RICHMOND, Va. — Chaplains from the Virginia Army National Guard and Virginia Defense Force recognized the retirement of Lt. Col. (Va.) David C. Lagerveld, the VDF’s senior chaplain, and the ongoing partnership with VDF chaplains providing support at Fort Pickett during a lunch held in October in the Richmond area.
“We are grateful for Chaplain Lagerveld’s efforts that brought about the organizational transformation of the Virginia Defense Force Chaplain Corps and for the professional relationship he diligently fostered with the Virginia Army National Guard and its Chaplain Corps,” said Maj. Brett Johnson, the VaARNG’s full-time support chaplain. “Chaplain Lagerveld leaves the VDF Chaplain Corps as a highly respected leader and will be greatly missed. His legacy of spiritual and organizational leadership will continue to impact the VDF Chaplain Corps for decades to come.”
VDF chaplains helped provide religious support to units training at Fort Pickett all through the summer.
“Under the expert leadership of Chaplain Lagerveld, the VDF Chaplain Corps provided stellar religious support to Soldiers of the Virginia Army National Guard during Annual Training 2020,” said Capt. Will Cochrane, the Fort Pickett chaplain as well serving as chaplain for the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
In collaboration with Virginia Army National Guard Unit Ministry Teams chaplains and religious affairs specialists, the VDF Chaplain Corps joined forces in order to provide ministry of presence and religious services to service members at Fort Pickett’s Bulla Chapel during the 2020 AT season, Cochrane explained.
The VDF Chaplain Corps’ religious support to service members included chapel services at the Bulla Chapel, field expedient religious services at MTC-Fort Pickett ranges, preaching on spiritual resilience, sacred communication, as well as communion, prayer and encouragement,” Cochrane said. “The services they provided to Soldiers were very impactful and the collaboration they offered to the Virginia Army National Guard Chaplain Corps was greatly appreciated.”
The Chaplains of the VDF Chaplain Corps are credentialed, endorsed, and experienced religious support professionals, and they provide vital ministry to the VDF and VaARNG.
“Their professionalism and level of credentialing, besides being directly attributed to each individual chaplain, is also due to the outstanding leadership and vision of recently-retired Chaplain Lagerveld,” Cochrane said.