News

Feb. 16, 2018

Meet your Guard: 1st Lt. John Helme

CAMP JOHNSON, Vt. — This edition of Meet Your Guard focuses on 1st Lt. John C. Helme, a signal officer, with 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry Regiment, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), who is also a native of Barre, Vt., and currently lives in Burlington, Vt. Helme teaches math at Colchester Middle School.

Feb. 16, 2018

Meet your Guard: Sgt. Peter Shepardson

CAMP JOHNSON, Vt. — This edition of Meet Your Guard focuses on Sgt. Peter Shepardson, a 91B wheeled-vehicle mechanic, with Bravo Company, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), who is also a native of Essex Junction, Vt., and currently lives in Westford, Vt. Shepardson has served in the Vermont National Guard for three years.

Jan. 27, 2018

National Guard Biathlon Regionals Held in Vermont

CAMP ETHAN ALLEN TRAINING SITE, Vt. — National Guardsmen from 24 states competed in their respective Regional Biathlon Competitions at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont. Biathlon consists of target shooting and ski racing. Competitors, ranging from novice to master, are divided into west, central, and east regions.

July 18, 2017

86th IBCT (MTN) finishes warfighter exercise

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, conducted a warfighter exercise held from June 3-14. The exercise is a tactical operations drill designed to train brigade staff using a simulation with the Army’s Command Post of the Future, a software system that enables commanders to see the battlefield and communicate across the force. The brigade was at Fort Drum to facilitate the exercise.

June 13, 2017

572nd BEB kicks-off annual training

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, kicked off annual training with a bang on Tuesday. Soldiers from the unit participated in various live-fire ranges with fragmentation grenades, Mark 19 40mm grenade machine guns, M4 carbines, M249 light machine guns and M240B machine guns.

June 10, 2017

Mechanics support warfighter exercise

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Two U.S. Soldier Mechanics with Echo Company, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Spc. Kale Raymond, a power-generation equipment repairer, and Spc. Kyle Spaulding, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, worked behind the scenes to support the brigade’s warfighter exercise, a tactical operations drill designed to train brigade staff. In addition to supporting the exercise as the only mechanics, the two provided support for the advanced echelons (ADVON) in their battalion.

June 9, 2017

Different units cooperate to sustain the 86th IBCT Warfighter Exercise

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — More than 600 Soldiers are involved with the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), 10th Mountain Division, during its warfighter exercise at Fort Drum, New York, June 3-18. It is a feat to address the logistics of sustaining a large force while operating in the field, but brigade Soldiers from the 1157th Forward Support Company, Colorado National Guard, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, Vermont National Guard, and active-duty Soldiers from Headquarters Support Company, Headquarters, Headquarters Battalion, 10th MTN DIV, all came together to make it happen.

June 7, 2017

572nd BEB conducts first tactical operations exercise as a battalion

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The newly reconstituted 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, participated in a brigade Warfighter exercise at Fort Drum, New York, June 3-18. The Warfighter serves as a good starting point for the new battalion and allows them to work with their attachments and units, like Echo Company, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, and new additions from outside the state like Charlie Company from Connecticut and Delta Company from Colorado..

March 5, 2017

Low-density MOS Training

Approximately 100 medics from the guard were present for the training weekend. This training was especially important because medics are required to renew their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification every two years, among other certifications.

Feb. 11, 2017

Live demolition training

CAMP ETHAN ALLEN TRAINING SITE, Vt. — The morning started in the classroom where Soldiers manually put together the explosive C4 devices as a team. Each unit member had the opportunity to participate and put training into practice.