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Category: 86th IBCT (MTN)

Sept. 23, 2022

State tuition benefit opens career pathways

Staff Sgt. Joseph Poley is expanding his career options thanks to a law passed in May that provides Guardsmen with up to $16,000 in tuition benefits for Vermont state colleges. Poley, a paralegal NCO with the Vermont National Guard’s Staff Judge Advocate office, said he learned about the new state tuition benefit while discussing financial aid options with Capt. Axel Larson, the Vermont National Guard’s education service officer.

Sept. 22, 2022

Vermont National Guard holds distinguished visitor day for legislators

Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont’s adjutant general, hosted 12 Vermont legislators during a tour of the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont, on Sept. 20, 2022. Legislators received a brief from Range Control, a tour of the new Army Mountain Warfare School, and the National Guard Biathlon program.

Sept. 16, 2022

Vermont Guard honors MIAs, former POWs

The Vermont National Guard and Vermont State Guard held a ceremony Sept. 16 at Camp Johnson, Vermont, to honor former prisoners of war and those missing in action, including three former POWs from World War II and a former POW who was captured by North Korea in 1968.

Sept. 14, 2022

Vermont Guard holds annual TAG Match

Every year the Vermont Adjutant General hosts the Combat Marksmanship Competition for Soldiers and Airmen at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont. This year's competition was held Sept. 10-11. Commonly called the TAG Match, it is open to all members of the Army and Air National Guard with the intention of promoting marksmanship proficiency. The participants are able to compete for pistol and rifle badges that can be worn on their uniforms. The most coveted of these is the Governor’s Twenty tab, which is worn on the left sleeve above their unit patch.

Sept. 9, 2022

Vt. citizen Soldier honors those lost to suicide

“Twenty-two a day” is a phrase many veterans use to talk about suicide awareness within the veteran community. It’s a number John Brutzman, the Vermont National Guard’s substance abuse prevention coordinator, is working to decrease.

Aug. 29, 2022

186th BSB conducts annual training at Camp Dodge, Iowa

The Vermont Army National Guard’s 186th Brigade Support Battalion completed its annual training at the Army National Guard Sustainment Training Center (STC) at Camp Dodge, Iowa, July 31-Aug. 13.

Aug. 15, 2022

Vermont Guardsmen Demonstrate Readiness Under Stress

Vermont National Guard Soldiers navigated obstacles, completed fitness tasks and engaged targets during a live-fire exercise conducted by Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) on Aug. 13.

June 1, 2022

Vermont National Guard holds Memorial Day ceremony

On May 26, 2022, the VTNG held a Memorial Day ceremony at Camp Johnson in Colchester, Vermont. The occasion marked the second time the ceremony was conducted at the Fallen Hero’s Memorial’s new site, a location accessible to the public. In attendance, Vermont’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight was joined by Vermont’s Lt. Governor Molly Gray, Vermont Gold Star families, and veterans.

May 27, 2022

Vt. director of joint staff retires

The Vermont National Guard director of joint staff retired May 26, 2022, in a ceremony held at the Green Mountain Armory. Brig. Gen. David Manfredi served for 34 years both on active duty, with the 10th Mountain Division, and in the Army National Guard in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and for the past 17 years in the VTNG.

May 10, 2022

Vermont Guard to support training exercise Swift Response 22

More than 120 Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers will participate in training exercise Swift Response 22 in North Macedonia from May 11 to 17. Exercise Swift Response is an annual U.S. Army Europe and Africa multinational training exercise that takes place this year in Eastern Europe, the Arctic High North, Baltics, and Balkans from May 2-24.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard 2026

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National Guard News
North Carolina Guardsmen Spc. Michael Smith, driving; Spc. Brycen Anderson; and Staff Sgt. Sethone Kan, 252 Engineering Company,130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, or JTF-SB, pose for a portrait before a night patrol in Rio Grande City, Texas, June 3, 2026. The Soldiers participated in a rescue mission the night before, working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, to rescue an illegal alien who had been bitten by a snake. Northern Command is working side by side with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities, to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border. Courtesy photo.
North Carolina Guardsmen, Customs and Border Protection Conduct Rescue
By Capt. Shamari Pratt, | June 18, 2026
RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas – North Carolina National Guardsmen and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents rescued a suspected illegal alien who was bitten by a snake while attempting to cross the southern border June 2 at...

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Shea, left, officer-in-charge of the Unmanned Aircraft System Training and Innovation Facility, or UASTIF, at Fort Indiantown Gap, and Sgt. 1st Class Brent Wehr, course manager for the 15X MOS transition course at the UASTIF, trouble-shoot an issue with an unmanned aircraft system on June 10, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Photo by Brad Rhen.
Pennsylvania Modernizing Drone Training Facility
By Brad Rhen, | June 18, 2026
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The Unmanned Aircraft System, or UAS, Training and Innovation Facility soon will undergo modernization changes that will strengthen its readiness to train Soldiers, including creating an innovation...

Katherine and Matthew Zito raise their right hands during their enlistment swearing-in as Maj. Andrew Line swears them into the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, June 12, 2026. Photo by 2nd Lt. Jessica Barb.
Mother, Son Join Pennsylvania National Guard Together
By 2nd Lt. Jessica Barb, | June 18, 2026
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – For most of the past nine years, it was just the three of them – a mother and her two sons navigating life side by side.Through challenges, loss and perseverance, they built a bond through resilience. Years...