Virginia Air National Guard News

Oct. 7, 2020
Airmen show support for former wingman with tribute run [Updated]

Airmen assigned to the 192nd Wing performed a socially distanced group run to show support for a former Airman who is battling cancer on Sept. 13, 2020.Retired Staff Sgt. Nicole Gicker, formerly a 192nd Intelligence Squadron intelligence operations specialist, was an avid runner and was well known
Sept. 16, 2020
203rd RED HORSE Airmen depart for federal deployment

Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Wing made final preparations and departed for an overseas federal active duty deployment Sept. 12, 2020, at the State Military Reservation in
Sept. 8, 2020
A new normal: VaANG recruiters go digital

As students begin the fall semester with virtual learning, recruiters in the Virginia Air National Guard are contending with their ability to meet the possible recruits in the new socially distant environment. There is no specific strategy or playbook for recruiting through a pandemic, but one thing
Aug. 9, 2020
149th Fighter Squadron welcomes new commander

The 149th Fighter Squadron, Virginia Air National Guard, welcomed Lt. Col. William J. Shnowske as the new squadron commander during a change of command ceremony August 8, 2020, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
July 16, 2020
New precautions, supplies allow VaANG Airmen to return for ‘partial in-person’ drill

For nearly four months, Airmen from the Virginia Air National Guard have been performing routine monthly drills from the comfort of their own homes and behind a computer screen. However, in an initiative to get back to the mission, the 192nd Medical Group has guided COVID-19 prescreening throughout
June 2, 2020
VaANG Airmen innovate, adapt as drills become remote

When the shelter-in-place order was issued in Virginia, the state’s National Guard units were no exception to the rule. Regularly scheduled drills in April, May and June were to be conducted remotely, setting a new precedent for education managers and unit leadership to reassess their approach.For
May 5, 2020
Virginia National Guard Airman is 2019’s top Unit Career Advisor in the nation

The National Guard Bureau announced the winners for the 2019 Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention National Awards on April 6, 2020. Among them is Staff Sgt. Jonquil Willard, a munitions control specialist with the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Maintenance Squadron.In an official
April 14, 2020
192nd Wing Airmen stand ready, adapt to COVID-19 as JBLE flying mission continues

When Tech. Sgt. Robert McCormack comes home after his shift at the 94th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, he walks in through the garage and then the laundry room where he can take off his boots and immediately throw his uniform into the washer. It’s the new reality for Airmen, who like McCormack, are
April 6, 2020
VaANG twins mission-critical amid stay-at-home order

For Staff Sgt. Brian Petrine, it’s a common occurrence for strangers at his job in the 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to walk up and start talking as if they know him.“And then they start yelling at me ‘stop playing around,’ and I tell them no really, I don’t know you,” Brian said.The same is
April 1, 2020
VaANG officer brings experience from motorsports to the flightline

His grandfather instilled in him a passion for cars and racing early on at the drag strip, not far from his hometown in Brodhead, Wisconsin. But as he got older, Capt. Andrew Gibler said he didn’t invest the time he probably should have in the family’s pastime. “Especially when I got to high