Virginia National Guard

VNG Youth Program searching for volunteers
February 14, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard Youth Program is searching for engaging, dedicated individuals who are passionate about working with National Guard Youth to volunteer at their events and camps throughout the next year. The Youth Program relies on a core network of trained, background-checked volunteers. These volunteers provide program assistance with deployment events, photography and social media support, and assist with administrative tasks... MORE

Virginia welcomes first female infantry officer
February 6, 2019 — FORT BENNING, Ga. — On Feb. 1, 2019, 1st Lt. Candice Bowen graduated from the U.S. Army’s Infantry Basic Officer Course and became the Virginia National Guard’s first female infantry officer. She joins a small group of other women who have successfully completed training at Fort Benning to become infantry Soldiers and officers since the career field was opened to women in 2016... MORE

Mentors provide valuable guidance to ChalleNGe cadets
February 4, 2019 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Twice a year the Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduates cadets from the five and a half month long residential portion of the program. But when the cadets take off their uniforms and return home, they don’t stop being cadets. Instead they transition to the 12-month, non-residential portion of the program. And just because they’re no longer watched by cadre in uniforms doesn’t mean the ChalleNGe program doesn’t have an eye on them... MORE

Miller retires after 30 years of service
February 4, 2019 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — “Serve my country!” stated Pvt. E. Tim Miller when asked by a senior officer in 1988 why he enlisted in the Army National Guard. Although such a phrase sounds cliché today, 30 years later, now-Command Sgt. Maj. E. Tim Miller emphasized how Soldiers need to examine why they serve, and ultimately, it should be to simply, “serve our country.”... MORE

Saber Soldiers provide crew evaluations for active-duty cavalry squadron
January 29, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Virginia National Guard cavalry Soldiers provided vehicle crew evaluators for their active-duty counterparts from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during gunnery training Jan. 15 – 26, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Soldiers assigned to the Portsmouth-based 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team provided the evaluation support for the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division as they conducted crew-served gunnery ranges with multiple vehicles and weapons systems... MORE

Profita named new VNG command senior enlisted leader
January 25, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Command Chief Master Sgt. James J. Profita will succeed Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Ferris as the Virginia National Guard’s command senior enlisted leader, according to an announcement made Jan. 24, 2019, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. Ferris now serves as the command sergeant major for the 29th Infantry Division, and Profita serves as senior enlisted leader for strategy and policy and senior enlisted Guard advisor at Headquarters U.S. European Command. His assignment as CSEL is effective April 1, 2019... MORE

VDF takes part in statewide amateur radio exercise
January 25, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Members of the Virginia Defense Force took part in the “Perfect Storm” statewide amateur radio emergency communications exercise Jan. 19, 2019, in Richmond and Lynchburg, Virginia, and the VDF was among the nearly 80 amateur operators and agencies registered for this annual event. In Richmond, VDF personnel trained on amateur radio systems and built partnerships with amateur radio operators who support the Virginia Department of Emergency Management at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center. In Lynchburg, VDF members used the equipment in their mobile communications platform trailer to make contact the operators across the state... MORE

Puckett named VNG command chief warrant officer
January 24, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joseph W. Puckett has been named as the Virginia National Guard’s new Command Chief Warrant Officer, according to an announcement made Jan. 24, 2019, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. The assignment is effective April 1, 2019, and follows the pending retirement of current Chief Warrant Officer 4 Donald Unmussig. “Chief Warrant Officer 4 Unmussig has provided outstanding leadership to the Warrant Officer Corps, and sage counsel to me on all related matters,” Williams wrote in the announcement. “His contributions to the Army logistics community and National Guard as a whole have been remarkable. We truly appreciate his dedication and sacrifice to our commonwealth and nation, and wish him the very best in retirement.”... MORE

Virginia recruiters recognized for excellence
January 24, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, recognized the Virginia Army National Guard’s top recruiters Jan. 23, 2019, at the Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. He also commended the Recruiting and Retention Battalion for their success at the recent National Guard Strength Maintenance Advisory Group – Region II competitions... MORE

AG shares legislative priorities with JLC, GA Military Caucus
January 18, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, updated members of the Virginia General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus and the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations on the Virginia National Guard and discussed the VNG’s legislative initiatives for the 2019 session of the Virginia General Assembly Jan. 16, 2019, in Richmond, Virginia... MORE

Governor commends Virginia National Guard
January 18, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Ralph Northam and Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Carlos Hopkins commended the Virginia National Guard for the organization’s service to commonwealth and country at a legislative reception hosted Jan. 16, 2019, by the Virginia National Guard Association and Virginia Army and Air National Guard Enlisted Association in Richmond, Virginia. “Over the last year I have been so proud of all the great work that our Guard does, whether it has been serving overseas or answering the call when we have had natural disasters,” Northam said. “You are always there, and people know that you are always there and you are known for your service to the commonwealth.”... MORE

VNG speaker series: Command historian offers leadership perspective
January 17, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, plus guests, retirees and family members, received some valuable leadership lessons from an unlikely source during VNG’s speaker series Jan. 16, 2019, at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. VNG command historian Al Barnes, a retired chief warrant officer 4 and former enlisted Marine, titled his presentation “Leadership lessons: A historians perspective.” During the hour-long presentation, Barnes used examples from military history to provide simple but meaningful lessons to the leaders in attendance... MORE

Virginia Air National Guard recognizes top performers
January 16, 2019 — JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — The Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing recognized its top performers during an annual awards ceremony Jan. 12, 2019, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Col. Frank J. Lobash, 192nd Wing commander, presided over the ceremony in which various Airmen received awards at group, wing and state levels... MORE

529th CSSB officially begins mission in the Middle East
January 13, 2019 — CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion assumed responsibility of their assigned battlefield sustainment operations on Jan. 1, 2019, and commemorated by a transfer of authority ceremony Jan. 7... MORE

Virginia National Guard dedicates new headquarters to D-Day veteran
January 8, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s newly-built Joint Force Headquarters was officially named and dedicated for Roanoke native and D-Day veteran Sgt. John Robert “Bob” Slaughter Jan. 8, 2019, at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia... MORE

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