Michelle Lard receives a ceremonial check for $500 as part of her participation in the Virginia National Guard’s Referral Enlistment Program Aug. 6, 2023, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lard, a guidance counselor at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, is the first civilian to receive the incentive, and she worked with area recruiter Sgt. 1st Class LaTesse Hall to enlist her son, Pvt. Ashton Lard, into the Virginia Army National Guard as an 88M motor transport operator in the 1173rd Transportation Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion. Maj. John R. Crocker III, commander of the 1030th, and Maj. Kim Wynn, commander of the Virginia National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, were on hand with Hall to congratulate and thank Lard for helping grow the force.