Virginia National Guard

WOCS welcomes new commander, recognizes new warrants
May 5, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School welcomed a new commander and recognized the latest graduates of the program in back-to-back ceremonies held May 4, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. In the first ceremony, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joshua Martin took command of the Virginia National Guard’s WOCS from Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wayne Sexton. Martin is the first commander to also be a graduate of Virginia’s WOCS program... MORE

NCO takes Boston Marathon experience to VNG running team
May 2, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Just a few short weeks after completing his long-time goal of running the Boston Marathon, Master Sgt. Ramon Abreu-Perez will lace up his running shoes on Sunday to run the National Guard Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska. He ran his first marathon back in 2004 and has been racing ever since... MORE

Virginia National Guard hosts Diversity and Unity Day
May 2, 2019 — RICHMOND, Virginia — The Virginia National Guard Equal Employment Opportunity office hosted a Diversity and Unity Day April 24, 2019, at the Virginia National Guard Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. Brig. Gen. K. Weedon Gallagher, the Assistant Adjutant General for Strategic Affairs, was the presiding officer at the event. Speakers included representatives from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Blacks in Government and the Asian American Society of Central Virginia, as well as Dr. Phil Nash, an expert in cross-cultural communications... MORE

VNG rangers test their limits at Best Ranger Competition
May 1, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Fifty-three two-man teams started the Best Ranger Competition early on the morning of April 12, 2019, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Among the rangers to run across the start line were six National Guard Soldiers, three from Virginia, two from Massachusetts and one from Kentucky. The Virginia and Kentucky Soldiers are all assigned to Virginia’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team... MORE

Thunder Soldiers conduct historic waterborne artillery exercise
April 30, 2019 — CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted a historic waterborne artillery live-fire exercise during Operation Gator April 24-25, 2019, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The exercise marked the first riverine artillery fire mission for the Army since the Vietnam era... MORE

Top Virginia National Guard units recognized at Virginia Military Ball
April 29, 2019 — NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Virginia National Guard senior leaders recognized the top company-level units in the Virginia Army National Guard and the 192nd Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard for high levels of readiness at the third annual Virginia Military Ball April 27, 2019, in Newport News, Virginia... MORE

Virginia Defense Force celebrates 35th anniversary
April 20, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Defense Force celebrated its 35th anniversary with a cake-cutting ceremony April 18, 2019, at the Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. With historical roots dating back to World War I, the modern Virginia Defense Force was formally reestablished in 1984, and Virginia General Assembly Joint Resolution 864 commends the VDF on its 35th anniversary... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers join multi-state Cyber Shield exercise
April 18, 2019 — CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. — Virginia National Guard cyber warriors joined more than 800 National Guard personnel from 40 states and territories for Cyber Shield 2019 to test their skills in response to cyber incidents along with civilians from state government agencies, federal agencies, industry partners and academia April 5-20, 2019, at Camp Atterbury, Indiana... MORE

Fort Pickett drop zone serves as location for unconventional SHARP training
April 17, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. (April 17, 2019) — Initial entry training Soldiers receive many hours of instruction on the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program. As a result, they are familiar with behaviors leading to sexual misconduct, what constitutes sexual assault and ways to report it. They also are taught how such acts affect individuals, units, missions and the Army... MORE

Virginia General Assembly Joint Resolution commends VDF on its 35th anniversary
April 17, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — With historical roots dating back to World War I, the modern Virginia Defense Force was formally reestablished April 18, 1984, and Virginia General Assembly Joint Resolution 864 commends the VDF on its 35th anniversary... MORE

Virginia National Guard commissions three new officers
April 17, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – The Virginia National Guard welcomed three new second lieutenants from Officer Candidate School Class 62A at a commissioning ceremony held April 14, 2019, at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The newly commissioned officers successfully completed the accelerated OCS program in eight weeks at Fort McClellan, Alabama... MORE

VNG leaders tackle ACFT challenge
April 17, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — More than 20 leaders from the Virginia Army National Guard accepted the challenge offered by Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Smith, the Virginia Army National Guard’s state command sergeant major, to take the new Army Combat Fitness Test April 6, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The ACFT will become the U.S. Army’s official physical fitness test of record in less than two years and the event gave leaders a chance to experience it first-hand... MORE

Medics train on new lifelike simulated patient at Fort Pickett
April 15, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Medics from across the Virginia Army National Guard trained on a state-of-the-art, lifelike mannequin designed to realistically simulate various combat wounds during a class at the New Equipment Training and New Equipment Fielding facility April 6-7, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

VNG welcomes new command senior enlisted leader
April 10, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Command Chief Master Sgt. James J. Profita took responsibility as the Virginia National Guard Command Senior Enlisted Leader from Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Ferris April 7, 2019, in a ceremony at the Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, hosted the ceremony... MORE

NGB leader visits 116th IBCT training on Army’s new personnel and pay system
April 8, 2019 — STAUNTON, Va. — Brig. Gen. Yesenia R. Roque, National Guard Assistant Director for Army National Guard Personnel and Talent Management, visited Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team April 6, 2019, to see first hand how they are training on the Army’s new personnel and pay system. The Integrated Personnel and Pay System Army, or IPPS-A, went live in Virginia April 5, and Virginia is the second state conducting initial fielding. IPPS-A is an online human resources system that will provide integrated personnel, pay and talent management capabilities in a single system to all Army components for the first time ever... MORE

Archive by Year

News Archive by Category