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Category: 86th IBCT (MTN)

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 Shepard dog. The combination results in an intelligent, good-natured, level-headed energetic protector of their beloved human. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Gloria Kamencik, KFOR29)

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.

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 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.

Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, shares results of an organizational assessment with local reporters during a media roundtable Aug. 6, 2021. The assessment, conducted by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations in 2020, gives the Vermont National Guard a favorable rating and lists 35 recommendations to improve the organization. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

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.

The Vermont National Guard released on Aug. 8 the results of an organizational assessment conducted from January-April 2020 by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations.

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.

Marine Pfcs. Preston Toledo and Frank Toledo, both Navajo Code Talkers and cousins, relay orders in the Navajo language on a field radio. They were attached to a Marine artillery regiment in the South Pacific. This photo was taken July 7, 1943.

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.”

The commander of Kosovo Force (KFOR), Italian Maj. Gen. Franco Federici, welcomes the U.S. Army's 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) as they assume responsibility for Regional Command East, at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, June 19. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alvarez)

July 11, 2021

Vermont Soldiers arrive in Kosovo

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Greetings from Kosovo! After spending about two weeks at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Soldiers mainly from the Vermont National Guard once again packed up and moved out! We give a huge ‘thank you!’ to the full-time staff at JMRC for all their help preparing us for our mission in Kosovo. As we took the beautiful bus ride back to Nuremberg, Germany, we realized we were ready to fly to Pristina, Kosovo for our Kosovo Force (KFOR) 29 mission.

Albanian soldiers suppress simulated opposing forces during crowd control training as part of KFOR 29 at Hohenfels, Germany, June 26, 2021. Allies and partners take part in KFOR 29 training in order to increase interoperability and prepare the unit for peace support, stability and contingency operations in Kosovo in support of civil authorities. NATO has been leading the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo since June 1999 to ensure a secure, stable and multi-ethnic Kosovo. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Enrique Moya)

July 2, 2021

VTARNG Soldiers arrive in Germany

HOHENFELS, Germany — Only weeks after a grueling year of COVID-19 support to Vermont and a month long mission to Washington, D.C. for Operation Capitol Response, over 900 Soldiers from the Vermont Army National Guard are now deployed across the globe in support of various missions fulfilling our federal missions.

Lt Col. Matthew Wignall, battalion commander, stands with Col. Ricky Kue, battalion surgeon, both with 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Avalanche, during a site visit in Southwest Asia. The 3-172 IN (MTN) has reached 87 percent of its deployed force being COVID-19 vaccinated. (Photo courtesy of 3-172nd Infantry (Mountain))

June 28, 2021

Vaccination rates soar for deployed infantry battalion

SOUTHWEST ASIA — The Jericho, Vermont, based 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) surpasses the average COVID-19 vaccination rate while deployed.

U.S. Army Spc. Vasek Cervenka, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Garrison Support Command, Vermont National Guard, competing in the 12.5 KM Pursuit Race at the 2021 Junior World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria, March 3, 2021. Cervenka hopes to compete in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China.

June 10, 2021

Vermont National Guard biathletes eye 2022 Beijing Olympics

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Three Vermont National Guard biathletes are training hard in anticipation of attending the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. If selected, VTARNG members will make up 37 percent of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team.The event

U.S. Army Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes, an 11B Infantry Soldier assigned to 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Vermont National Guard, moving through an obstacle during the French Desert Commando Course in Djibouti May 16, 2021.

June 4, 2021

Vermont National Guard Solider completes French Desert Commando Course

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — According to Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes, successfully completing the French Desert Commando Course not only improved individual readiness, the demanding training also helped the Vermont Guardsman prepare for the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course.

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Maj. Gen. Matthew P. Beevers, the acting adjutant general of the California National Guard, pins the rank of brigadier general to Brig. Gen. Marlena A. DeCelle's uniform at her promotion ceremony in Sacramento, California, Jan. 26, 2023.

Cal Guard’s 1st Filipino General Officer Promotes to One Star

By Amanda H. Johnson, | March 31, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Okinawa armory floor was crowded with uniformed personnel and people. Excited conversations echoed between the walls as all waited in anticipation for the ceremony to begin.A row of five flags...

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cody Hallas, 133rd Contingency Response Team, builds an Igloo in Crystal City, Canada. Hallas attended a five-day field training exercise during the Canadian Air Operations Survival training course.

Minnesota Guardsmen Train in Canadian Arctic

By Tech. Sgt. Amy Lovren, | March 30, 2023

RESOLUTE BAY, Canada - Two members of the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 133rd Contingency Response Team (CRT) flew to Resolute Bay to train with the Canadian military on Arctic air operations survival.U.S. Air Force Chief...

Master Sgt. Christopher Sehy, a recruiter with the Utah Army National Guard, embraces his wife, Crystal, as he receives the Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award from Maj. Gen. John Andonie, left, deputy director of the Army National Guard, during the Director’s Strength Maintenance Awards and Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 23, 2023. The conference brings together Army Guard recruiting team chiefs and the top Army Guard recruiters for training sessions and networking opportunities to tackle the challenges of recruiting.

Army Guard Conference Highlights Recruiting Tips, Challenges

By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | March 30, 2023

NEW ORLEANS – Seven Soldiers stood on stage at the award ceremony, waiting to hear who had taken top honors. A drum roll built suspense in the darkened room as audience members shifted in their seats. The drumming reached a...

Warrant Officer Catherine Trujillo, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, in a UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter at Army Aviation Sustainment Facility, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., March 28, 2023.

Washington National Guard Pilot Fulfills Dream to Fly

By Joseph Siemandel, | March 30, 2023

CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Catherine Trujillo had always dreamed of flying helicopters. At the age of 35, she thought she had missed her chance.“Along the way in life, I put my family ahead of my career. But when my youngest...

Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard and commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, pins the Alaska Heroism Medal on Cpl. Bruce Boolowon, the only surviving member of the June 22, 1955, rescue team March 28, 2023, in Gambell, Alaska. The Alaska Heroism Medal is the state’s highest award for valor during peacetime.

Alaska Army Guard ‘First Scouts’ Honored for 1955 Rescue

By Alan Brown and Balinda ONeal, | March 30, 2023

GAMBELL, Alaska – On June 22, 1955, two Russian MiG-15s from Siberia shot down a U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane flying a routine maritime patrol from Kodiak out over the Bering Sea. After it crashed in flames on St. Lawrence...