Virginia National Guard

29th ID cadet continues family’s extensive legacy of military service
November 3, 2021 — Upon swearing into the Virginia Army National Guard Aug. 20, 2021, Cadet Ethan Pulket began adding to his family’s legacy of more than 200 years of combined military service. For generations, his family has served in the National Guard and, notably, the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, where Pulket will be assigned upon receiving his commission. ... MORE

Cadet Ethan Pulkit swears into the Virginia Army National Guard in front of family, friends and peers during a ceremony held Aug. 20, 2021, at Christopher Newport University McMurran Hall, Newport News, Virginia. With more than 200 years of combined family service in the National Guard, Pulket will be following in his family's footsteps and be part of the 4th generation to continue the legacy of military service to the nation and the 29th ID. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lisa M. Sadler)

TF Spartan, 29th ID stand up TF Freedom, move 5,000 Afghans through Kuwait
November 2, 2021 — On a particularly hazy mid-September day in Kuwait, Maj. Gen. John Rhodes, commanding general of Task Force Spartan and the National Guard’s Virginia-based 29th Infantry Division, stood near a camp on a military base in Kuwait. Empty tents lined the desert in front of him. This was his Soldiers’ doing. ... MORE

VNG aviators train fire-fighting skills before KFOR deployment
October 19, 2021 — With an upcoming deployment to Kosovo, Virginia Army National Guard flight crews took to the skies of Chesterfield, Virginia, to certify their ability to fight fires with massive water buckets Oct. 12, 2021. The buckets are capable of picking up and hauling nearly 6,000 pounds of water, which can then be flown to the site of a wildfire and dropped to assist with fire-fighting efforts on the ground. ... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard flight crews conduct water bucket training with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Oct. 12, 2021, at a training area in Chesterfield, Virginia. Aviation assets can support fire-fighting efforts with the use of water buckets, which require periodic training for flight crews in order to ensure equipment proficiency. These Soldiers are scheduled to deploy to Kosovo with the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division in early 2022, where fire-fighting capabilities may be needed. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

Historic documents help reveal back story of 29th ID patch, creator
October 19, 2021 — Thanks to recently uncovered documents in the Virginia National Guard’s historical collection, more is being learned about the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division’s iconic blue and gray unit patch, as well as about the Soldier who designed it. ... MORE

Named after Gen. Colin Powell, a VNG Soldier mourns his passing
October 19, 2021 — The young medic who bears a general’s name was just wrapping up his day when news broke that the man for whom he was named had died. His first thought was that life was too short. His second thought was of the general’s life, which had meant so much to so many around the world that the medic’s grandfather named him “CollinPowell” the day he was born in Cameroon... MORE

Spc. Collinpowell Ebai, a Virginia Army National Guard medic Soldier currently deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield with the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, demonstrates the proper casualty evaluation techniques during a training event.

Born in Cameroon, Ebai was named after Gen. Colin Powell, who died Oct. 18. (Courtesy photo)

Richmond native named honor graduate, Equal Opportunity Leader
September 13, 2021 — On her first deployment to Kuwait with the 29th Infantry Division in support of Operation Spartan Shield, Spc. Shenika Marable wistfully wished to be an equal opportunity leader (EOL) for the unit. Army regulations that required an EOL be a sergeant-promotable or higher rank dashed her hopes... MORE

29th ID mother, son deployed together
September 11, 2021 — When deployed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sandra Williams misses her son, Alex, she doesn’t have to do math to figure out what time it is where he is located before calling him. Because they are deployed together in support of Operation Spartan Shield, the mother-son combo not only share the same moon – they share the same time zone... MORE

Va. National Guard Sandston-based aviation battalion to mobilize for duty in Kosovo
August 23, 2021 — Approximately 140 Soldiers assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division will mobilize for federal active duty in early January 2022 as the aviation task force for the NATO-led Kosovo Force Regional Command-East, according to an announcement made Aug. 23, 2021, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia... MORE

1-169th conducts medical evacuation training during AT

29ID assumes authority of Task Force Spartan
July 23, 2021 — Maj. Gen. John Rhodes, commanding general, 29th Infantry Division, Virginia Army National Guard, assumed command of Task Force Spartan from Maj. Gen. Patrick Hamilton, commanding general, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, July 20, 2021. The transfer of authority ceremony was presided over by Lt. Gen. Terry Ferrell, commanding general, U.S. Army Central... MORE

Deployed 29th Infantry Division warrant officers celebrate 103rd birthday
July 12, 2021 — Virginia Army National Guard warrant officers assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield, celebrated the Warrant Officer Corps’ 103rd birthday alongside their 36th Infantry Division counterparts July 9, 2021, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait... MORE

29ID Soldiers participate in Supporting Warrior Action Team training
June 28, 2021 — Soldiers from the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, along with Soldiers from various Fort Hood-based units, recently participated in Supporting Warrior Action Team training at Fort Hood, Texas... MORE

First Army assists with 29th ID validation as National Guard unit preps for Operation Spartan Shield
June 26, 2021 — Following the announcement for its call to overseas service to support Operation Spartan Shield, the Virginia Army National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division (29th ID) successfully conducted its post-mobilization at North Fort Hood... MORE

Ceremony remembers 77th anniversary of D-Day
June 17, 2021 — The valor, fidelity and sacrifice of D-Day participants were remembered June 6, 2021, at the observance of the 77th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia... MORE

Virginia’s aviation assets test response tools as hurricane season nears
May 27, 2021 — As hurricane season inched closer to the East Coast, aviators from the Virginia National Guard participated in an exercise managed by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to test the state’s air operations plan. The exercise, held May 10, 2021, at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Sandston, Virginia, made use of a new mission assignment tool and ensured communications capabilities between participating agencies. ... MORE

Virginia National Guard aviators participate in an air operations exercise managed by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management May 10, 2021, at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Sandston, Virginia. The exercise aimed to test a new smart phone-enabled mission-management platform designed for use during a large-scale emergency response effort, such as a hurricane. With the potential for air support from multiple agencies, all on different communications platforms, the new program aims to simplify mission assignment and reporting efforts. In addition to VNG and VDEM personnel, the training included members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Virginia State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration, the North Carolina National Guard and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The training also allowed for a test of loading and using communications by air crews and helicopter crews from VNG, VSP and USCG tested the new platform during a simulated response exercise. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

29th Infantry Division welcomes new Command Sergeant Major
May 24, 2021 — BOWLING GREEN, Va. — Command Sgt. Maj. Daryl Plude took responsibility as the command sergeant major of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division from Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Ferris May 8, 2021, in Bowling Green, Virginia. Maj. Gen. John Rhodes, commanding general of the 29th Infantry Division, presided over the ceremony that included an exchange of the noncommissioned officer sword that represents the change of responsibility as the division’s senior noncommissioned officer from Ferris to Plude... MORE

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