Virginia National Guard

Commonwealth ChalleNGe graduates 72 cadets from Class 54
April 2, 2021 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia- The Virginia Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduated 72 cadets from Class 54 during a ceremony March 20, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Walt Mercer, the Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, joined ChalleNGe staff members in congratulating the cadets during the socially-distant ceremony, which was live streamed for family members and friends to view online... MORE

‘Buddy Aid’ training takes new approach to sexual assault response, prevention
March 24, 2021 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Eight Army National Guard victim advocates from five states attended a new training program designed to help respond to sexual assault March 1, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The training on “Buddy Aid – First Response to Sexual Assault” was sponsored by the office of the Virginia National Guard Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and included a combination of military and civilians from National Guard Bureau’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and Virginia... MORE

Va. Army Guard Construction, Facility Management Office recognized with Fred Aron Award from NGB
March 10, 2021 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — The Virginia Army National Guard Construction and Facility Management Office recently received both the regional and national Fred Aron Award for Excellence in Facilities Programs for Fiscal Year 20 from the National Guard Bureau. The Fred Aron award is presented to states or territories to recognize their work based on construction, resource management, strategic plans and education, facilities management, energy management and real estate. ... MORE

203rd RED HORSE honors its fallen on tragedy’s 20th anniversary
March 5, 2021 — Airmen from the 192nd Wing’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) came together March 3, 2021, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of what's known as the worst peacetime aviation disaster in National Guard history and the worst loss of life in the Virginia National Guard since World War II. ... MORE

ChalleNGe cadets excel, set to graduate during COVID-adjusted class
February 23, 2021 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia -- Class 54 of the Virginia Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy is scheduled to graduate March 20, 2021, and for the staff and cadets of the program, it will be the culmination of a five-month class that was both virtual and in-person and required coordination with and support of the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Education. ... MORE

New 34th CERFP Soldiers, Airmen attend CERFP University
December 8, 2020 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Soldiers and Airmen of the Virginia National Guard’s Richmond-based 34th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, or CERFP (pronounced “surf-p”) conducted an initial entry training event Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia to instruct their newest Soldiers and Airmen on the basics of incident management and emergency response... MORE

Funeral Honors Program continues to honor veterans during pandemic
November 3, 2020 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the VNG Military Funeral Honors Program are continuing to provide services for deceased veterans across the Commonwealth despite challenges from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ... MORE

Class 53 overcomes a virtual ChalleNGe, as Class 54 prepares for hybrid experience
October 21, 2020 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia- The COVID-19 pandemic led the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy to introduce a virtual, on-line course for Class 53, which ran from May- August 2020. Now Class 54, which began Oct. 5, is preparing for a hybrid course, composed of both in-person and virtual attendance... MORE

203rd RED HORSE Airmen depart for federal deployment
September 21, 2020 — Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Wing made final preparations and departed for an overseas federal active duty deployment Sept. 12, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, visited with Airmen Sept. 9, and recognized outstanding Airmen and offered words of encouragement... MORE

Suicide Intervention Officer course trains leaders to help fellow Soldiers in crisis
September 15, 2020 — More than 20 Soldiers from around the Virginia National Guard participated in a Suicide Intervention Officer Course Aug. 25-27, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The three-day course, which is offered bi-monthly by the Virginia National Guard Suicide Prevention Program, provides training and resources for unit SIOs to help Soldiers who are thinking of or acting on suicide... MORE

34th CST completes challenging two-day training exercise at SMR
September 3, 2020 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 34th Civil Support Team completed a challenging two-day training exercise August 25 and 27, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 34th CST supports first responders during potential hazardous materials incidents involving possible chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive threats and can identify unknown substances, assess current and projected consequences, advise an incident commander on response measures and assist with requests for additional state support. During this exercise, the team was presented with a unique scenario involving a mock planned CBRNE attack at a large music festival... MORE

VNG SARC hosts victim advocate refresher training
August 21, 2020 — The Virginia National Guard hosted more than two dozen Airmen, Soldiers and civilians from the Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware National Guard for a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Victim Advocate refresher training course Aug. 10-14, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 32-hour training focused on victim advocacy, prevention and ethics and featured guest speakers from local, state and national agencies... MORE

Va. Dept. Military Affairs, other agencies partner to protect rare sea turtle nest
August 17, 2020 — The State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is playing host to some very special guests this summer – hundreds of loggerhead sea turtle eggs in a recently-discovered nest in the dunes on the installation’s beachfront... MORE

Despite COVID-19, Commonwealth challeNGe marches on with 'Virtual ChalleNGe' for Class 53
June 15, 2020 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The COVID-19 pandemic has led the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy to introduce a “Virtual ChalleNGe,” using video teleconferencing technology for the cadets of Class 53, which began May 18, 2020, with 59 cadets in three platoons. “We would love to get them on campus, but we… ... MORE

Virginia Guard Funeral Honors Program "trains the trainer' during 2-week course
March 12, 2020 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia — Nearly a dozen National Guard Soldiers from six states participated in a National Military Funeral Honors Instructor Certification Course Feb. 24 to March 6, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Virginia National Guard Funeral Honors Program hosted the two-week training course…... MORE

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