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Va. National Guard ceremony at Defense Supply Center Richmond June 3 to feature F-22 flyover, artillery salute
May 31, 2023
The Virginia National Guard’s change of command ceremony scheduled for June 3, 2023, will feature an F-22 Raptor flyover and blank-fire artillery salute, and residents of the Bellwood area of Chesterfield County surrounding Defense Supply Center Richmond should expect brief periods of loud noise during the Saturday morning ceremony and the Friday afternoon rehearsal.

Fifty-seven Soldiers and Airmen assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa earned the GAFPB July 4-5, 2022, at Camp Simba, Kenya. The badge is a test of physical fitness and shooting proficiency with three levels of the award that can be earned: gold, silver, and bronze. It is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Clements)
VNG Soldiers eligible for promotion, recruiting ribbon, $1K bonus for referrals
March 3, 2023
Helping grow the Virginia Army National Guard recently became an even more lucrative endeavor with the expansion of the ARNG’s Stripes for Buddies program and the announcement of a new Army Recruiting Ribbon. When paired with the VNG’s Referral Enlistment Program, or REP, getting a buddy to enlist could equate to a $1,000 bonus, a promotion up to the rank of specialist or promotion points for sergeants and staff sergeants, and the award of the Army Recruiting Ribbon.

VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD NEWS

The Commonwealth’s 67th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony celebrates, honors and remembers the men and women of the U.S. armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country May 29, 2023, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, delivered remarks and laid a wreath at the Shrine of Memory honoring Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen along with Command Chief Master Sergeant Kelly B. Reich, VNG Senior Enlisted Leader. Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Timothy Edgerton led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music for the event. Members of the Virginia Defense Force volunteered their time to assist with access control for the ceremony. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was the keynote speaker and also laid the Commonwealth of Virginia Wreath with Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)
Memorial Day ceremonies honor the fallen
May 31, 2023
Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force celebrated, honored and remembered the men and women of the U.S. armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country May 29, 2023, at multiple Memorial Day ceremonies across the state.

Staff Sgt. Catherine So
H2F trainer advises on goal-setting strategies
May 31, 2023
If you ask Staff Sgt. Catherine So how to accomplish a goal, she’ll tell you to start small. So, an 88M Motor Transport Operator by military occupational specialty, is now part of the Virginia National Guard’s Holistic Health and Fitness, or H2F, team. Big fitness goals, she said, are best tackled when they’re bite-sized.

Virginia National Guard logo
Va. National Guard ceremony at Defense Supply Center Richmond June 3 to feature F-22 flyover, artillery salute
May 31, 2023
The Virginia National Guard’s change of command ceremony scheduled for June 3, 2023, will feature an F-22 Raptor flyover and blank-fire artillery salute, and residents of the Bellwood area of Chesterfield County surrounding Defense Supply Center Richmond should expect brief periods of loud noise during the Saturday morning ceremony and the Friday afternoon rehearsal.

Virginia National Guard Soldiers compete during the state’s annual small arms combat marksmanship match, hosted by the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, May 19-21, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. Nearly 90 shooters participated in the event and competed as both individuals and as teams of four. The event required competitors to shoot with both rifle and pistol from a variety of firing positions and distances. The competition's final event was a three-gun match where teams of four traverse a course of three firing stations consisting of pistol, rifle and shotgun. The teams earn scores based on course time and target accuracy. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Clements)
VNG hosts combined arms marksmanship match
May 29, 2023
The Virginia National Guard’s Marksmanship Training Unit tested the skills of nearly 90 shooters during the Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match, a three-day combined arms match held May 19-21, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The Virginia National Guard’s annual marksmanship match brought together Soldiers and Airmen from across the state to test their skills on both rifle and pistol. The shooters were challenged with matches that required them to engage targets with both rifle and pistol from a variety of firing positions and distances.

The Virginia National Guard’s Staff Sgt. Dan Abbott and the West Virginia National Guard’s Spc. Bret Williams take top honors after the five-day Army National Guard Region II Best Warrior Competition May 19, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. Abbott, a 12N horizontal construction engineer assigned to Fort Barfoot, was named Region II NCO of the Year, and Williams, a 12W carpentry and masonry specialist assigned to the 922nd Engineer Detachment, was named Region II Soldier of the Year. The West Virginia National Guard’s Staff Sgt. Avery Liller and the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Spc. Nicolas Shaffer were named runners-up in their respective categories. Eleven ARNG NCOs and Soldiers representing Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia participated in the five-day competition, which included a written exam, 13-mile ruck march, Army Warrior Tasks, day and night land navigation, confidence course, combat water survival test and timed multi-weapon challenge. See more photos of the competition at https://ngpa.us/25356.
Virginia NCO, West Virginia Soldier take top honors at Region II Best Warrior Competition
May 26, 2023
The Virginia National Guard’s Staff Sgt. Dan Abbott and the West Virginia National Guard’s Spc. Bret Williams took top honors after the five-day Army National Guard Region II Best Warrior Competition May 15-19, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia.

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group, including the Gate City-based 1030th Transportation Battalion, conduct logistics and military decision making process exchanges with the Republic of Tajikistan May 8-12, 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The exchange was conducted in support of the Department of Defense's State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been partners since 2003.
329th RSG conducts logistics and officer professional development exchange in Tajikistan
May 22, 2023
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group conducted logistics and military decision making process exchanges with the Republic of Tajikistan May 8-12, 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and retired Brig. Gen. Walt Mercer, the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, present awards to DMA workers as part of a state employee recognition luncheon May 11, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. During the presentation, DMA employees were recognized for both agency-level accomplishments as well as for service anniversaries. Williams and Mercer gave remarks during the event, thanking the state employees for their hard work. DMA leaders, as well as Nottoway County administrator Ted Costin, also presented gifts of appreciation to Williams ahead of his June 2023 retirement.
DMA employees honored during recognition luncheon at Fort Barfoot
May 20, 2023
Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and retired Brig. Gen. Walt Mercer, Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, presented awards to DMA employees as part of a state employee recognition luncheon May 11, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. 

More than 30 chaplains and religious affairs specialists from the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force participate in a one-day Joint Chaplain Annual Sustainment Training May 6, 2023, at the Virginia National Guard’s Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.
Chaplains gather for annual sustainment training
May 17, 2023
More than 30 chaplains and religious affairs specialists from the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force participated in a one-day Joint Chaplain Annual Sustainment Training May 6, 2023, at the Virginia National Guard’s Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.

Virginia National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve candidates swear in as new the nation’s newest warrant officers during a recognition ceremony at the conclusion of the Virginia National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School, taught by cadre assigned to the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, May 6, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The ceremony marked the conclusion of WOCS for the six candidates, who were pinned with their new WO1 rank during the ceremony. Chief Warrant Officer 5 John D. Calley, the State Command Chief Warrant Officer, served as the guest speaker for the event.(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)
New VNG warrant officers recognized as TACs make national impact
May 16, 2023
The Virginia Army National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School celebrated and recognized the graduation of six warrant officer candidates from Class 23-001 in a ceremony held May 6, 2023, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The class of newly-promoted warrant officers included Soldiers from both the Virginia and North Carolina Army National Guard, as well as the U.S. Army Reserve. 

The Virginia National Guard’s Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Charlie Company, 2-245th Aviation Regiment receives the Army National Guard East Region Unit of the Year award for Fiscal Year 2022 April 19, 2023, at the VNG Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.
VNG fixed-wing detachment named “Unit of the Year”
May 15, 2023
The Virginia National Guard’s Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Charlie Company, 2-245th Aviation Regiment was recently named the Army National Guard East Region Unit of the Year for Fiscal Year 2022 according to an announcement by the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center.

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ABOUT THE VA NATIONAL GUARD

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. For more information on the Virginia National Guard click HERE.

READY AND RESILIENT RESOURCES

Readiness and Resiliency Information Resource Page provides resources and education to all Soldiers, Airmen, Virginia Defense Force personnel, family members and civilian employees to promote readiness, well-being, resilience and suicide prevention. The end state is a healthy organization that is resilient, knowledgeable regarding high risk behaviors, educated on stress reduction measures and aware of available service member, family and employee support network resources.

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