Virginia National Guard

Candidates, cadre, graduates celebrate OCS 58th birthday
April 26, 2016 — RICHMOND, Va. — Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrated its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action... MORE

Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrate its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)

Va. Guard Soldiers help evacuate injured hiker
April 26, 2016 — Virginia National Guard combat engineers put years of military training and experience to work when they helped a volunteer search and rescue crew evacuate an injured hiker off Old Rag Mountain April 24, 2016, in the Shenandoah National Park near Madison County, Virginia... MORE

Va. National Guard special response force conducts exercise
April 17, 2016 — More than 180 Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, or CERFP, as well as members of the Virginia Defense Force, conducted a simulation exercise April 16, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia, to test the unit’s capabilities to assist in the emergency response for a simulated structure collapse and chemical spill. The CERFP (pronounced “surf-p”) performs tasks associated with consequence management, urban search and rescue, mass causality decontamination, medical triage and stabilization and human remains recovery... MORE

Rep. Brat visits, tours Fort Pickett
April 7, 2016 — Rep. Dave Brat visited the Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center March 31, 2016. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Lt. Col. Preston Scott, Fort Pickett garrison commander, provided an overview of the installation and its capabilities, then escorted Brat on a tour of the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site, the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute and the Fort Pickett virtual training facility. “It was a pleasure to learn about how these brave men serve,” Brat said on Facebook... MORE

NCO, Soldier earn top honors in Va. Guard competition
April 4, 2016 — Sgt. David Perry was recognized as the Virginia Army National Guard Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Jeffrey Patteson was named the Soldier of the Year April 3, 2016, after the three-day 2016 Soldier and NCO of the Year Competition at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Both Soldiers are assigned to the Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center... MORE

Va. Guard cyber specialists conduct network assessments
March 28, 2016 — Virginia Army National Guard cyber experts put their skills and experience to work to help a Virginia locality strengthen its network after completing a weeklong vulnerability assessment March 25, 2016. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe authorized funds to put Virginia Guard Soldiers on state active duty to conduct the first in a series of assessments aimed at improving network security in the state... MORE

NGB Senior Enlisted Advisor visits Va. Guard Airmen, Soldiers, leaders
March 24, 2016 — Chief Master Sgt. Mitchell O. Brush, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard, visited Virginia National Guard Airmen and Soldiers March 8-9, 2016, in Sandston, Richmond and Hampton, Virginia... MORE

NGB Senior Enlisted Advisor visits with Virginia Guard Airmen, Soldiers

116th MET completes pre-mobilization training
March 11, 2016 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Military Engagement Team, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team came together for three weeks of intensive training Feb. 15. – March 5, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, in preparation for their upcoming federal mobilization to Kuwait and Jordan... MORE

Epperly promoted to brigadier general during Fort Belvoir ceremony
March 7, 2016 — Col. John M. Epperly, Deputy Commanding General, Maneuver, of the Virginia National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division was promoted to brigadier general March 5, 2016, at the Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club... MORE

116th IBCT Soldiers gain valuable experience supporting JRTC rotation at Fort Polk
March 6, 2016 — Nearly 150 Soldiers assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team traveled to Fort Polk, Louisiana, from Feb. 11 to March 1, 2016, to provide support to the Joint Readiness Training Center rotation 16-04... MORE

Va. Guard CERFP works side-by-side with agency partners at Sovereign Guardian 2016
February 29, 2016 — More than 170 Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, or CERFP, trained during Sovereign Guardian 2016 with members of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department Feb. 24, 2016, at the Washington DC Fire & EMS Training Academy in Washington, D.C... MORE

Va. Guard assists with multi-agency storm cleanup effort
February 25, 2016 — More than 60 Virginia National Guard Soldiers serving on state active duty assisted with cleanup efforts Feb. 25, 2016, in areas of Virginia hardest hit by severe weather a day earlier. Soldiers with chain saws organized in debris reduction teams helped clear fallen trees and other debris in Essex, Westmoreland, Sussex, Patrick and Appomattox Counties. Virginia Army National Guard air crews flew two rotary wing aviation missions to transport emergency managers on an aerial visual assessment and also captured images for damage estimates... MORE

Va. Guard Counterdrug Task Force supports law enforcement
February 25, 2016 — Aviation support provided by the Virginia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force in January and February 2016 assisted federal and state law enforcement officials bring indictments against individuals suspected for involvement in illegal narcotics and gun distribution activities as well as suspected involvement in cartel related narcotics trafficking and terrorism links... MORE

Smith to command 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
February 23, 2016 — Col. E. Scott Smith will succeed Col. William J. Coffin as the commander of the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to an announcement made Feb. 23, 2016, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia... MORE

Virginia National Guard to close readiness center in Chatham
February 4, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard will close its readiness center in Chatham, Virginia, according to an announcement made Feb. 4, 2016, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. The unit and approximately 40 Soldiers currently stationed there will relocate to the readiness center in nearby Danville beginning in March 2016. Williams and senior Guard leaders met with local officials to explain the decision and answer questions about the planned closure... MORE

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