to provide a response force that answers the call of the Governor to defend the commonwealth. The VNG traces the history and tradition of Citizen-Soldier service to the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and there has been a military presence defending Virginia ever since.

Virginia Department of Military Affairs employees attended the 2021 DMA Fall Fest Sept. 23, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Fall Fest began with the presentation of a face to face version of new required state employee training on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Unconscious Bias, followed by lunch, games and music.

A Certificate of Recognition signed by Governor Ralph Northam recognizes the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force support to Virginia's COVID-19 response.

When Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darrell Busquets joined the military, it was an enlisted engineer. Since then, he’s trained as an infantryman, deployed as a combat engineer, and earned his wings as an Army aviator. Today, he’s the battalion standardization pilot for the Virginia National Guard’s Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. 

The 192nd Wing’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony Oct. 2, 2021, at the State Military Reservation where the unit is stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Col. David Lands, 192nd Mission Support Group commander, presided over the ceremony where Maj. Ayad M. Abisaab assumed command from Lt. Col. Jeffrey E. Getz.

Todd Phillips, Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett deputy chief of Plans, Training and Security, received the Virginia Governor’s Honor Award for Creative Customer Service Sept. 28, 2021, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.

When Hispanic Heritage Month comes around, Staff Sgt. Damian Montaño thinks of his childhood home, his family and all the things they’ve shared together. Originally from New Mexico, Montaño, a recruiter for the Virginia Army National Guard, now calls Virginia Beach, Virginia, his home.

The Virginia Army National Guard celebrated the graduation of 17 officer candidates from Officer Candidate School Class 63 and 64B Sept. 19, 2021, at a ceremony held at the Virginia National Guard Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.

The Virginia National Guard introduced a new shoulder patch for the Joint Force Headquarters during a ceremony Sept. 30, 2021, at Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. The new insignia was authorized Sept. 21 by the Department of the Army Institute of Heraldry and has been revised to remove colors and design elements referring to the Confederacy.

Virginia Defense Force chaplains volunteered their time to conduct Sunday services at the Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett Bulla Chapel throughout the Summer of 2021 in order to provide religious support to Soldiers conducting training on the installation.

Virginia Department of Military Affairs state employees conducted a continuity of operations exercise Sept. 14-17, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The exercise, which simulated an emergency that forced DMA employees to leave Fort Pickett and relocate to Virginia Beach, provided an opportunity for 29 DMA employees to test their network connectivity, perform their work functions from a different location, conduct staff visits and face-to-face coordination with SMR staff and tenant organizations, and troubleshoot their standard operating procedures and continuity binders.