RICHMOND, Va. –
Approximately 150 Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Hanover-based 229th Military Police Company mark the start of their federal active duty mobilization to the U.S. Central Command area of operations with a departure ceremony May 28, 2025, in Richmond, Virginia. Family, friends, fellow Soldiers and civilian and military leaders joined the event and watched the company command team furl the unit guidon to signify the official start of their deployment. The guidon will be unfurled when they officially take responsibility for the mission.
Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Brig. Gen. Tanya S. McGonegal, Commander of Joint Task Force Civil Support and former 229th MP commander, all delivered remarks thanking the Soldiers for their service and loved ones for their support.
“You have been asked again to get ready to deploy, and you have shown up,” Crenshaw said. “On behalf of the governor, thank you. Thank you to the families. That’s the beauty of being part of this organization, part of the military. It’s not just you who serve, it is your family who serves. We support that no matter where you go.”
He said knows the Soldiers will conduct their mission with pride and enthusiasm, and he knows they will do great things.
“You all are why we are here today,” Ring said after asking the mobilizing Soldiers to stand and be recognized. “You are part of a Virginia tradition that predates our United States Army. How proud it is for us as Virginians that we date all the way back to May 14, 1607, and the founding of Jamestown. There has never been a time in this great commonwealth and nation that our Citizen-Soldiers haven’t been serving on behalf of the common security and principles and freedom of our society.”
Ring also asked family members and loved ones to stand and be recognized, thanked them for their support and reminded them of the resources available from the National Guard as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“Thank you for your service,” Ring told the Soldiers and their loved ones. “We can’t uphold freedom and democracy without the willing service of each and every one of you.”
McGonegal served in the 229th from June 1999 to August 2006, right after graduating Virginia State Officer Candidate school.
“As a former member and commander of the 229th, I can attest to their unwavering commitment to excellence and their enduring sense of duty,” she said. “I attribute much of my success today to what I learned early in my career as part of the 229th.”
During the seven years she served with the 229th, the Soldiers conducted an overseas training rotation for three weeks in Vicenza, Italy in 2000, deployed to multiple locations in the U.S. in support of Operation Noble Eagle from 2001 to 2002, deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and responded to Hurricane Katrina in support of civil authorities in 2005.
“From providing security for convoys and bases, VIP escorts, detainee operations, to conducting law enforcement operations and training foreign military forces, these Soldiers have consistently demonstrated their professionalism, courage, and dedication to the mission,” McGonegal said. “They have faced danger and adversity with courage and resilience, always putting the needs of their fellow Soldiers and the mission above their own.”
She said she has no doubt that the 229th Military Police Company will continue to uphold the highest standards of military service.
“They are the best of the best, and I have full confidence in their ability to accomplish whatever task they are given with professionalism and excellence,” she said.
McGonegal thanked the Soldiers and families for their service, sacrifice and dedication to our country. She also shared three deployment lessons learned over her career to serve as a guide to help their success.
First, she encouraged officer and NCO leaders to set the example and instill the Army and Military Police Corps values. Second, she stressed the importance of stay on top of administrative documents and pay status with the change from National Guard status to active duty. Third, she encouraged Soldiers and families to have a communication plan for keeping in touch through the deployment.
“I am filled with pride and gratitude for all that you have accomplished and continue to achieve,” McGonegal said. “You are true heroes, and I am honored to serve with every one of you.”
The 29th Infantry Division Band provided music for the event, and members of the Virginia Defense Force volunteered their time to assist with parking.
The 229th Military Police Company last served on federal active duty in Iraq from August 2009 to July 2010. Read about their departure ceremony at
https://vngpao.info/ymmb77ex and their return to Virginia at
https://vngpao.info/5n6w87f9.
A platoon of 229th Soldiers served on federal active duty in Cuba from November 2015 to September 2016. Read about their return to Virginia at
https://vngpao.info/2p93t7ds.
In addition to their federal active duty service, 229th Soldiers supported security operations in Charlottesville in August 2017, at the 58th Presidential Inauguration in January 2021 and during Operation Allies Welcome at Fort Barfoot from August 2021 to February 2022. They have also shared their expertise with checkpoint security operations during exchanges with the Republic of Tajikistan in February 2024 and April 2023.
The 229th is the VNG’s only military police company after it was consolidated with the 266th MP Company in May 2017. Read more at
https://vngpao.info/2p9erj7u.
The United States Central Command is responsible for defending and promoting U.S. interests in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and the strategic waterways surrounding them. This area, known as the Area of Responsibility, encompasses approximately 20 nations, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and many others.
~ Photos the May 30 load out on Flickr at
https://vngpao.info/2vy7yj5s
~ Photos from the May 29 departure ceremony on Flickr at
https://vngpao.info/4xwtzk5k