Virginia National Guard

Red Dragons recognized for federal duty, training excellence
May 21, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team received the Governor’s National Service Medal May 21, 2017, in Roanoke, Virginia, in recognition of their federal active duty service conducting security operations in Qatar from May 2016 to April 2017. The battalion and several companies also were recognized with national- and state-level training readiness awards... MORE

1030th Soldiers operate trailer transfer point in Gate City during annual training
May 16, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Gate City-based 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group operated a trailer transfer point May 16, 2017, in Gate City as part of their two weeks of annual training. The TTP is part of a transportation mission that provides the Soldiers with real-world training and saves the Army money by using Guard resources to move containers, and it also simulates the kind of operation the Soldiers would conduct if they were providing logistics support overseas in a federal active duty status... MORE

29th ID, Kuwaiti leaders meet to build partnership
May 12, 2017 — Brig. Gen. John Epperly, Deputy Commander of Task Force Spartan, recently met with Kuwaiti Major General, Khalid Saleh Al Sabah at the Kuwaiti Land Forces Headquarters here. Air Force Brigadier General David San Clemente, Office of Military Cooperation, joined the two Army officers as they discussed matters of mutual interest including security cooperation, equipment, and upcoming exercises... MORE

Cake cutting ceremony recognizes 410th birthday of Va. National Guard, Jamestown
May 12, 2017 — A cake cutting ceremony to recognize the 410th birthday of the Virginia National Guard and Jamestown was held May 12, 2017, Sandston, Virginia. The Virginia Guard traces the heritage and traditions of Citizen-Soldier and Citizen-Airmen service to the founding of Jamestown when Capt. John Smith organized the colonists for defense. Since the colony’s founding on May 14, 1607, there has not been a day since without a military presence in Virginia to defend freedom at home and overseas... MORE

Va. Guard team among finishers at Best Sapper Competition
May 10, 2017 — Since January, two Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Sgt. Nicholas Shidlovsky and 2nd Lt. Gregory Gerlach, have worked together nearly every day to train for the Best Sapper Competition, held at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, April 23-28, 2017. Going in, the two were confident, ready and exceptionally motivated. At the competition, they survived the grueling match that pushed them through lakes, over mountains, out of helicopters and over countless obstacles to become one of just 20 teams to finish a competition that 48 teams started... MORE

Ceremony marks consolidation of two MP companies
May 7, 2017 — Former commanders of the Virginia National Guard’s 266th Military Police Company helped retire the unit guidon during a ceremony consolidating the 266th with the 229th Military Police Company May 6, 2007, Manassas, Virginia. The ceremony also marked the change of command from Capt. Steven Gallo to Capt. Matthew Negard and the transfer of the 229th MP Company from the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group to the 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th RSG... MORE

Sandston-based aviation units return to Va. from federal duty
May 4, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers serving in two Sandston-based aviation units returned to Virginia in late April and early May 2017 after serving on federal active duty since June 2016. Approximately 40 Soldiers each assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, and Detachment 2, Company B, 777th Aviation Support Battalion provided rotary wing aviation and aviation maintenance support to the U. S. Central Command area of operations. Soldiers returned to Virginia in small groups to airports closest to their home of record to reunite with their families and loved ones. A more formal recognition for the units will take place in the coming months... MORE

Va. Guard hosts Unity Day event to recognize diversity
May 1, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and senior leaders joined members of the Virginia Defense Force April 26, 2017, for Unity Day, hosted by the Virginia National Guard’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and Equal Opportunity Office at the Mullins Readiness Center in Sandston, Virginia. The event, in its inaugural year, aimed to recognize and celebrate the diversity of the Soldiers, Airmen, civilians and VDF members who make up the Virginia National Guard... MORE

Top Va. Guard units recognized at inaugural Virginia Military Ball
April 30, 2017 — Virginia Army and Air National Units were recognized for exceeding standards for readiness at the state and national level and for outstanding mission accomplishment at the inaugural Virginia Military Ball held April 29, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia. Retired Army Col. Roger Donlon, the first person to receive the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, served as the guest speaker and shared his experiences and personal stories of Soldiers he served with in Vietnam... MORE

Virginia Guard OCS commissions new officers
April 27, 2017 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Class 60A was dressed to impress at their graduation and commissioning ceremony April 22, 2017, in the auditorium of Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute... MORE

Va. WOCS candidates earn top honors in final training phase
April 19, 2017 — After completing a three-phase program to become warrant officers, 10 Soldiers from Virginia stood amongst more than 70 of their peers April 8, 2017, in a ceremony to mark their successful completion of Warrant Officer Candidate School. The ceremony was held at the Alabama Military Academy at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Among the nine graduates from Virginia, most of whom serve in the Virginia National Guard, one was named distinguished honor graduate, two placed on the commandants list and one earned top marks for her physical fitness prowess... MORE

Cavalry Soldiers splash through water operations training
April 14, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted Army Combat Water Survival Training and combat rubber raiding craft familiarization April 8-9, 2017, at Virginia Beach, Virginia. The drill weekend focused on individual training tasks and small boat operations... MORE

Rappel masters help ChalleNGe cadets overcome fears
April 11, 2017 — Rappel masters of the Fort Pickett-based 1st Battalion, 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute helped candidates from the Commonwealth ChalleNGe rappel down a 40-foot tower April 8, 2017, at Fort Story, Virginia... MORE

29th Division Band supports Yorktown museum opening
April 3, 2017 — Soldiers of the 29th Division Band provided ceremonial detail for the dedication ceremony of the American Revolution Museum April 1, 2017, in Yorktown, Virginia. The Virginia National Guard Soldiers, along with Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, were on hand to celebrate the recently-opened museum. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Col. Thierry Casanova, representing the embassy of France to the United States, were among the many distinguished guests at the historic event... MORE

Final groups from Lynchburg-based infantry battalion return to Va. after federal duty
April 2, 2017 — The final groups of Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Red Dragons, returned to Virginia April 1, 2017, after serving on federal active duty since May 2016 conducting security operations in Qatar. Approximately 450 Soldiers mobilized for the mission from the battalion headquarters in Lynchburg and units in Bedford, Lexington and Christiansburg. The first groups of Soldiers from the unit returned to Virginia March 25... MORE

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