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

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Bedford-based Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct a movement to contact situational training lane June 9, 2025, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The 116th is the first Army National Guard brigade to test a prototype task organization for a mobile brigade combat team, and it will be evaluated during a 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation. The MBCT concept is part of the U.S. Army’s transformation initiative with the goal of making units more agile and lethal.
116th IBCT to field test new mobile brigade combat team organization
June 9, 2025
The Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will be the first Army National Guard brigade to test and evaluate a prototype task organization for a mobile brigade combat team during their 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation in June 2025 at Fort Barfoot, Virginia.
Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski has been selected to succeed Maj. Gen. Joseph A. DiNonno as the commanding general of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, according to an announcement made June 3, 2025, by Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia. A change of command ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 3 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Samulski to succeed DiNonno as 29th Infantry Division commanding general
June 4, 2025
Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski has been selected to succeed Maj. Gen. Joseph A. DiNonno  as the commanding general of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, according to an announcement made June 3, 2025, by Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia.
Spc. Emmanuel Olguin, assigned to the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, competes at the 2025 Lincoln, Nebraska, Marathon May 4, 2025, for a spot on the All-Guard Competition Team. Olguin ran a 2:59:57 to earn a spot on the team. He will now spend the next two years racing in numerous events, ranging from 5Ks to full marathons, with the All-Guard Competition Team. The Virginia National Guard Endurance Team is currently training and getting ready for the All-Guard Endurance Trials in FY26.
VNG Endurance Team Soldiers compete at All-Guard Marathon Trials
June 3, 2025
Four Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard Endurance Team competed in the All-Guard Marathon Trials May 4, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Lincoln Marathon, for an opportunity to earn a spot on the All-Guard Competition Team.  
Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen compete in the Virginia National Guard’s annual marksmanship match, hosted May 16-18, 2025, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. Dozens of shooters participated in the event, which was hosted by the Marksmanship Training Unit, part of the Fort Barfoot-based 3rd Battalion, 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. Over the course of three days, shooters engaged targets from a variety of distances and shooting positions, firing rifles and pistols.
VNG hosts combined arms marksmanship match
May 27, 2025
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team took top honors at the 2025 Virginia National Guard Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match, held May 16 - 18, 2025, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia.
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Rocky Mount-based 229th Chemical Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group and the Lynchburg-based Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team made a strong showing at the Region II Best Warrior Competition May 5 - 9, 2025, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Spc. Nicholas Warren and Staff Sgt. Ivo Garner, the VaARNG Soldier and NCO of the Year, both placed second in their respective categories, competing against other Soldiers and NCOs from the region, including Washington, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
VNG Soldiers impress at Regional Best Warrior Competition
May 19, 2025
Spc. Nicholas Warren and Staff Sgt. Ivo Garner, the VaARNG Soldier and NCO of the Year, both placed second in their respective categories, competing against other Soldiers and NCOs from the region, including Washington, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

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