The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett is officially redesignated Fort Barfoot in honor of Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient with extensive Virginia ties, during a ceremony March 24, 2023, at the Blackstone Army Airfield near Blackstone, Virginia. Barfoot’s daughter Margaret Nicholls, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, Director of the Army National Guard, and Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, gave remarks and unveiled the Fort Barfoot sign which will mark the front entrance of the installation. The ceremony featured static displays from the installation’s tenets and ceremonial music provided by the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band. To commemorate Barfoot’s Native American heritage, representatives from Choctaw Nation as well as Virginia-based Native American tribes were in attendance and performed ceremonial songs and dance for the gathered audience. Volunteers with the Virginia Defense Force and Civil Air Patrol also provided support for the ceremony. Read more about the redesignation and about Barfoot himself at https://ngpa.us/24596.