Virginia National Guard

Va. Defense Force continues to build communications expertise
June 28, 2016 — Virginia Defense Force units across the commonwealth took part in the United Resolve communications exercise which brought together multiple state defense forces, emergency communications professionals and amateur radio operators June 25, 2016, to share knowledge and improve their capabilities to communicate using a variety of systems... MORE

Zollar takes command of 183rd RTI
June 27, 2016 — Col. James A. Zollar takes command of the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute from Col. Thomas L. Morgan, III, June 26, 2016, in a traditional change of command ceremony at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Virginia National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General – Army, presided over the exchange of unit colors that represented the transfer of command from Morgan to Zollar... MORE

Pillion takes command of Camp Pendleton
June 26, 2016 — Lt. Col. Timothy Pillion took command of Camp Pendleton Collective Training Center from Lt. Col. Elena Scarbrough during a traditional change of command ceremony June 23, 2016, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General – Army, presided over the exchange of colors that represented the transfer of command from Scarbrough to Pillion... MORE

Pillion takes command of Camp Pendleton
June 26, 2016 — Lt. Col. Timothy Pillion took command of Camp Pendleton Collective Training Center from Lt. Col. Elena Scarbrough during a traditional change of command ceremony June 23, 2016, in Virginia Beach, Virginia... MORE

Va. National Guard personnel assist flood response operations in Alleghany, Botetourt counties
June 25, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard activated 20 Soldiers with Humvees and light/medium tactical trucks to assist with flood response operations in Alleghany and Botetourt counties June 24, 2016, after the Governor of Virginia declared a state of emergency the night before. Soldiers from the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team quickly responded and were on location and ready for duty within 12 hours of the start of alert notifications... MORE

Va. National Guard personnel assist flood response operations in Alleghany and Botetourt counties

116th IBCT Soldiers demonstrate training proficiency during AT
June 22, 2016 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team demonstrated a high level of proficiency that met and exceeded expectations for their “ready year” during annual training June 4-18, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. With two battalions on federal mobilization and multiple companies having conducted training center rotations earlier in the year, the brigade had a smaller footprint on the ground at Fort Pickett, but all of those Soldiers demonstrated they would have been ready to go if called... MORE

Annual training for 276th Engineers builds on the basics
June 22, 2016 — Soldiers assigned to the Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command built on the basics to improve on squad and team integration with hands on training with engineer equipment and demolitions in tactical environment during the annual training June 4-18, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Engineers replaced culverts and repaired roads at Fort Pickett with rock crushed at the installation’s quarry, constructed field defenses during a field training exercise, conducted demolition ranges to familiarize Soldiers with different kinds of explosives and competed in a regional food service competition... MORE

529th CSSB supports 116th IBCT during annual training
June 20, 2016 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion provide general support to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during annual training June 4-18, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The mission provided the 529th CSSB an opportunity to execute its doctrinal mission of providing sustainment support to maneuver formations, and they worked in coordination with the 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to provide maintenance and transportation capabilities to augment the capabilities of the 429th... MORE

185th Cyber Operations Squadron actively seeking interested officers, enlisted
June 16, 2016 — The 185th Cyber Operations Squadron, the latest addition to the 192nd Fighter Wing Operations Group, is up and running. Director of Operations Maj. Nathan Brown is working hard to staff this new squadron because with a home-station mobilization on the horizon for the fall of 2018, there is no time to waste... MORE

Governor, state legislators visit Fort Pickett
June 12, 2016 — Governor Terry McAuliffe joins a group of Virginia Senators and Delegates on a tour of the Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center June 10, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The tour included firing ranges, visiting Soldiers from the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducting annual training, a tasty MRE lunch and an opportunity to rappel down the 40-foot tower on the Air Assault Course... MORE

Flora promoted to brigadier general
June 6, 2016 — Col. Lapthe C. Flora was promoted to brigadier general at the National D-Day Memorial June 6, 2016, in Bedford, Virginia. Flora, a native of Saigon, is the first Vietnamese boat person to be promoted to general officer in the United State Army and the second of Vietnamese descent. He most recently served as the commander of the Virginia National GuardÕs Bowling Green-based 91st Troop Command and will serve as the Assistant Adjutant General for Strategic Initiatives... MORE

Smith takes command of 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
June 6, 2016 — Col. E. Scott Smith takes command of the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Col. William J. Coffin June 5, 2016, in a traditional change of command ceremony at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Virginia National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General – Army, presided over the exchange of unit colors that represented the transfer of command from Coffin to Smith... MORE

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