Virginia National Guard

BSRT event reconnects military couples
July 16, 2024 — The Virginia Army National Guard Chaplain Corps conducted a Building Strong and Ready Teams training June 21-23, 2024, in Williamsburg, Virginia. This event was conducted for Soldiers and family members of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division headquarters and the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team... MORE

29th ID Band commemorates D-Day anniversary at home, abroad
July 4, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band conducted a unique and historic annual training in June 2024, helping commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, both here in the United States as well as in Normandy, France... MORE

29th ID Band performs D-Day anniversary performances at home, abroad

Task Force St. Lo Soldiers complete Operation Immediate Response 24 in Czech Republic
June 10, 2024 — Nearly 800 Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia National Guard Soldiers conducted annual training in May 2024 in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic as part of Operation Immediate Response 24, a sub-component exercise of STEADFAST DEFENDER 24... MORE

Top VNG Soldier’s journey from Scout Platoon to regional recognition
May 31, 2024 — Sgt. Carter Cooper, an infantryman assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was named the region’s top Soldier May 10, 2024, after representing the Virginia Army National Guard at the Region II Best Warrior Competition in Maryland. The competition ran for four days and included Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. ... MORE

116th’s Cooper takes top Soldier honors at Region Il BWC
May 14, 2024 — Sgt. Carter Cooper, a Virginia Army National Guard infantry Soldier assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, took top honors in the Soldier category of the National Guard Bureau Region II Best Warrior Competition held May 6-10, 2024... MORE

Task Force St. Lo Soldiers celebrate Victory in Europe Day alongside Czech partners
May 11, 2024 — Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia National Guard Soldiers participated in a Victory in Europe celebration held May 8, 2024, in Hranice, Czech Republic... MORE

Guardsmen celebrate Victory in Europe Day alongside Czech partners

From ambulances to artillery: one NCO’s pursuit of military & medical dreams
April 15, 2024 — As a young adult, Sgt. Stella Escano knew she wanted to attend medical school. She also knew she wanted to eventually serve in the military, but wanted to get her education locked in first. Growing up in and around Norfolk, Virginia, an area with a dense military presence, Escano was quite familiar with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, but neither of those options felt like the right choice for her. So, she went online and did some research... MORE

Sgt. Stella Escano takes a written exam alongside her fellow competitors at the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Best Warrior Competition held Jan. 5-7, 2024, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. (Courtesy photo)

St. Lo Soldiers conduct air assault during drill weekend
April 12, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers with the Charlottesville-based Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted aviation training with crews with the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division April 5, 2024, at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave, Virginia. The Soldiers' family members were invited to attend the training to demonstrate the rigorous routines they undergo when they are away from their families and training... MORE

229th BEB Soldier earns Expert Soldier Badge
April 9, 2024 — Maj. Josh Favaro, executive officer of the Virginia National Guard’s Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineering Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team earned the Expert Soldier Badge March 15, 2024, at Fort Walker, Virginia. In doing so, Favaro became the first Soldier to earn the ESB while assigned to the Virginia National Guard... MORE

VNG NCO reflects on being a female in the field artillery
March 25, 2024 — Part of Staff Sgt. Felicia Taylor’s motivation for joining the Virginia Army National Guard was to prove what she was capable of. Her father didn’t think she could make it through Basic Combat Training, or BCT, and she felt certain he was wrong. Then she looked into the benefits of military service and realized she could serve part-time in the National Guard while still working toward her college and career goals... MORE

116th IBCT’s Cooper, 329th’s Bradner are VaARNG best warriors
March 22, 2024 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers representing the Staunton-based 116th infantry Brigade Combat Team and the Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group claimed top honors at the 2024 Virginia Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 14 - 17, 2024, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. ... MORE

From Marine to Guard, a Red Dragon sniper’s journey across continents
February 26, 2024 — Staff Sgt. Joshua Johnson’s journey into the military began with a casual invitation from a friend to go “hang out” at the local U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station. His friend had just joined the Marine Corps Reserve and, at 18, Johnson didn’t even really know what a Marine was. He’d just graduated high school and said, “I wasn’t really doing anything.” When the recruiter asked if he wanted to blow stuff up, Johnson said yes, and enlisted as a combat engineer... MORE

VNG NCO qualifies as Ranger Instructor, serves as RTAC cadre
February 9, 2024 — Sgt. Daniel Leikin joined the Virginia Army National Guard in 2020, just a few months after graduating from high school. In the less than four years since then, he’s been busy. He completed his initial training as an infantryman, then Ranger School, deployed with Task Force Red Dragon and then earned himself a stack of badges to go along with his tab, completing both Air Assault and Airborne School, and earning his Expert Infantryman Badge. It’s his most recent accomplishment though, that he’s the proudest of... MORE

Field artillery NCO reflects on quick-paced military journey
February 6, 2024 — For Sgt. Christopher Brown, the best part about serving in the field artillery is the camaraderie he’s found there. He serves in the Virginia Army National Guard’s Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Hanover, Virginia, as a 13B Cannon Crewmember. He’s been in the military for about half a decade, but has already experienced a handful of schools and both an overseas and stateside deployment... MORE

A Soldier poses in front of a field artillery sign.

Martin takes command of VaARNG from Gallagher
January 11, 2024 — Col. Charles B. Martin Jr. was promoted to brigadier general and formally took command of the Virginia Army National Guard from Brig. Gen. K. Weedon Gallagher during a change of command ceremony Jan. 6, 2024, at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. ... MORE

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