Virginia National Guard

Mason, Ruhren remembered 15 years after attack
January 13, 2020 — FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Family, friends and current and former Virginia National Guard Soldiers gathered to remember two fallen VNG Soldiers Dec. 21, 2019, at the Mason-Ruhren Readiness Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia, marking 15 years since their deaths. Sgt. Nicholas C. Mason and Sgt. David A. Ruhren, both assigned to the… ... MORE

VNG recruit becomes first female to enlist as 11B
January 13, 2020 — FORT LEE, Virginia – One of the Virginia Army National Guard’s newest recruits, Pvt. Ana-Alicia Bennett made history when she enlisted as an 11B Infantryman Dec. 19, 2019, at the Military Entrance Processing Station at Fort Lee, Virginia. Bennett is the first female to enlist into the Virginia Army National…... MORE

Thunder Soldiers honored with Order of Saint Barbara
December 11, 2019 — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Virginia National Guard field artillery Soldiers past and present gathered for the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s regimental muster and Saint Barbara’s Day celebration Dec. 7, 2019, in Williamsburg, Virginia. As part of the festivities, deserving individuals were presented with the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara and the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara... MORE

Exchange program benefits VNG Soldiers, partnerships
November 22, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Several Virginia National Guard Soldiers were able to participate in the Military Reserve Exchange Program in 2019, traveling abroad and attaching to foreign armies in a unique opportunity for military professional development. ... MORE

116th Infantry Regiment holds 52nd Annual Muster
November 14, 2019 — STAUNTON, Va. – Veterans of the 116th Infantry Regiment and Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team gathered for an evening of camaraderie at the 52nd annual muster Nov. 9, 2019, at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, Virginia. The theme of this year’s program was Remembering our History, the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Col. Joseph A. DiNonno, commander of the 116th, also provided a brigade report on the previous training year... MORE

New 116th IBCT deputy commander and joint staff officers announced
October 17, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Col. Christopher J. Samulski will be assigned as the new deputy commander of the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to an announcement made Oct. 17, 2019, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. Samulski replaces Col. Russell E. McGuire who is moving to be the J5 joint strategic plans officer on the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff, and Col. Charles B. Martin, Jr. will become the J3 joint operations officer. All the assignments are effective Nov. 1, 2019... MORE

429th BSB cooks win regional Connellys; Nationals next
October 16, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — The Danville-based Headquarters Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team has won the regional Philip A. Connelly Food Service competition and will now compete in the national-level competition in 2020... MORE

Norfolk armory named in honor of VNG D-Day combat medic
August 14, 2019 — NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Norfolk armory was officially named the Chief Warrant Officer 4 Arnold Lindblad Armory during a ceremony Aug. 14, 2019, in Norfolk, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, hosted the ceremony, which was attended by Lindblad’s son, retired VNG Master Sgt. Steve Lindblad, and other family members, as well as other senior Guard leaders... MORE

429th BSB competes in regional food service competition during XCTC
July 23, 2019 — Fort Pickett, Va. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Danville-based Headquarters Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team competed in the Philip A. Connelly Food Service Competition July 19, 2019, during eXportable Combat Training Capability Rotation 19-4 at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The 429th is competing for the regional award and the opportunity to further compete for the national prize... MORE

116th IBCT conducting eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation at Fort Pickett
July 14, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Virginia and Kentucky National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are honing their combat skills during the eXportable Combat Training Capability Rotation 19-4 scheduled for July 13 through August 2, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

Gunnery simulators augment Army Guard training
June 19, 2019 — SUFFOLK, Va. – Spc. Erik Murphy, a cavalry scout with the Virginia Army National Guard’s Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, stood in the turret of a Humvee, prepared to engage targets with his M2 .50 caliber machine gun. “Gunner ready,” he said to his truck commander, as they proceeded down a dusty road. Soon enough, the commander called out an approaching target. “Target identified,” Murphy responded. “500 meters.”... MORE

Spc. Erik Murphy, a cavalry scout with the Virginia Army National Guard's Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, engages targets with an M2 .50 caliber machine gun on the Individual Unstabalized Gunnery Trainer during training at the Suffolk Armory in Suffolk, Virginia, June 8, 2019. The IUGT is a computer-based simulator that connects the body of a weapon to a virtual reality system and is used to augment the training on crew-served weapons.

VNG Soldiers to extend enlistments during Army Birthday Ceremony at the Pentagon
June 12, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Two Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers will extend their enlistments during the Army Birthday Cake Cutting Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. June 13, 2019, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and the Sergeant Major Of the Army Daniel A. Dailey will host the event celebrating the U.S Army’s 244th Birthday... MORE

Bedford ceremonies mark 75th anniversary of D-Day
June 7, 2019 — BEDFORD, Va. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen greeted World War II veterans and acted as military escorts during a roll call honoring their service at the observation of the 75th anniversary of D-Day June 6, 2019, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band performed ceremonial music, and members of the Virginia Defense Force volunteered their time to assist local law enforcement with traffic flow, parking and pre-security checks before the event... MORE

VNG rangers test their limits at Best Ranger Competition
May 1, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Fifty-three two-man teams started the Best Ranger Competition early on the morning of April 12, 2019, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Among the rangers to run across the start line were six National Guard Soldiers, three from Virginia, two from Massachusetts and one from Kentucky. The Virginia and Kentucky Soldiers are all assigned to Virginia’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team... MORE

Thunder Soldiers conduct historic waterborne artillery exercise
April 30, 2019 — CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted a historic waterborne artillery live-fire exercise during Operation Gator April 24-25, 2019, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The exercise marked the first riverine artillery fire mission for the Army since the Vietnam era... MORE

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