29th Infantry Division

Known as the Blue and Gray Division, the 29th Infantry Division is an Army National Guard operational-level headquarters located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Its origins date back to World War I and is most known for its participation in the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach in World War II. The 29th ID wartime mission is to provide mission command to subordinate brigades and forces tailored for an assigned mission. It is one of eight divisions in the Army National Guard.

The Virginia Army National Guard's 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment and the 29th Infantry Division Band are aligned under the 29th.

The 29th Infantry Division exercises training and readiness oversight over the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Florida and Alabama, the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Kentucky and Virginia, the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina and West Virginia, the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade from Maryland and Virginia, the 226th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from Alabama, the 113th Sustainment Brigade from North Carolina and the 142nd Fires Brigade from Arkansas.

The Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division Headquarters returned to the United States in March 2022 after a 9-month deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility as the headquarters of Task Force Spartan, which exercises command and control of Operation Spartan Shield. Task Force Spartan is a unique, multi-component, total Army organization, made up of active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve support units and is led by a National Guard division headquarters on a rotational basis. 

In its role as Task Force Spartan, the 29th ID commanded two brigades and four battalion-level task forces. Units supporting Operation Spartan Shield provide capabilities such as aviation, logistics, force protection and information management. They also facilitated theater security cooperation activities such as key leader engagements, joint exercises, conferences, symposia, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response planning. Read more about the 29th’s mobilization at https://go.usa.gov/xzw3F. 

Visit the 29th Infantry Division on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/29thID/


2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
 
The Virginia National Guard's Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, mobilized as Task Force Pegasus, officially ended its mission in Kosovo during a transfer of authority ceremony Oct. 11, 2022, at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

During Task Force Pegasus’ rotation, over 1,700 flight hours and 275 aerial missions were completed, five multinational multi-ship flights, and 14 MedEvac missions, two of which required the use of a hoist and countless hours of training. Read more about Task Force Pegasus at https://ngpa.us/22186. 

More 2-224th news: https://ngpa.us/23176 

29th Division Band

The 29th ID Band received the Superior Unit Award for training excellence during Training Year 2019. 

More 29th Division Band news: https://ngpa.us/23177

29th ID News

Three Virginia National Guard Soldiers participate in marksmanship exchange with female members of Tajik National Police Sept. 5-9, 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.
VNG marksmanship experts conduct historic exchange in Tajikistan
Sept. 29, 2023
Three Virginia National Guard Soldiers participated in marksmanship exchange with female members of Tajik National Police Sept. 5-9, 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program.
Key leaders of the Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and other Virginia National Guard personnel traveled to Finland to observe a Local Defense Exercise, or PAPU, Sept. 4-9, 2023. The PAPU, which is an anagram of the Finnish “Paikallis Puolustus,” meaning “Local Defense,” took place in several locations throughout Finland, including Kouvala, Hamina, Kotka and Kankaanpaa.
229th BEB leaders observe defense exercise in Finland
Sept. 27, 2023
Key leaders of the Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and other Virginia National Guard personnel traveled to Finland to observe a Local Defense Exercise, or PAPU, Sept. 4-9, 2023.
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team compete in the battalion's Carl “Chubby” Proffitt Jr. Squad Competition, otherwise known as the “Chubby Cup,” Sept. 9, 2023, at Fort Walker, Virginia. The teams competed in a series of events including physical fitness, marksmanship, a ruck march, a knowledge test and pugil stick matches. The competition honors both the unit’s lineage and the legacy of Proffitt, who served with 3-116th during World War II, including the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
St. Lo Soldiers honor heritage during “Chubby Cup” competition
Sept. 25, 2023
Nine teams of Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team competed in the battalion’s Carl “Chubby” Proffitt Jr. Squad Competition Sept. 9, 2023, at Fort Walker, Virginia.
The Virginia Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduates 66 cadets from Class 59 Aug. 26, 2023, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Retired Brig. Gen. Walt Mercer, the Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, joined retired Navy Capt. Mark Chicoine, the Commonwealth ChalleNGe director, in congratulating the cadets on their accomplishments. Daeja Mason, a graduate of Class 48, was the guest speaker. Commonwealth ChalleNGe is the Virginia component of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, a 17-and-a-half-month program designed to promote academics, attention to detail, time management, and leadership while promoting self-esteem, confidence and pride. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)
Commonwealth ChalleNGe graduates 66 cadets from Class 59
Sept. 6, 2023
The Virginia Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduated 66 cadets from Class 59 Aug. 26, 2023, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Retired Brig. Gen. Walt Mercer, the Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, joined retired Navy Capt. Mark Chicoine, the Commonwealth ChalleNGe director, in congratulating the cadets on their accomplishments.
Three Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team competed in HÄYHÄ 2023, a Finnish Sniper Championship, held Aug. 25-27, near Taipalsaari, Finland. Staff Sgt. Matthew Dawson, Staff Sgt. Joshua Johnson and Sgt. Gavin Asbury made up one of 26 teams to compete in the competition, which focused on the basic skills of a sniper. The event was organized by the Finnish Sniper Guild in cooperation with the Finnish Reserve Sports Association and the National Defense Training Association.
Red Dragon shooters compete in Finnish sniper championship
Sept. 5, 2023
Three Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team competed in HÄYHÄ 2023, a Finnish Sniper Championship, held Aug. 25-27, near Taipalsaari, Finland. 

The Shield Newsletter

29th ID Organization

Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division
https://www.facebook.com/29thID/
https://twitter.com/29thID

Fort Belvoir-based Headquarters Battalion, 29th Infantry Division
https://www.facebook.com/HHBN29ID

  • Fort Belvoir-based Headquarters and Support Company
  • Fort Belvoir-based Operations Company
  • Cheltenham, Md.- based Signal Company (Maryland National Guard)
  • Laurel, Md.- Intelligence and Sustainment Company (Maryland National Guard)
  • Troutville-based 29th Division Band

Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
 https://www.facebook.com/2ndBattalion224thAviation/

  • Sandston-based Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
  • Sandston-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
  • Sandston-based Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
  • Sandston-based Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
  • Chesterfield-based Detachment 2, Company C, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment
  • Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment
  • Sandston-based Detachment 2, Bravo Company, 248th Aviation Support Battalion
  • Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company C, 2-245th Aviation Regiment 
Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team