Virginia National Guard

VNG Airmen return home ahead of the holidays
December 23, 2019 — NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Balloons and signs were in full force at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport Dec. 20, 2019, as family members, wingmen and leaders welcomed home Airmen assigned to the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing. Just in time to spend the holidays with their families, approximately 20 Airmen returned home after they spent the last six months deployed overseas... MORE

Adjutant General’s 2019 Holiday Message
December 18, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — As we look back on 2019, we can see it was another incredibly busy year for everyone in the Virginia National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force. Our Soldiers, Airmen, VDF members and the federal and state civilians who support them have all been working incredibly hard to build and maintain readiness that is essential to mission success; I thank each and every one of you for the outstanding effort!... MORE

34th CST trained, ready following evaluation
December 11, 2019 — FORT LEE, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett-based 34th Civil Support Team was evaluated as trained and mission capable after a Training Proficiency Evaluation Nov. 19 and 21, 2019, at Fort Lee, Virginia. The evaluation was conducted by the U.S. Army North’s Civil Support Readiness Group – East, which supervised the exercise and validated the unit’s level of readiness... MORE

1032nd TC completes international line haul mission
December 11, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Gate City-based 1032nd Transportation Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support group completed an international line haul mission to Canada and back Dec. 3 – 8, 2019, culminating at Fort Pickett, Virginia... MORE

Efforts underway to locate historic gravesites at Fort Pickett
December 11, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Archeologists, with the help of land records, technology and ground surveys, are attempting to locate hundreds of possible gravesites within the confines of Fort Pickett in an effort to determine if those sites still contain any human remains. ... MORE

Thunder Soldiers honored with Order of Saint Barbara
December 11, 2019 — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Virginia National Guard field artillery Soldiers past and present gathered for the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s regimental muster and Saint Barbara’s Day celebration Dec. 7, 2019, in Williamsburg, Virginia. As part of the festivities, deserving individuals were presented with the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara and the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara... MORE

VNG Soldiers get creative with ACFT training
December 11, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — With the rollout of the new Army Combat Fitness Test, the Virginia National Guard’s master fitness trainers are providing unique training opportunities to help Soldiers prepare for the test. During one such event, held Nov. 21, 2019, near Richmond, Virginia, Master Sgt. Ramon Abreu-Perez, master fitness coordinator for the Virginia National Guard, put together a fast-paced, heart-pumping, field-expedient ACFT training session... MORE

New assignments to IOSC and Joint Staff announced
November 27, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams announced new senior leader assignments at the Information Operations Support Center and Virginia National Guard Joint Staff Nov. 25 and 26, 2019... MORE

Exchange program benefits VNG Soldiers, partnerships
November 22, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Several Virginia National Guard Soldiers were able to participate in the Military Reserve Exchange Program in 2019, traveling abroad and attaching to foreign armies in a unique opportunity for military professional development. ... MORE

FASTC officially opens doors at Fort Pickett
November 22, 2019 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Officials from the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service and the General Services Administration formally opened the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 14, 2019, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Senior leaders from state government, the Virginia National Guard and Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett attended the event, including Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Carlos Hopkins and Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. VNG Soldiers from the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music for the ribbon-cutting. FASTC is now the nation’s largest training facility dedicated to overseas safety and security, and will train about 10,000 personnel from the U.S. foreign affairs community annually, including DSS special agents, security engineers, technicians and couriers, according to a release from the U.S. Department of State... MORE

Va. Army Guard recruiters recognized as top in region
November 22, 2019 — RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia National Guard recruiters took the top spots for both regional recruiter of the year and regional recruiting supervisor of the year following a board held Nov. 7, 2019, in West Virginia. Master Sgt. Donnie Brizendine and Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Fretwell competed against their peers from neighboring states... MORE

203rd RED HORSE Squadron conducts field training exercise
November 21, 2019 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers Squadron held a four-day field training exercise Nov. 14-17, 2019, at State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Airmen across more than 20 specialties in the RED HORSE Squadron trained for tasks they would be responsible for during deployments... MORE

116th Infantry Regiment holds 52nd Annual Muster
November 14, 2019 — STAUNTON, Va. – Veterans of the 116th Infantry Regiment and Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team gathered for an evening of camaraderie at the 52nd annual muster Nov. 9, 2019, at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, Virginia. The theme of this year’s program was Remembering our History, the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Col. Joseph A. DiNonno, commander of the 116th, also provided a brigade report on the previous training year... MORE

VNG pilot pops surprise proposal at JMU game
November 13, 2019 — HARRISONBURG, Va. – By the time he started walking toward the James Madison University football field, 2015 alum 1st Lt. Blake Place was already having a pretty great day. He and his fellow Soldiers, all assigned to Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, helped kick off the Nov. 9, 2019, football game with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flyover. Now, it was almost time to propose to Andrea Dargie, his girlfriend of two years. Place wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but his fellow pilots helped him out as they wound their way through the stadium toward the field. They were tailed by a cluster of family members and friends, including Dargie, who had no idea what was coming... MORE

29th ID Band’s efforts rewarded with ASUA
November 12, 2019 — ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band received the Army Superior Unit Award streamer from Brig. Gen. Lapthe Flora, VNG Assistant Adjutant General-Army, during a ceremony Nov. 9, 2019, before the Virginia Veterans Parade in Roanoke, Virginia... MORE

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