Virginia National Guard

Flora to succeed Mercer as Assistant Adjutant General – Army
June 27, 2018 — Brig. Gen. Lapthe C. Flora will succeed Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer as the Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General – Army, according to an announcement made June 18, 2018, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. Flora currently serves as Assistant Adjutant General for Army Strategic Initiatives and will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Paul F. Griffin. Mercer will retire after more than 35 years of military service, but he will continue to serve as the Chief Operating Officer for the Virginia Department of Military Affairs. A transfer of responsibility ceremony between Flora and Mercer is scheduled for July 14... MORE

Virginia Guard hosts NGB GIS training course
June 27, 2018 — The Virginia National Guard hosted more than two dozen National Guard Airmen, Soldiers and civilians from more than six states and territories for geographic information system training June 11-15, 2018, at Camp Pendleton State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia... MORE

Virginia Soldiers, Airmen awarded for marksmanship excellence
June 27, 2018 — Sixty-four Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen participated in this year’s Adjutant General’s State Pistol Match, held June 22-24, 2018, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The event, hosted by the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, had shooters split into 16 teams of four to test their marksmanship skills against some of the best shooters in the state and the nation. On Sunday, the top shooters gathered at the RTI for an awards ceremony that recognized the year’s top team and individual competitors... MORE

Hubbard takes command of 183rd RTI
June 26, 2018 — Col. Todd Hubbard took command of the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute from Col. James A. Zollar June 24, 2018, in a traditional change of command ceremony held at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, Assistant Adjutant General – Army for the Virginia National Guard, presided over the guidon exchange that signified the transfer of command from Zollar to Hubbard... MORE

Governor signs DMV drivers license veteran indicator bill
June 18, 2018 — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ceremonially signed House Bill 737 June 26, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia, authorizing the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver’s licenses, permits and identification cards displaying an indicator signifying that the holder is a veteran. Applicants must provide proof of veteran status. Delegate John J. McGuire introduced the bill, and it passed both houses of the General Assembly unanimously during the 2918 session... MORE

Parrott assumes command of 276th Engineers at Fort Pickett ceremony
June 14, 2018 — Maj. Demetrius Parrott took command of the Virginia National Guard’s Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group from Lt. Col. Christopher S. Dunn in a change of command ceremony June 9, 2018, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Col. Weedon Gallagher, the 329th RSG commander, presided over the exchange of unit colors that represented the transfer of command from Dunn to Parrott... MORE

Command Post Exercise provides 529th CSSB Soldiers with valuable training
June 12, 2018 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, conducted a Command Post Exercise May 5-18, 2018, during annual training at Camp Dodge, Iowa... MORE

DiNonno takes command of 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
June 10, 2018 — Lt. Col. Joseph DiNonno took command of the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Col. Scott Smith, in a traditional change of command ceremony June 10, 2018, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. John Epperly, commander of the 29th Infantry Division, presided over the exchange of unit colors that symbolized the transfer of command from Smith to DiNonno... MORE

Ceremonies honor D-Day service, sacrifice on 74th anniversary
June 8, 2018 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers in France and Virginia recognized the 74th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy June 6, 2018, at events that honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice on D-Day and celebrated those who continued the fight that led to end of World War II. Senior leaders represented the VNG at ceremonies where they placed wreathes on memorials to the fallen, and the Troutville-based 29th Division Band provided ceremonial music at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia... MORE

Virginia National Guard Lakota helicopter and crew depart for Southwest Border support
June 7, 2018 — A Virginia National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter with aviation crew departed June 4, 2018, to provide aerial detection and monitoring support for the Arizona National Guard’s mission to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on the Southwest Border. The mission is scheduled to last approximately 90 days and could be extended... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldier charged by Virginia State Police
June 6, 2018 — The Virginia State Police arrested Virginia National Guard Soldier Joshua Philip Yabut, 29, of Richmond, Virginia, for Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, and charged him with one felony count of eluding police and one felony count of unauthorized use of a vehicle. The charges come after he drove an M577 armored personnel carrier June 5, 2018, from Fort Pickett near Blackstone, Virginia, to Richmond, Virginia, where he stopped and surrendered to Virginia State Police. The incident remains under investigation by the VSP. He is being held in the Richmond City Jail... MORE

Training. Weight lifting. Ruck marching. How one Virginia National Guard soldier overcomes challenges, becomes runner-up in Best Warrior Competition
June 5, 2018 — Spc. Johnathan T. Koke used the experience he gained during the 2016 Virginia National Guard Best Warrior Competition to better prepare for the 2018 event. Koke is a member of the Gate City-based 1032nd Transportation Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group and finished as the runner-up for this year’s Best Warrior Competition, a three-day event held in late February... MORE

How one Virginia National Guard soldier overcomes challenges, becomes runner-up in Best Warrior Competition

Bissell promoted to brigadier general, will command NATO headquarters in Sarajevo
June 4, 2018 — Col. Marti J. Bissell was promoted to brigadier general June 1, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia, and she will serve as the Commander and Senior Military Representative at North Atlantic Treaty Organization Headquarters, Sarajevo. A transfer of authority ceremony is scheduled for July 9. Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, the Chief of National Guard Bureau, officiated the promotion ceremony, and Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, administered the oath of office... MORE

DMA personnel complete Black Belt training
June 4, 2018 — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presented certificates to 12 Virginia Department of Military Affairs personnel who completed Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training May 18, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia. Along with 13 personnel who completed Green Belt training in March, this cadre of LSS practitioners will go to work looking at ways to improve efficiencies, reduce waste and increase readiness across the Virginia National Guard. LSS is a scientific method used for identifying waste and driving out variation in business processes. Four personnel from outside Virginia also completed the training... MORE

Virginia warrant officers take top honors at final WOCS phase
June 3, 2018 — The third and final phase of reserve component Warrant Officer Candidate School brings together National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve candidates from across the nation for two weeks of training. In April, Virginia’s candidates joined 40 of their peers at Fort McClellan in Alabama where they distinguished themselves as some of the best in the nation. On April 21, 2018, all eight of the warrant officer candidates enrolled in Class 18-001 of the Virginia National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School graduated WOCS and became warrant officers. In May, the eight returned to the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute and were recognized for their outstanding success at WOCS. ... MORE

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