News

Aug. 17, 2021

A Soldier’s story: From Kenyan refugee camp to Vt. National Guard officer

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — For 2nd Lt. Abdimaik Hashi, newly commissioned in the Vermont National Guard, the road to commissioning as an officer began in 2016 when he enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard. As a 19K armor crewman, Hashi initially drove M1 main battle tanks with A Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion-194th Armor Regiment.

Aug. 12, 2021

Regional Command - East conducts mass casualty, active shooter training

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Regional Command – East conducted an active shooter exercise on Camp Bondsteel on Aug.12, 2021 to train Soldiers from a variety of sections with a variety of specialties to ensure readiness in the instance of a real-world active shooter. The exercise included active shooters, casualties, response from the joint operations center, civilian emergency responders, medical personnel, security details, and military police responses.

Aug. 12, 2021

Military Working Dogs provide essential role for Camp Bondsteel security

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — If you visit Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, you may be met at the front gate by Figo and his handler Cpl. Charles West, with the 131st Military Police Detachment. Figo is a Malinois X, a mix of the Belgian malinois and the German shepherd dog. The combination results in an intelligent, good-natured, level-headed energetic protector of their beloved human.

Aug. 11, 2021

Regional Command - East hits ground running

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Soldiers from the U.S. Army, including Soldiers from multiple National Guard states, Reserve Component, and Active Duty, as well as Soldiers from Poland, Latvia, Switzerland, Turkey, Slovenia, Greece, Hungary, and Italy, have fully established at various locations across Kosovo as part of Regional Command – East. Needless to say, we hit the ground running. Kosovo has experienced a fair amount of wild fires of late, and RC-E has been called upon to assist in combating fires in the Western and Northern portions of Kosovo.

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont Guard mobile app enhanced with additional features

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — New functionality, resources and content have been added to the Vermont National Guard’s app making it easier for members to access information ranging from The Adjutant General’s Feed, VTNG news, family and military support resources to recruiting contact details and more.

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont adjutant general shares organizational assessment results

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, shared on Aug. 6 the results of an organizational assessment conducted in 2020 by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations.

Aug. 10, 2021

Vermont National Guard introduces new anti-harassment reporting policy

The prevention of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation is a top priority at the Vermont National Guard. Recently, we published a comprehensive Harassment Reporting and Response Plan to address these serious issues.

Aug. 9, 2021

Biden to approve Austin's request to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory

WASHINGTON — By mid-September, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said. 

Aug. 8, 2021

Vermont National Guard releases organizational assessment

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — The Vermont National Guard has publicly released a 113-page assessment prepared by the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations at the request of VTNG Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight.

Aug. 4, 2021

Remembering the Code Talkers

RUTLAND NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY, Vermont — National Navajo Code Talkers Day is Aug. 14, 2021. As the observance approaches, we should take a moment to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of the nearly 25,000 Native Americans who served in the Armed Forces during WWII. In the words of Signal Officer Maj. Howard Connor, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”