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Red Dragons host 10-Miler while deployed in the Middle East
November 22, 2016 — Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team held a shadow run of the Genworth Virginia 10-Miler Nov. 19, 2016, at their federal active duty location in Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. The battalion, also known as the Red Dragons, mobilized in May to conduct security operations...

183rd RTI earns “Institute of Excellence” status from TRADOC evaluation
November 15, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute has been awarded “Institute of Excellence” status by U. S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and evaluated as full accredited, according to a memorandum dated Nov. 9, 2016, from Gen. David G. Perkins, commander of TRADOC...

MET Life: A day in the life of the 116th MET
November 14, 2016 — For the members of the 116th Military Engagement Team, the days are often varied. While teams in both Jordan and Kuwait are running missions at an almost continuous pace, the look of those engagements – and the days of the Soldiers completing them – is different...

29th ID Soldiers build tent structure for training exercise
November 13, 2016 — The art of war is complex, and involves thinking one step ahead of the adversary. That’s why deploying Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division recently banded together to build a complex, self-sustaining, expeditionary platform, called the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter, commonly referred to as “DRASH,” as part of an upcoming certification exercise...

Final field artillery live fire marks start of transformation
November 13, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard’s Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted one final live-fire exercise with their M119A2 howitzers Nov. 5, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, beginning the transformation of the field artillery battalion. Over the next 12 months, the battalion will transform into a larger, more robust composite field artillery battalion...

Governor recognizes Va. Guard’s federal service on Veterans Day
November 12, 2016 — Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe ceremonially presented the Governor’s National Service Medal to Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen representing units that served on federal active duty in the Middle East and Cuba conducting combat operations and security support. The presentation took place after the Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony Nov. 11, 2016, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia...

Sec. Moran presents Governor’s Medal to MPs
November 8, 2016 — Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran presented the Governor’s National Service Medal to Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based Delta Platoon, 229th Military Police Company, 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group Nov. 6, 2016, in Hampton, Virginia. The platoon of approximately 30 Soldiers served on federal active duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from November 2015 to August 2016 where they conducted security operations in support of Joint Task Force Guantanamo...

VDF exercise tests commo systems, response capabilities
November 7, 2016 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force tested multiple communications systems and response capabilities Nov. 5, 2016, in Lynchburg, Virginia, during Forward Guardian 2017, a multi-state, multi-agency communication exercise. VDF troops deployed to locations across the state to operate multiple systems and response capabilities including high frequency radio, Statewide Agencies Radio System, incident management assistance and operation of Mobile Communications Platform trailers...

Va. Guard hosts military funeral honors training at Camp Pendleton
November 6, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard hosted a two-week military funeral honors training course designed to certify instructors to teach fellow Soldiers the skills, procedures and standards for providing final respects to Army veterans, and the final test of the full honors sequence was held Nov. 3, 2016, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with a graduation ceremony held the following day...

34th CST evaluated as fully trained and mission capable
November 2, 2016 — Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett-based 34th Civil Support Team were evaluated as fully trained on 12 essential collective tasks after conducting a Training Proficiency Evaluation Oct. 26, 2016, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The mission of the 34th CST is to support civil authorities in a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident, and the evaluated tasks included deploying the team, establishing communications and medical support, conducting survey, technical decontamination and analytical functions as well as conducting interagency coordination...

29th Infantry Division departs for federal active duty
November 1, 2016 — Virginia and Maryland government officials and national and state military leaders joined family, friends and fellow Soldiers in sending off the 29th Infantry Division as they departed for federal active duty Oct. 30, 2016, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. More than 450 Virginia and Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 29th are mobilizing for duty in the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield, and this will be the largest number of troops they have led since World War II...

Virginia Beach-based Va. Guard Airmen return from federal duty in Southwest Asia
October 26, 2016 — More than 120 Virginia Air National Guard engineers reunited with friends and family Oct. 26, 2016, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach after serving on federal active duty in Southwest Asia since March. Leaders from state government and the Virginia National Guard were also on hand to thank the Airmen for the service and welcome them home. Airmen assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, or RED HORSE, completed 35 projects at 11 different locations in seven countries in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve...

Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division to mobilize on federal active duty
October 19, 2016 — More than 450 Virginia and Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division are mobilizing for federal active duty in the Middle East and will conduct a departure ceremony at 11 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2016, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The 29th ID is mobilizing to provide mission command for more than 18,000 United States Army Central/Third Army Soldiers supporting Operation Spartan Shield and theater security cooperation in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. This will be the largest number of troops the 29th ID has led since World War II. If needed, the 29th ID would be prepared to conduct contingency operations and command forces to respond to any threats in the CENTCOM area of responsibility...

Fredericksburg Guard battalion returns to engineer roots
October 16, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard’s Fredericksburg-based 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion returned to its engineer roots with a ceremony to mark its transformation to the 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion Oct. 15, 2016, at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia. The transformation is part of the U. S. Army’s reorganization of brigade combat teams to provide more engineer capabilities...

Va. Guard supports state response to Hurricane Matthew
October 12, 2016 — More than 160 Virginia National Guard Soldiers served on state active duty to assist with the multi-agency state response to Hurricane Matthew Oct. 9-10, 2016, in the Hampton Roads area. Soldiers driving Humvees and light/medium tactical trucks provided high water transportation and were also organized into teams with chain saws to help clear debris and open roads blocked by fallen trees...

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