Virginia National Guard

VNG recruiter gives back to area high schools
November 2, 2021 — Staff Sgt. Matthew Riley’s hometown roots rest in Abingdon, Virginia, a small town located in the southwest corner of the state. In high school, he was active in athletics, playing on both the football and wrestling teams at Abingdon High School, and he wrestled in college too, at King University, in Bristol, Tennessee. Funding his college dreams was part of what led him to join the National Guard, along with a strong desire to serve his country and community. ... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard recruiters pose in front of a tunnel at Patrick Henry High School in Glade Spring, Virginia. Staff Sgt. Matthew Riley, center, coaches at the school and helped fund the tunnel by donating his full salary back to the school. (Courtesy photo)

TF Spartan, 29th ID stand up TF Freedom, move 5,000 Afghans through Kuwait
November 2, 2021 — On a particularly hazy mid-September day in Kuwait, Maj. Gen. John Rhodes, commanding general of Task Force Spartan and the National Guard’s Virginia-based 29th Infantry Division, stood near a camp on a military base in Kuwait. Empty tents lined the desert in front of him. This was his Soldiers’ doing. ... MORE

VNG aviators train fire-fighting skills before KFOR deployment
October 19, 2021 — With an upcoming deployment to Kosovo, Virginia Army National Guard flight crews took to the skies of Chesterfield, Virginia, to certify their ability to fight fires with massive water buckets Oct. 12, 2021. The buckets are capable of picking up and hauling nearly 6,000 pounds of water, which can then be flown to the site of a wildfire and dropped to assist with fire-fighting efforts on the ground. ... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard flight crews conduct water bucket training with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Oct. 12, 2021, at a training area in Chesterfield, Virginia. Aviation assets can support fire-fighting efforts with the use of water buckets, which require periodic training for flight crews in order to ensure equipment proficiency. These Soldiers are scheduled to deploy to Kosovo with the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division in early 2022, where fire-fighting capabilities may be needed. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

Named after Gen. Colin Powell, a VNG Soldier mourns his passing
October 19, 2021 — The young medic who bears a general’s name was just wrapping up his day when news broke that the man for whom he was named had died. His first thought was that life was too short. His second thought was of the general’s life, which had meant so much to so many around the world that the medic’s grandfather named him “CollinPowell” the day he was born in Cameroon... MORE

Spc. Collinpowell Ebai, a Virginia Army National Guard medic Soldier currently deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield with the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, demonstrates the proper casualty evaluation techniques during a training event.

Born in Cameroon, Ebai was named after Gen. Colin Powell, who died Oct. 18. (Courtesy photo)

Governor's certificate recognizes VNG, VDF COVID-19 response support
October 15, 2021 — A Certificate of Recognition signed by Governor Ralph Northam recognizes the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force support to Virginia's COVID-19 response... MORE

Virginia Army Guard pilot continues family’s aeronautical legacy
October 15, 2021 — When Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darrell Busquets joined the military, it was an enlisted engineer. Since then, he’s trained as an infantryman, deployed as a combat engineer, and earned his wings as an Army aviator. Today, he’s the battalion standardization pilot for the Virginia National Guard’s Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. ... MORE

Phillips receives Governor’s Honor Award for Creative Customer Service
October 6, 2021 — Todd Phillips, Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett deputy chief of Plans, Training and Security, received the Virginia Governor’s Honor Award for Creative Customer Service Sept. 28, 2021, at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

Recruiter celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with flavors from home
October 6, 2021 — When Hispanic Heritage Month comes around, Staff Sgt. Damian Montaño thinks of his childhood home, his family and all the things they’ve shared together. Originally from New Mexico, Montaño, a recruiter for the Virginia Army National Guard, now calls Virginia Beach, Virginia, his home. ... MORE

Staff Sgt. Montaño assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion poses Sept. 18, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. During National Hispanic Month, Montano says he thinks of his childhood home, his family and all the things they shared together. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lisa M. Sadler)

Virginia National Guard welcomes 17 new OCS graduates
October 5, 2021 — The Virginia Army National Guard celebrated the graduation of 17 officer candidates from Officer Candidate School Class 63 and 64B Sept. 19, 2021, at a ceremony held at the Virginia National Guard Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. ... MORE

Seventeen Virginia Army National Guard officer candidates celebrate their graduation from Officer Candidate School Sept. 19, 2021, at a ceremony held at the Virginia National Guard Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. Of the 17 graduates, 13 accepted their commissions, took their oath of office, and pinned on their lieutenant bars. Alumi from previous OCS classes participated in a presentation of a historic guidon from OCS Class 11 and the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music for the occasion. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lisa M. Sadler)

Ceremony introduces new Virginia National Guard HQs shoulder patch
September 30, 2021 — The Virginia National Guard introduced a new shoulder patch for the Joint Force Headquarters during a ceremony Sept. 30, 2021, at Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. The new insignia was authorized Sept. 21 by the Department of the Army Institute of Heraldry and has been revised to remove colors and design elements referring to the Confederacy... MORE

Army National Guard Recruiters support Lynchburg 9/11 event
September 21, 2021 — Virginia Army National Guard recruiters participated in Lynchburg’s 3rd Annual Heroes Day, a joint recruiting and awareness event for first responders held September 11, 2021, at River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg, Virginia. The event included personnel from Lynchburg, Amherst, Bedford and Campbell Counties, as well as Virginia State Police. ... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard recruiters participate in the 3rd annual Heroes Day, a joint recruiting and awareness event for first responders September 11, 2021, at River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg, Virginia. The event included personnel from Lynchburg, Amherst, Bedford and Campbell Counties, as well as Virginia State Police. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Ben Melin)

World Trade Center elevator pulley dedicated at VNG 9/11 remembrance ceremony
September 20, 2021 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and guests gathered to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and dedicate a World Trade Center elevator pulley for historical display Sept. 11, 2021, at the VNG Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. ... MORE

VNG officer graduates from Spanish-immersive ILE, assumes post in Colombia
September 13, 2021 — A Virginia National Guard officer has taken up a unique post in South America after graduating from the Spanish-immersive Command and General Staff College course at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in Fort Benning, Georgia. ... MORE

VNG officer graduates from Spanish-immersive ILE, assumes post in Columbia

Richmond native named honor graduate, Equal Opportunity Leader
September 13, 2021 — On her first deployment to Kuwait with the 29th Infantry Division in support of Operation Spartan Shield, Spc. Shenika Marable wistfully wished to be an equal opportunity leader (EOL) for the unit. Army regulations that required an EOL be a sergeant-promotable or higher rank dashed her hopes... MORE

29th ID mother, son deployed together
September 11, 2021 — When deployed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sandra Williams misses her son, Alex, she doesn’t have to do math to figure out what time it is where he is located before calling him. Because they are deployed together in support of Operation Spartan Shield, the mother-son combo not only share the same moon – they share the same time zone... MORE

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