Articles
Results:
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

Note: the above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. 

National Guard News
Indiana National Guard Sgt. Brendan Bartlett, a cyber specialist with the 147th Cyber Warfare Company, and Spc. Caleb Chambers, assigned to 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, pose with their award for winning the highest overall combined score alongside Command Sgt. Maj. Mathew Hopkins, Michigan Army National Guard senior enlisted leader, after completing the Region IV Best Warrior Competition at Fort Custer Training Center, Michigan, May 2, 2026. The competition featured competitors from Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Photo by Staff Sgt. Hector Tinoco.
Indiana Guard Soldiers Score Well at Regional Competition
By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry, | May 7, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS – Two Indiana National Guard Soldiers received top honors at a Midwest regional competition held at Fort Custer Training Center, near Augusta, Michigan, April 30-May 2.Sgt. Brendan Bartlett and Spc. Caleb...

Spc. Brendan Hays and Staff Sgt. Jonathan Miller of the 617th Military Police Company escort the winner's trophy onto the Paddock at the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 2, 2026. These Soldiers of the 617th Military Police Company displayed the trophy on the Paddock to guests and viewers as the trophy was captured for live televised broadcast. Photo by Staff Sgt. Caleb Sooter.
Kentucky Guard Protects Kentucky Derby Trophy
By Staff Sgt. Caleb Sooter, | May 7, 2026
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On the evening of May 2, the trophy felt heavier in Staff Sgt. Jonathan Miller’s memory than it did in his hands.He recalled the 150th Kentucky Derby two years prior, when he crossed the turf at Churchill...

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gene Enriquez, State Partnership Program director with the Vermont National Guard, greets Dr. Amadou Mbaye Diouf, chief physician, during a key leader engagement in Thiès, Senegal, May 4, 2026, to discuss regional healthcare priorities and inform planning for a 2027 medical readiness exercise. The Vermont National Guard has partnered with Senegal through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program since 2008, strengthening long-term military and civil cooperation through engagements focused on shared readiness and capacity building. African Lion 2026, or AL26, is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, or SETAF-AF, from April 20 to May 8, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christy L. Sherman.
Vermont National Guard Conducts Key Leader Engagements With Senegal Partners Ahead of 2027 Medical Exercise
By Sgt. 1st Class Christy Sherman, | May 7, 2026
THIÈS, Senegal – Vermont National Guard leaders conducted a pre-deployment site survey in Thiès, Senegal, May 3-4, to assess regional healthcare capabilities and coordinate planning for Medical Readiness Exercise 2027, or...