Virginia National Guard

1-111th learn new howitzer systems from 82nd Airborne DIVARTY
May 31, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted hands-on training with Soldiers from the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Artillery during a four-day drill weekend May 4-7, 2017, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina... MORE

Medical Command AT balances mission support, Soldier skills
May 31, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based Medical Command balanced mission support requirements with improving individual skills during a week of annual training in early May 2017. Because Medical Command Soldiers use part of their AT to help Guard units maintain medical readiness throughout the year, they pack as much as possible into the single week of training... MORE

U.S., Canadian military personnel earn German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Jordan
May 30, 2017 — Following three grueling days of physical tests, more than 50 U.S. Army Central Soldiers, including Maryland and Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, a U.S. Air Forces Central Airman and two Canadian Armed Forces soldiers earned the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge May 30, 2017, in Jordan. The GAFPB is a decoration of the German Armed Forces, authorized for wear by the U.S. military, and awarded to soldiers of all ranks. A German air force officer from the German Embassy in Amman served as an advisor and oversaw the three-day event, which was hosted by the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 149th Military Engagement Team... MORE

U.S., Jordanian military legal professionals gain greater understanding through joint symposium
May 30, 2017 — U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force legal professionals from the U.S. Central Command area of operations teamed with 10 Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army military judges for a four-day symposium on operational law and military justice April 24-27, 2017, near Amman, Jordan... MORE

New exhibit highlights Va. Guard service in WWI
May 24, 2017 — A new exhibit highlighting the Virginia National Guard’s service in World War I officially opened May 22, 2017, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. For the National Guard, WWI was significant because it was the first time volunteer state militia units were federalized under U.S. Army structure and deployed overseas for combat operations... MORE

Va. Guard Soldiers, Airmen awarded for rifle marksmanship excellence
May 22, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen received awards for their outstanding performance during the Adjutant General’s 2017 Rifle Match May 21, 2017, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Sixty-five participants competed in a variety of individual and team events May 19-20, hosted by the Fort Pickett-based 3rd Battalion, 183rd Regional Training Institute. The state-level competition included events such as reflexive fire, an urban assault course, and a course for the Army’s Excellence in Competition badge. All Virginia National Guardsmen are welcome to attend, regardless of rank or prior weapon qualification scores, because it is most importantly a training and sustainment event... MORE

Red Dragons recognized for federal duty, training excellence
May 21, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team received the Governor’s National Service Medal May 21, 2017, in Roanoke, Virginia, in recognition of their federal active duty service conducting security operations in Qatar from May 2016 to April 2017. The battalion and several companies also were recognized with national- and state-level training readiness awards... MORE

1030th Soldiers operate trailer transfer point in Gate City during annual training
May 16, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Gate City-based 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group operated a trailer transfer point May 16, 2017, in Gate City as part of their two weeks of annual training. The TTP is part of a transportation mission that provides the Soldiers with real-world training and saves the Army money by using Guard resources to move containers, and it also simulates the kind of operation the Soldiers would conduct if they were providing logistics support overseas in a federal active duty status... MORE

29th ID, Kuwaiti leaders meet to build partnership
May 12, 2017 — Brig. Gen. John Epperly, Deputy Commander of Task Force Spartan, recently met with Kuwaiti Major General, Khalid Saleh Al Sabah at the Kuwaiti Land Forces Headquarters here. Air Force Brigadier General David San Clemente, Office of Military Cooperation, joined the two Army officers as they discussed matters of mutual interest including security cooperation, equipment, and upcoming exercises... MORE

Cake cutting ceremony recognizes 410th birthday of Va. National Guard, Jamestown
May 12, 2017 — A cake cutting ceremony to recognize the 410th birthday of the Virginia National Guard and Jamestown was held May 12, 2017, Sandston, Virginia. The Virginia Guard traces the heritage and traditions of Citizen-Soldier and Citizen-Airmen service to the founding of Jamestown when Capt. John Smith organized the colonists for defense. Since the colony’s founding on May 14, 1607, there has not been a day since without a military presence in Virginia to defend freedom at home and overseas... MORE

Va. Guard team among finishers at Best Sapper Competition
May 10, 2017 — Since January, two Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Sgt. Nicholas Shidlovsky and 2nd Lt. Gregory Gerlach, have worked together nearly every day to train for the Best Sapper Competition, held at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, April 23-28, 2017. Going in, the two were confident, ready and exceptionally motivated. At the competition, they survived the grueling match that pushed them through lakes, over mountains, out of helicopters and over countless obstacles to become one of just 20 teams to finish a competition that 48 teams started... MORE

Ceremony marks consolidation of two MP companies
May 7, 2017 — Former commanders of the Virginia National Guard’s 266th Military Police Company helped retire the unit guidon during a ceremony consolidating the 266th with the 229th Military Police Company May 6, 2007, Manassas, Virginia. The ceremony also marked the change of command from Capt. Steven Gallo to Capt. Matthew Negard and the transfer of the 229th MP Company from the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group to the 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th RSG... MORE

VDF volunteers keep traffic moving at Winchester festival
May 7, 2017 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force operate traffic control points and provide mission command support May 5, 2017, at the 90th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia. More than 90 members of the all-volunteer VDF from units across the state assisted local law enforcement in keeping traffic moving and operated as many as 59 TCPs during a variety of events May 5 and 6. The VDF also took advantage of the mission to train on multiple communication systems and rehearse administrative, mission command and logistics procedures they would use if they were called to state active duty to augment the Virginia National Guard... MORE

Flora shares personal story at Congressional reception
May 4, 2017 — Brig. Gen. Lapthe Flora, the Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General for Strategic Initiatives, shared his personal journey of living for three years in the jungle to avoid being drafted into the communist Vietnamese military after the fall of Saigon to seeking refuge in the United States and attending Virginia Military Institute to becoming a general officer in the U.S. Army at a Congressional reception recognizing the history of diversity in the Army since World War I held May 3, 2017, at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C... MORE

Sandston-based aviation units return to Va. from federal duty
May 4, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers serving in two Sandston-based aviation units returned to Virginia in late April and early May 2017 after serving on federal active duty since June 2016. Approximately 40 Soldiers each assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, and Detachment 2, Company B, 777th Aviation Support Battalion provided rotary wing aviation and aviation maintenance support to the U. S. Central Command area of operations. Soldiers returned to Virginia in small groups to airports closest to their home of record to reunite with their families and loved ones. A more formal recognition for the units will take place in the coming months... MORE

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