RICHMOND Va. –
After nearly seven months of implementation, the Virginia Army National Guard’s First Formation program has welcomed hundreds of Soldiers into the force, providing a structured introduction for those newly assigned or recently transferred into the organization. Held monthly at Defense Supply Center Richmond, First Formation provides in-processing support, connects Soldiers with unit representatives, and ensures their administrative and equipment needs are in place from day one. Since the first iteration, ongoing refinements to the process have improved efficiency and overall execution.
“The first time we did it, we had 25 Soldiers and it took us about seven hours to get through it. The second time we did it with 25 Soldiers, we did it in under four hours,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Hawley, command sergeant major for the Virginia Army National Guard. “Now, we’re doing it with 40 to 50 Soldiers each time and we’re averaging about four hours.”
First implemented in November, the program initially focused only on those Soldiers newly returned from their initial training. Then, in March, it grew to include Soldiers transferring into the Virginia Army National Guard from other states or components.
“We wanted to bring them in and give them the warm welcome like we did with the new Soldiers,” Hawley said.
Regardless of time in service, First Formation ensures every Soldier leaves the event with all pay and administrative issues resolved, the equipment required to do their job, contact information for their unit and the proper patch on their sleeve.
Since the start of the program, one large success has been the discovery and correction of a significant pay issue affecting new Soldiers. Many were continuing to receive pay after the completion of their training, some for just for a day, and others for several weeks or longer. Now, staff within the Recruiting and Retention Battalion proactively identifies the graduation date for incoming trainees and pushes corrections or changes to their orders to the appropriate staff sections to ensure Soldiers don’t return home and immediately begin to accumulate a debt.
In addition to helping Soldiers achieve success and hit the ground running, Hawley said it also takes an additional burden off the desks of readiness noncommissioned officers around the state. Previously, each newcomer would take precious time to in-process and equip individually. With First Formation, it happens collectively, with Soldiers from all across the state accomplishing these initial tasks together.
“We took that all off their plate and said, ‘we’re giving you a Soldier with their pay fixed, with their admin stuff checked, and they have their kit,’” Hawley explained.
When Soldiers arrive at First Formation, they receive briefings from subject matter experts highlighting available benefits, options for full-time employment, and information on how to contact a chaplain or Family Programs, among other resources. From there, they work through stations to verify their pay is correct, resolve any administrative issues, and receive their initial equipment issue.
Finally, just before lunch, Soldiers are organized into tidy ranks based on their unit and welcomed to the force by one of the organization’s senior leaders. Each Soldier is then affixed with their first unit patch by a unit representative, marking their formal entry into the Virginia Army National Guard.
“The patching ceremony is physical marker that says, ‘hey, you’re one of us now,” Hawley said.
In the future, Hawley said he’d like to see the program expand to Soldiers on the other end of their career, those either contemplating leaving the Virginia National Guard or approaching retirement.
“There’s a lot of room for growth here,” Hawley said. “We just need to put some thought and resources into it.”
First Formation takes place each month at the Virginia National Guard’s Sgt. Bob Slaughter Headquarters and nearby facilities located at Defense Supply Center Richmond. Typically, 40–50 Soldiers participate in the event from units all over the state.