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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
Soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard's 556th Military Intelligence Company, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team determine a simulated enemy position during a multi-domain exercise Aug. 3, 2026 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Photo by Brad Rhen.
Pennsylvania Guard Strengthens Intelligence Capabilities
By Brad Rhen, | Aug. 6, 2026
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers focused on locating simulated enemy fighters through various military intelligence means and calling in strikes from unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, during a...

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dustin Frey, 154th Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, flight technician, presents and reviews hook and line equipment to the Indonesian Air Force EOD on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 21, 2026. Hawaii National Guard service members such as Frey routinely train with Indonesian Air Force counterparts through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, which aims to enhance disaster response, aviation, medical readiness, cybersecurity and professional development between the partner nations. Photo by Senior Airman Roann Gatdula.
Hawaii Guard, Indonesian Partners Unite for Explosives Training
By Senior Airman Roann Gatdula, | Aug. 6, 2026
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – For the first time in their 20-year partnership, Hawaii Air National Guard and Indonesian Air Force Airmen came together for specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, training July...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, address the 55th annual conference of the Enlisted Association National Guard of the United States, Daytona Beach, Florida, Aug. 2, 2026. Photo by Master Sgt. Zach Sheely.
Nordhaus, Raines Praise Enlisted Force for Delivering ‘Always Ready, Always There’
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely and Master Sgt. Sarah McClanahan, | Aug. 5, 2026
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Drawing on nearly four centuries of service and the National Guard’s ongoing operational tempo, the Guard Bureau’s senior leaders Aug. 2 urged the enlisted force to sustain the Guard’s edge.Speaking at...