Virginia National Guard

Family, friends, senior leaders bid farewell to the Red Dragons
May 18, 2016 — Senior leaders from state government and the Virginia National Guard, family, friends and fellow Soldiers bid farewell to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at multiple departure events May 14-16, 2016... MORE

Dept. of Military Affairs recognizes, thanks state employees
May 18, 2016 — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Brig. Gen. Paul F. Griffin, Virginia National Guard Director of the Joint Staff, and Walter L. Mercer, Director of Personnel and Administration for the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, recognized and thanked Virginia Department of Military Affairs state employees at luncheons and awards ceremonies May 10, 2016, at Fort Pickett and May 12, 2016, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach... MORE

Transfer of Authority Ceremony held for 116th MET
May 11, 2016 — Soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Military Engagement Team transferred authority to the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Military Engagement Team in a ceremony held May 8, 2016, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait... MORE

Va. Soldiers take first place at 37th BEB Sapper Stakes competition
May 10, 2016 — A squad of Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fredericksburg-based 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 116th IBCT took first place in the Sapper Stakes competition conducted by the Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 37th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division May 7, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The team navigated multiple stations including emplacement of a wire obstacle, leadership reaction course, obstacle course, rope bridge urban breach and M4 rifle qualification. A total of 18 teams took part in the competition, and the Virginia Guard engineers completed the course in seven hours and five minutes, 14 minutes ahead of the second place team. Soldiers from the 116th BSTB joined engineers from the 37th BEB for numerous training opportunities at Fort Pickett that was part of an ongoing partnership between the two units... MORE

Virginia Guard Soldiers train for Military Funeral Honors duty
May 5, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard Military Funeral Honors Program conducted Level 1 Funeral Honors training April 26-30 2016, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Eight Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers from throughout the state participated in the 40-hour certification course which prepares Soldiers to conduct professional military funeral honors in accordance with service tradition... MORE

Virginia Defense Force supports law enforcement for Winchester festival
May 3, 2016 — Nearly 100 members of the Virginia Defense Force assisted local law enforcement keep traffic moving during the 89th Apple Blossom Festival April 29-30, 2016, in Winchester, Virginia. VDF troops from each of the four regiments came together to form Task Force Shenandoah and volunteered their time by operating traffic control points and providing mission command support at the event... MORE

High-performing Va. Army, Air Guard units recognized
May 2, 2016 — High performing Virginia Army and Air National Guard units were recognized at the Virginia National Guard Officer and Enlisted Association Conferences April 30, 2016, in Hampton and Newport News, Virginia... MORE

High-performing Va. Army and Air Guard units recognized

Va. Guard Soldiers help evacuate injured hiker
April 26, 2016 — Virginia National Guard combat engineers put years of military training and experience to work when they helped a volunteer search and rescue crew evacuate an injured hiker off Old Rag Mountain April 24, 2016, in the Shenandoah National Park near Madison County, Virginia... MORE

Candidates, cadre, graduates celebrate OCS 58th birthday
April 26, 2016 — RICHMOND, Va. — Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrated its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action... MORE

Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrate its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)

Historical, archaeological archives move into new digs at Fort Pickett
April 20, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard Historical Collection and archeological collection both moved into a new building with some help from members of the Virginia Defense Force March 28-31, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

Va. National Guard special response force conducts exercise
April 17, 2016 — More than 180 Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, or CERFP, as well as members of the Virginia Defense Force, conducted a simulation exercise April 16, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia, to test the unit’s capabilities to assist in the emergency response for a simulated structure collapse and chemical spill. The CERFP (pronounced “surf-p”) performs tasks associated with consequence management, urban search and rescue, mass causality decontamination, medical triage and stabilization and human remains recovery... MORE

34th CST shares experience, knowledge with Liberty students
April 10, 2016 — Soldiers assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s Blackstone-based 34th Civil Support Team joined members of the Virginia State Police, Lynchburg Fire Department and the Virginia Department of Health in sharing their knowledge and experience in the areas of hazardous material identification and collection with Liberty University students April 9, 2016, in Lynchburg, Virginia. The training was conducted in a non-emergency, simulated bioterrorism attack environment, and the CST personnel did not wear their normal protective equipment to facilitate easier communication with the students... MORE

Rep. Brat visits, tours Fort Pickett
April 7, 2016 — Rep. Dave Brat visited the Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center March 31, 2016. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Lt. Col. Preston Scott, Fort Pickett garrison commander, provided an overview of the installation and its capabilities, then escorted Brat on a tour of the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site, the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute and the Fort Pickett virtual training facility. “It was a pleasure to learn about how these brave men serve,” Brat said on Facebook... MORE

VDF training focuses on individual skills
April 5, 2016 — More than 125 members of the Virginia Defense Force took part in training to improve their individual skills in the areas of interoperable communications, incident management, traffic control and chaplain support April 1-3, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

NCO, Soldier earn top honors in Va. Guard competition
April 4, 2016 — Sgt. David Perry was recognized as the Virginia Army National Guard Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Jeffrey Patteson was named the Soldier of the Year April 3, 2016, after the three-day 2016 Soldier and NCO of the Year Competition at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Both Soldiers are assigned to the Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center... MORE

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