ARTEMUS, Ky. –
Kentucky National Guard Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry based out of London, Kentucky, conducted a patching ceremony to mark their new affiliation with the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at the Command Sgt. Maj. Harold L. Disney Training Center Oct. 15, 2017, in Artemus, Kentucky.
“On behalf of Col. Scott Smith, I welcome the 1-149th Infantry Battalion to the brigade,” said Lt. Col. Joseph DiNonno, the joint operations officer of the Virginia National Guard. “We look forward to training alongside the Mountain Warriors in the future.” DiNonno most recently served as the 116th IBCT executive officer and represented Col. Scott Smith, commander of the 116th, at the patching ceremony. Smith recently returned from the U.S. Virgin Islands where elements of the 116th were the mission command headquarters for hurricane relief operations.
The 1-149 will become the third infantry maneuver battalion for the brigade. The 116th IBCT Soldiers are part of the 29th Infantry Division, and wear the “blue and gray” patch.
“We’ve been working on this new partnership for over two years and now it is official, said Lt. Col. Eddie Simpson, 1-149th Battalion Commander. “The infantry battalion in Kentucky has a new home as part of an infantry brigade combat team which will improve our access to training and resources in preparation for whatever missions lie ahead for the Mountain Warriors.”