Virginia National Guard > News - Category Army Guard

Mother, mentors provide guiding light for engineer captain
March 28, 2024 — When Capt. Catherine Bean raised the idea of joining the military, her mother was an immediate voice of support. At the time, Bean was still in high school. She wanted to join the military, but she also wanted to attend college. With her mother’s guidance, she researched ROTC programs. Then, the two hit the road, logging hundreds of miles together as they visited universities that could offer Bean an ROTC scholarship. Eventually, Bean settled on the Army ROTC program at the University of Mississippi...

116th IBCT’s Cooper, 329th’s Bradner are VaARNG best warriors
March 22, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers representing the Staunton-based 116th infantry Brigade Combat Team and the Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group claimed top honors at the 2024 Virginia Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 14 - 17, 2024, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. ...

ARNG Soldiers from 9 states, territories conduct funeral honors training in Virginia Beach
March 19, 2024 — The Virginia Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program hosted 11 Army National Guard Soldiers from nine states and territories for a level 2 funeral honors training course Feb. 26 to March 8, 2024, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Soldiers from Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wisconsin participated in the two week-long training, which certifies instructors to teach fellow Soldiers the skills, procedures and standards for providing final respects to military veterans...

National Guard service opens doors to full-time employment for new 91B
March 19, 2024 — When Spc. Ricky Wright joined the Virginia Army National Guard alongside his twin sister, Faith, it opened up a new world of possibilities. For high school, Wright attended Dinwiddie High School, as well as Rowanty Technical Center in Carson, Virginia. At Rowanty, he picked up a plethora of automotive skills, as well as an Automotive Service Excellence certification, while he was there. Given that background, it made sense for Wright to enlist as a 91B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic...

RTI instructors conduct infantry tactics exchange in Tajikistan
March 14, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Barfoot-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute conducted an infantry tactics exchange with soldiers from the Republic of Tajikistan March 3 - 8, 2024, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. ...

Commonwealth ChalleNGe graduates Class 60
March 12, 2024 — The Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduated 68 cadets during a ceremony March 2, 2024, at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Retired Army Col. Everton E. Nevers, the Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, joined Jennifer D. Lanz, director of CCYA, and Yolanda Parker, a CCYA graduate and the guest speaker for the event, on stage to congratulate the graduates of Class 60...

529th CSSB takes responsibility for sustainment mission in Poland
March 12, 2024 — The Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion unfurled its organizational colors and took responsibility for logistics, maintenance, and supply missions from the U.S. Army Reserve’s 787th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion during a ceremony March 11, 2024, at Forward Operating Site Powidz, Poland...

Soldiers get behind the wheel during 88M MOS Transition Course
March 6, 2024 — U.S. Army Soldiers from across the nation came together to attend the 88M Motor Transport Operator Course, taught by cadre assigned to 2nd Battalion, 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The 28-day course teaches Soldiers how to safely operate some of the largest wheeled vehicles in the U.S. Army’s fleet...

VNG recognizes 7 WOCS graduates
March 6, 2024 — The Virginia Army National Guard celebrated the graduation of seven Soldiers from the 183 Regiment, Regional Training Institute’s Warrant Officer Candidate School during a ceremony held March 3, 2024, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. For the candidates, their WOCS graduation served as a culmination of years of hard work and dedication in their respective career fields. On average, the candidates had 14 years of service, an overall academic average of 94 percent and represented five branches and two states...

Governor, AG recognize outstanding performance at VNG Military Ball
February 29, 2024 — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin delivered the keynote address at the 2024 Virginia National Guard Military Ball and Gala Feb. 24, 2024, in Richmond, Virginia, and helped recognize some of the VNG’s top performers...

New VAARNG director of psychological health aims to increase awareness
February 27, 2024 — James O. Parker IV assumed the role of Virginia Army National Guard director of psychological health Feb. 26, 2024. “I am very excited to be begin my role as the new director of psychological health,” Parker said...

From Marine to Guard, a Red Dragon sniper’s journey across continents
February 26, 2024 — Staff Sgt. Joshua Johnson’s journey into the military began with a casual invitation from a friend to go “hang out” at the local U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station. His friend had just joined the Marine Corps Reserve and, at 18, Johnson didn’t even really know what a Marine was. He’d just graduated high school and said, “I wasn’t really doing anything.” When the recruiter asked if he wanted to blow stuff up, Johnson said yes, and enlisted as a combat engineer...

Army flight school grad follows in father’s footsteps
February 20, 2024 — When Warrant Officer Paul D. Kelly walked across the stage and graduated flight school Feb.8, 2024, his silver wings were not the only thing he took away with him. Also in his tool kit is a sense of connection he found among those who knew and flew with his late father, Col. Paul M. Kelly, a senior Army aviator who served at the National Guard Bureau and Department of the Army Staff levels, who was killed in action when the warrant officer was only nine years old...

529th CSSB validated, ready for mission in Poland
February 20, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion have been validated for their upcoming federal active duty mission to Poland after conducting a collective training exercise Feb. 12-16, 2024, at Fort Cavazos, Texas.“We received some terrific training over the past few weeks from our...

VNG WOCs hit milestones, hurtle toward graduation
February 14, 2024 — The seven Soldiers currently enrolled in the Virginia Army National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School are nearly through with their transition from noncommissioned officers to fully-fledged warrant officers. Over their most recent drill weekend, held Feb. 2-4, 2024, the candidates tackled their community project at the Chesterfield Food Bank and Outreach Center, took their capstone academic assessment, and presented their class song and sign to their battalion commander...

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