Virginia National Guard

Ceremony marks change of command for 203rd RED HORSE Squadron
November 19, 2013 — After more than four years of serving as the commander of the 203rd RED HORSE Squadron, Lt. Col. Peter S. Garner relinquished command to Lt. Col. J. Stock Dinsmore during a change of command ceremony Nov. 16, 2013, in Virginia Beach, Va. “Lt. Col. Garner has led from the front in a professional manner through several deployments,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne A. Wright, Deputy Adjutant General of Virginia and senior officer for the ceremony. “He has given his all to make this a great unit.”... MORE

Virginia Guard OCS graduates earn commissions, take oath of office
November 6, 2013 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – In a ceremony held Oct. 26, 2013, 10 officer candidates enrolled in Class 55 of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School earned their commissions at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The ceremony marked the end of a nearly two year journey for the candidates as they received their OCS diplomas, took their oaths of office and earned their second lieutenant bars... MORE

Ten officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia Guard’s Officer Candidate School receive their commissions and graduated from OCS Oct. 26, 2013, at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia Army National Guard senior leaders. The candidates heard remarks from Col. Douglas R. Messner, 183rd RTI commander, and Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, before taking their oath of office, affixing their new rank and receiving their first salute as lieutenants from a member of the enlisted ranks. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Va. Beach-based 529th CSSB receives national training award
September 30, 2013 — Maj. Geoffrey R. O’Neill and Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy D. White accepted the Reckord Trophy for training excellence on behalf of the Soldiers of the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group Sept. 23, 2013, during the 135th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. NGAUS presents the Reckord Trophy each year to the Army National Guard battalion that achieves the highest state of readiness in the country. O’Neil recently relinquished command of the 529th to Maj. Michael Waterman and White currently serves as the battalion’s command sergeant major... MORE

Senior leaders visit Tajikistan as Va. Guard commemorates 10 years of partnership
September 13, 2013 — Three Virginia National Guard senior leaders traveled to Tajikistan in August as part of the Virginia National Guard’s partnership with the Central Asian republic under the National Guard State Partnership Program... MORE

203rd RHS completes Phase I of IRT project at Virginia Military Institute
July 10, 2013 — The Virginia Beach-based 203rd RED HORSE Squadron completed the first phase of an Innovative Readiness Training project while conducting their annual training from June 3-28, 2013, at Virginia Military Institute’s McKethan Park in Lexington, Va., laying concrete pads and re-locating a road to provide a safer entrance to the park... MORE

203rd RED HORSE performing humanitarian construction in Panama
June 6, 2013 — Members of the Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 203rd RED HORSE Squadron are currently deployed to Panama for a 12-week humanitarian construction effort as part of Beyond the Horizon 2013 led by Joint Task Force Jaguar, Army Southern Command. Work on the project began in early April... MORE

Winchester-based 3-116th Soldiers travel to Tajikistan to share military skills, experience
June 5, 2013 — As part of the Virginia National Guard State Partnership Program, a group of Soldiers from the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team traveled to Dushanbe, Tajikistan in April for a six-day information exchange focused on introducing Tajik servicemembers to the U.S. Army Military Decision Making Process and developing leadership skills at the platoon and company levels... MORE

Virginia Guard officer candidates get close encounter with history
May 19, 2013 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – In 21 years, Col. Thom Morgan has only missed teaching Virginia Guard officer candidates military history one time, and that was when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He and his father, Lonnie Morgan, work together each year to give the officer candidates a unique first-hand look into Virginia’s military history, and have been doing so since 1992... MORE

Students of the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Class 55 participate in a military history class April 21, 2013 at the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The course was taught by Col. Thom Morgan, Virginia Guard director of manpower and personnel, and included more than 75 pieces of primarily Civil War-era military weaponry from the personal collection of Morgan’s father. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Virginia Guard officer candidates clean up for local charity
May 9, 2013 — RICHMOND, Va. -- Officer candidates from the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School worked together May 4, 2013, clearing debris, mowing grass, trimming hedges and blowing leaves at two homes operated by a local charity called SupportOne, as part of their class community project. Twelve OCs participated in the event, dubbed “Extreme Yard Makeover Day,” and made use of tools and equipment lent by a local landscaping firm co-owned by one of the candidates. ... MORE

Officer candidates from Class 55 of the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School clear debris and work on landscape improvements May 4, 2013, as part of their class community project in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

203rd RED HORSE memorial service honors 12th anniversary of fatal airplane crash
March 7, 2013 — The Virginia Beach-based 203rd RED HORSE Squadron held a brief ceremony to lay an honor wreath March 3, 2013, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach to honor the 18 unit members and three Florida Army National Guard aviators who were killed in a military transport crash 12 years ago... MORE

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