More than 200 Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force personnel will be on duty Jan. 15, 2022, in Richmond, Virginia, supporting the inauguration of Glenn Youngkin as the 74th Governor of Virginia.

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.

In the final months of 2021, Capt. John C. Hemby repeatedly found himself providing life-saving aid to Virginia citizens. Over the course of eight weeks, Hemby, who serves as a company commander in the Virginia National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, helped save three lives.   Hemby’s life-saving streak started in November. While waiting on his curbside lunch order in Chesterfield, Hemby heard a commotion.

The Virginia National Guard has approximately 75 personnel staged for possible winter storm response operations Jan. 16, 2022, at multiple locations across Virginia.

The Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters officially began federal active duty Jan. 5, 2022, to take responsibility for the NATO-led Kosovo Force Regional Command-East, and the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division started their mobilization as their aviation task force Jan. 2.

Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen helped open roads in Stafford County Jan. 7, 2022, and cleared trees along power line routes in Louisa County Jan. 8 after heavy snow downed trees causing road blockage and power outages.

More than 200 Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force personnel will be on duty Jan. 15, 2022, in Richmond, Virginia, supporting the inauguration of Glenn Youngkin as the 74th Governor of Virginia.

The Virginia National Guard has staged approximately 40 Soldiers and Airmen for possible severe winter weather response duty Jan. 6, 2022.

Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducted a medical exchange with the Republic of Tajikistan Dec. 6-10, 2021, 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.

It was just over 15 years ago that 12 Soldiers who are presently deployed with the 29th Infantry Division as Task Force Spartan were part of a brigade-sized element that assumed the duties of Task Force Falcon, Kosovo Force 8, Multinational Task Force-East based at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the First Lady of Virginia Pam Northam hosted a reception for Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and their families Dec. 11, 2021, at Virginia’s Executive Mansion in Richmond, Virginia.

With almost 1,000 Soldiers on the ground, Task Force Red Dragon has finished its training and is now ready to deploy to the Horn of Africa after completing a Culminating Training Exercise, which began Dec. 13, 2021, at Camp McGregor, New Mexico.