Virginia National Guard

Va. recruiters named runners up at national conference
April 18, 2023 — At the Director of the Army National Guard’s Strength Maintenance Conference, Virginia Army National Guard recruiters came in as runners up for both the top recruiter and top section chief in the nation. Staff Sgt. Sydney Mapp took the second place top recruiter spot, called the Director’s 54, while Master Sgt. Thomas Clarke Jr. took the second place section chief, or Expert 7, spot. Over the last decade, this level of excellence has become the standard for Virginia. ... MORE

Master Sgt. Thomas Clarke Jr. (left); Sgt. Maj. Paul Johnson (center), senior enlisted leader for the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion; and Staff Sgt. Sydney Mapp (right) pose together at the Director of the Army National Guard’s Strength Maintenance Conference March 23, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

229th BEB leaders share Guard experiences with high school students
April 6, 2023 — Leaders from the Virginia National Guard’s Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team partnered with the Virginia Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion to highlight the benefits of National Guard membership during showcase events April 3 and 5, 2023, at Courtland High School and Colonial Forge High School. The event generated three leads for individuals interested in joining the VNG... MORE

VNG referral program now offering $1,000 per enlistment
April 1, 2023 — The Virginia National Guard’s Referral Incentive Program, or REP, is now offering $1,000 to Virginia citizens who help grow the force with qualified leads who successfully enlist into the Virginia Army or Air National Guard. Previously, referral bonuses were capped at $750. ... MORE

Sgt. Edward Hinton receives a ceremonial check for $1,000 as part of his participation in the Virginia National Guard’s Referral Enlistment Program March 18, 2023, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lt. Col. Emily Huffman, SMR commander, and Maj. Kim Wynn, commander of the Virginia National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, were on hand to congratulate and thank Hinton for helping grow the force. Hinton, assigned to SMR as an operations noncommissioned officer, worked with area recruiter Staff Sgt. Shawn Bartz to enlist a new recruit into the Virginia Army National Guard as a 09S Commissioned Officer Candidate. Hinton is the first participant to receive payment under the REP, which awards Virginia citizens $1,000 for providing qualified leads to the Virginia National Guard who enlist into the organization. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

VNG recruiter continues family legacy of military service
March 30, 2023 — Military service for the women of Staff Sgt. Naomi Williams’ family has become a tradition. During World War II, Williams’ grandmother, her Nana, served as a truck driver and her mother served in the Navy... MORE

Wynn steps into new role at R&R, stresses fairness, dignity, respect
March 21, 2023 — What first drew Maj. Kim Wynn to military service was the Army uniform of the 1980s and 90s. Catchy “Be All You Can Be” ads were filling the commercial breaks of her TV time, and she thought the Battle Dress Uniform, or BDU, looked pretty good. There was just something about it that she was attracted to and when she started attending Petersburg High School, she participated in Junior ROTC, and then, when she got to Virginia Tech, she decided to join the Virginia Army National Guard. ... MORE

Maj. Kim D. Wynn takes command of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Fort Pickett-based Recruiting and Retention Battalion from Lt. Col. Scott A. Nivens during a ceremony March 3, 2023, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. K. Weedon Gallagher, Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General - Army, presided over the change of command ceremony and the exchange of organizational colors signifying the transfer of command from Nivens to Wynn. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

VNG Soldiers eligible for promotion, recruiting ribbon, $1K bonus for referrals
March 3, 2023 — Helping grow the Virginia Army National Guard recently became an even more lucrative endeavor with the expansion of the ARNG’s Stripes for Buddies program and the announcement of a new Army Recruiting Ribbon. When paired with the VNG’s Referral Enlistment Program, or REP, getting a buddy to enlist could equate to a $1,000 bonus, a promotion up to the rank of specialist or promotion points for sergeants and staff sergeants, and the award of the Army Recruiting Ribbon... MORE

Fifty-seven Soldiers and Airmen assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa earned the GAFPB July 4-5, 2022, at Camp Simba, Kenya. The badge is a test of physical fitness and shooting proficiency with three levels of the award that can be earned: gold, silver, and bronze. It is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Clements)

Gloucester JROTC cadets visit Virginia National Guard aviation facility
November 30, 2022 — Gloucester High School’s junior ROTC cadets gained a peek into the Virginia Army National Guard’s aviation capabilities during a visit Nov. 8, 2022, to the Army Aviation Support Facility, in Sandston, Virginia. The event was organized with support from the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and included 18 cadets, all juniors and seniors at Gloucester High... MORE

Junior ROTC cadets from Gloucester High School visit the Virginia National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility for a tour and information session Nov. 8, 2022, in Sandston, Virginia. The event, organized by recruiters from the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, included 18 naval JROTC cadets, all juniors and seniors, who received an overview of the U.S. Army and the capabilities of the Virginia National Guard’s Army aviation assets before touring the maintenance facility and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

Va. Army National Guard recruiters nab top spots after regional recruiting boards
November 15, 2022 — The Virginia Army National Guard’s top recruiters traveled to Bethany Beach, Delaware, Nov. 8-10, 2022, for the opportunity to be named top among their regional peers. At the conclusion of Region II’s Strength Maintenance Advisory Group Conference, Staff Sgt. Sydney Mapp was named the region’s top recruiting noncommissioned officer, or Director’s 54; Master Sgt. Thomas L. Clarke Jr. was named the region’s top section chief, or Expert 7; and Staff Sgt. DeAndre McCall was named runner up for the region’s top rookie... MORE

Leaders from the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion alongside the Virginia’s top recruiters at Region II’s Strength Maintenance Advisory Group Conference Nov. 9, 2022, in Bethany Beach, Delaware. While there, Staff Sgt. Sydney Mapp was named the region’s top recruiting noncommissioned officer, or Director’s 54; Master Sgt. Thomas L. Clarke Jr. was named the region’s top section chief, or Expert 7; and Staff Sgt. DeAndre McCall was named runner up for the region’s top rookie. (Courtesy photo)

Virginia Army National Guard debuts jerseys at Liberty High School football game
November 2, 2022 — Liberty High School’s football team helped the Virginia Army National Guard debut their new football jerseys Oct. 28, 2022, at a home game against John Handley High School in Bealeton, Virginia. Staff Sgt. Dakota Baughan, area Virginia Army National Guard recruiter and a 2006 graduate of Liberty High School, secured the camouflage-patterned, Army National Guard-branded jerseys for Liberty’s use at their military appreciation game. ... MORE

Liberty High School debuts the Virginia Army National Guard’s new football jerseys Oct. 28, 2022, at a home game against John Handley High School in Bealeton, Virginia. Staff Sgt. Dakota Baughan, area Virginia Army National Guard recruiter and a graduate of Liberty High School, secured the jerseys for Liberty’s use at their military appreciation game. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

SMP cadet trains alongside British Army in training abroad opportunity
October 4, 2022 — Cadet Jack Milenski knocked a long-time goal off his bucket list when he spent the spring of his sophomore year training alongside the British Army in the United Kingdom. Milenski, enrolled in the Virginia Army National Guard’s Simultaneous Membership Program and now a junior at the Virginia Military Institute, experienced a semester abroad at the University of Salford, outside Manchester, England... MORE

Cadet Jack Milenski knocked a long-time goal off his bucket list when he spent the spring of his sophomore year training alongside the British Army in the United Kingdom. Milenski, enrolled in the Virginia Army National Guard’s Simultaneous Membership Program and now a junior at the Virginia Military Institute, experienced a semester abroad at the University of Salford, outside Manchester, England.

Virginia National Guard installation, brigade and battalion command selections announced
September 28, 2022 — The Adjutant General of Virginia announced officers who have been selected for command in the Virginia National Guard at the instillation, brigade and battalion level... MORE

New Virginia National Guard incentive offering up to $750 for qualified enlistment referrals
September 15, 2022 — The Virginia National Guard is offering up to $750 to Virginia citizens who help grow the force with qualified leads who successfully enlist into the Virginia Army or Air National Guard. The initiative, called the Referral Enlistment Program, or REP, kicks off Sept. 15, 2022... MORE

The Virginia National Guard is offering up to $750 to Virginia citizens who help grow the force with qualified leads who successfully enlist into the Virginia Army or Air National Guard. The initiative, called the Referral Enlistment Program, or REP, kicks off Sept. 15, 2022.

R&R offering up pizza party for top lead-producing unit
July 6, 2022 — The Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion is offering up a pizza party for the top lead-producing unit in the state as part of their Summer Slam Challenge. The contest, open to all Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers now through July 31, 2022, challenges units to see which can gather the most qualified leads over the contest period. ... MORE

VNG RRB officially welcomes Johnson to top NCO spot
June 21, 2022 — The Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion welcomed Sgt. Maj. Paul A. Johnson as the battalion’s senior enlisted leader in a Change of Responsibility ceremony held June 8, 2022, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Johnson was promoted to the rank of sergeant major just before the ceremony and has served in the RRB since 2008, when he came on as a recruiter. ... MORE

The Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion officially welcomes Sgt. Maj. Paul Johnson as the battalion’s top noncommissioned in a change of responsibility ceremony held June 8, 2022, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Johnson was promoted just before taking responsibility of the formation and has performed the duties of the senior enlisted leader for the battalion for several months. Following the change of responsibility, Sgt. 1st Class Eric Compton was promoted to master sergeant, and newly-promoted Master Sgt. Thomas Clarke was recognized for his recent promotion as well. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

229th BEB, RRB Soldiers represent VNG at Region II Best Warrior
June 1, 2022 — Two Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers competed for the titles of Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year during the Region II Best Warrior Competition May 17 - 20, 2022, at Camp Dawson, West Virginia. ... MORE

VNG Soldiers compete for Regional Best Warrior title

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