Virginia National Guard

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

29th ID cases colors, begins federal active duty
May 19, 2021 — BOWLING GREEN, Va. — Virginia and Maryland National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division officially begin federal active duty with a casing of the colors ceremony May 15, 2021, in Bowling Green, Virginia, and they will uncase the colors when they arrive in the Middle East. More than 500 Soldiers of the 29th will conduct a 10-month deployment in the Central Command Area of Operations as Task Force Spartan to provide leadership, command, control and in-depth staff analysis for Operation Spartan Shield. ... MORE

Spanberger, Cline rep tour VNG aviation facility
April 7, 2021 — U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger visited the Virginia National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility March 29, 2021, to learn more about the complex mission of the VNG’s aviation assets and the need for a new aviation support facility. Spanberger was joined by a member of Rep. Ben Cline’s staff and received briefings from Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and other VNG senior leaders. The group also toured the current facility and conducted an aerial tour on board a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter of the proposed location for the future facility, as well as key VNG facilities in the Richmond area... MORE

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger visits the Virginia National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility March 29, 2021, near the Richmond International Airport. Spanberger was joined by a member of Rep. Ben Cline’s staff and received briefings from Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and other VNG senior leaders to discuss the complex mission of the VNG’s aviation assets and the need for a new aviation support facility. The group also toured the current AASF, and conducted an aerial tour of the proposed location for the future facility, as well as key VNG facilities in the Richmond area. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

29th Infantry Division to deploy to Middle East in Spring 2021
February 4, 2021 — FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division has received a mobilization order for federal active duty in the Middle East, according to an announcement made Feb. 4, 2021, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. In Spring 2021, more than 500 Soldiers of the 29th will begin a 10-month long deployment in the Central Command Area of Operations as Task Force Spartan to provide leadership, command, control and in-depth staff analysis for Operation Spartan Shield. While based at Fort Belvoir, Soldiers assigned to the 29th Infantry Division live all throughout Virginia and Maryland... MORE

29th Infantry Division supports 59th Presidential Inauguration
January 27, 2021 — WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division assisted federal agencies in securing the nation’s capital during the 59th Presidential Inauguration. The 29th ID Soldiers were among more than 26,000 National Guard members from 50 states and three territories who were activated to support the inauguration by augmenting the Capitol Police, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Park Police and D.C. Metro Police Department. ... MORE

29th ID DCG leads 9,000 member task force at Presidential Inauguration

Virginia National Guard supporting 59th Presidential Inauguration
January 15, 2021 — RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard has approximately 2,400 personnel on the ground in Washington D.C. as of Jan. 14, 2021, assisting civilian law enforcement in protecting property and providing a safe environment for citizens to exercise their right to peacefully assemble and protest leading up to the 59th Presidential Inauguration Jan. 20... MORE

Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the 192nd Security Forces Squadron, 192nd Mission Support Group, 192nd Wing stand guard on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 13, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Dep. Sec. Jabs visits VNG aviation facility
January 14, 2021 — RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Deputy Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Kathleen Jabs toured the Virginia National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility Dec. 11, 2020. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, joined Jabs on her tour of the facility, which is located adjacent to the Richmond International Airport in Sandston, Va. The tour served as opportunity for the deputy secretary to learn more about the VNG’s aviation footprint, the mission of the facility and state’s aviation battalion, as well as the plan for a new facility in the coming years... MORE

Virginia Deputy Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Kathleen Jabs tours the Virginia National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility alongside Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Dec. 11, 2020, near the Richmond International Airport. The tour served to better familiarize the deputy secretary with the capabilities of the VNG’s aviation assets, the support capabilities of the AASF, and the initiative to build a new facility.

HART partnership cited as career highlight for participants
December 1, 2020 — CHESTERFIELD, Va. — For nearly a decade, Virginia National Guard flight crews have worked alongside technicians from the Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team. Over those many years, the two organizations created, built and grew Virginia’s Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, or HART. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the HART has deployed for hurricane response, flown countless hours over the waterways and landscapes of Virginia and now boasts approximately 20 trained technicians. ... MORE

Virginia National Guard flight crews train with Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team members on rescue hoist operations Nov. 19, 2020, in Chesterfield, Virginia. Together, the Virginia aviators and Chesterfield first responders form the Virginia Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, or HART. Their training focused on conducting litter hoists and is part of an ongoing partnership that first began in 2011.

Dual military couple says finding each other is best military perk
November 17, 2020 — RICHMOND, Va. — The challenges of being a dual-military couple are balanced by the benefits. On one hand, couples share the experience of military service, which can be a foundation for strength for many. On the other hand, these couples face the challenge of juggling two military careers with the demands of family life... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Robichaud and Staff Sgt. Sara Robichaud, both assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard, pose with their children. The two have more than 20 years of combined service and enjoy the life the military has given them and their children.

Rhodes succeeds Epperly as 29th Infantry Division commander
October 5, 2020 — FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes took command of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division from Maj. Gen. John M. Epperly Oct. 3, 2020, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, Director of the Army National Guard, presided over the change of command ceremony and the exchange of organizational colors signifying the transfer of command from Epperly to Rhodes... MORE

Military service stretches across country borders for Nemec family
September 30, 2020 — RICHMOND, Va. — For many, the stories that are handed down through generations have a strong influence on those who listen. Staff Sgt. Erick Nemec, assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division, grew up hearing stories about his family’s military service in the Peru Armed Forces and their stories helped lead him to his own military career... MORE

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