Virginia National Guard

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

Four officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia Guard's Officer Candidate School receive their commissions April 22, 2017, at Fort Pickett's 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers and leaders. The candidates heard remarks from Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Assistant Adjutant General of Virginia, before taking their oath of office, affixing their new rank and receiving their first salute as lieutenants from a member of the enlisted ranks. The candidates completed an eight-week National Guard Bureau Accelerated OCS program at Fort McClellan, Alabama which began in February. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Amanda H. Johnson)

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

Final groups of Red Dragons return from federal duty

Flora presents lecture on importance of diversity in the military
March 31, 2017 — Brig. Gen. Lapthe Flora, Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General for Strategic Initiatives, presented a lecture on the topic “Diversity as a Force Multiplier in the Military” March 29, 2017, at the Bedford Welcome Center in Bedford, Virginia. The event was the first of the World War I speakers series sponsored by the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission in partnership with the Virginia National Guard... MORE

Rose selected as Chief of General Officer Management at National Guard Bureau
March 31, 2017 — Col. Michelle Rose of the Virginia National Guard has been selected to serve as Chief of General Officer Management at National Guard Bureau, according to an announcement made March 30, 2017, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. The assignment is a two-year active duty tour at National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia... MORE

Vietnam veterans recognized by Congressman Goodlatte in Staunton ceremony
March 30, 2017 — More than 100 Vietnam veterans filed onto the drill floor of the Thomas D. Howie Memorial Readiness Center March 30, 2017, for a Vietnam Veterans Commemoration Ceremony. The event, hosted by Congressman Bob Goodlatte in Staunton, Virginia, included several helping hands from the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Soldiers of the unit not only provided a color guard and other support to the ceremony, but several Soldiers were on hand to welcome and usher in the Vietnam veterans to their readiness center and to personally thank them for their service... MORE

Sec. Moran recognizes Va. Guard federal active duty service
March 29, 2017 — Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran presented the Governor’s National Service Medal to Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 29th Infantry Division March 19, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia. The medals recognized the Soldiers who served in specialized teams on federal active duty overseas. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, was also on hand to recognize the Soldiers and present his challenge coin to Soldiers for outstanding duty performance. Both Moran and Williams also thanked family members for their outstanding support during the deployment... MORE

Digging more than a foxhole at Fort Pickett
March 25, 2017 — Atop a green pasture spotted with wandering cattle at the junction of the Nottoway and Little Nottoway rivers, a team of archaeologists studied the soil of four trenches, each one about 12 inches deep. The archaeology site, investigated by a team of archaeologists March 22, 2017, is just one of the hundreds of similar sites undergoing excavation for the Virginia National Guard Cultural Resources Management Program, or CRMP... MORE

Red Dragons complete mission in Qatar
March 16, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted a transfer of authority ceremony March 14, 2017, to officially end their security mission in Qatar. Soldiers from the Missouri Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment assumed responsibility for the mission... MORE

Camp Pendleton announced as winner of Secretary of the Army Environmental Award
March 9, 2017 — Camp Pendleton is one of five installations recognized as a winner in the Fiscal Year 2016 Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards, earning top honors in the Cultural Resources Management – Small Installation Category. The awards are the highest honor in the field of environmental science and sustainability conferred by the Army... MORE

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