VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia –
Retired Col. Everton E. Nevers, the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief of Staff, and Lt. Col. Emily Huffman, the State Military Reservation commander, recognized DMA state employees and thanked them for their service during a luncheon June 16, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
During the event, they presented SMR state employees with awards for years of service anniversaries and agency-wide awards.
“SMR's fulltime state employees are the backbone of this installation,” Huffman said. “You may not always feel appreciated or heard, but please know that we do appreciate all that you do, each and every day.”
The installation, originally founded as the state rifle range prior to World War I, is home to several different units and organizations, including the Virginia Air National Guard’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Wing, as well as the Virginia Army National Guard’s 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. It is also home to elements within the 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, the 429th Brigade Support Battalion and the 1030th Transportation Battalion, in addition to other detachments and programs.
SMR has been the home to the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy, the Virginia component of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, for 30 years. The mission of CCYA is to intervene in the lives of teens by providing a five-and-a-half-month quasi-military residential program that focuses on eight core components (academics, leadership, community service, responsible citizenship, physical fitness, health, life coping and career skills) and provides community and career support for two years following graduation.
SMR also serves as a vital training installation, not just for the Virginia National Guard, but for personnel from all four branches of the military, both active duty and reserve, local and state first responders and a variety of community organizations.
The following awards and recognitions were presented during the luncheon:
Service Awards: 25 Years of Service- Scott Temple
Agency-wide Awards: Innovation Award- Corina Cason