RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia National Guard Association has announced its annual spring membership drive and has begun accepting applications from retired and currently serving Officers and Warrant Officers of the Virginia National Guard.
“With your membership we are better enabled to make the case for a strong, well-equipped and well-trained Virginia National Guard.” said Maj. Andrew J. Czaplicki, VNGA president. “Last year’s passage of Senate Bill 753, which doubled [State Active Duty] pay, and this year’s passage of House Bill 2261, which eliminates vehicle registration fees for Guard Soldiers and Airmen, are great examples of how our membership was able to effectively inform and educate the members of the General Assembly.”
Membership dues fund the association’s activities and programs such as education grants, accounting and insurance services, awards, support to families and professional development opportunities. Dues are collected electronically using the NGAUS webpage.
“We centralized the collection of the membership dues with our parent association, the National Guard Association of the United States dues on the national webpage to minimize the number of times that our members are sharing their personal information,” explained Czaplicki.
Although the membership drive focuses on growth at the beginning of each year, new members are welcome at any time throughout the year, including those Soldiers and Airmen that receive their commissions in the Summer or Fall. Newly commissioned Second Lieutenants and Warrant Officers receive complimentary membership for the first year.
New for this year, the VNGA is offering a cash incentive to commands achieving targeted membership goals. The amount of cash incentives are determined by the number of officers assigned to each command.
“The commands with more Officers and Warrant Officers have larger rewards,” Czaplicki explained. “Rewards range from $250 to $1,000 and are intended to support commanders’ informal unit fund programs, such as regimental awards or cup and flower activities.”
Membership Drive Contest Rules & Guidelines can be downloaded here.
To accurately count each member, it is essential to identify by Officers’ or Warrant Officers’ Major Subordinate Command, said Czaplicki. Incorrect identification of command may result in a miscount.
The recognized Virginia National Guard Major Subordinate Commands are:
29th Infantry Division (29 ID)
91st Cyber Brigade (91 CY)
116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (116 IBCT)
183rd Regional Training Institute (183 RTI)
192nd Wing (192 WG)
329th Regional Support Group (329 RSG)
Medical Command (MEDCOM)
Maneuver Training Center (MTC)
Joint Force Headquarters – Virginia (JFHQ-VA-ARNG)
Joint Force Headquarters – Virginia (JFHQ-VA-ANG)
The membership drive ends midnight on Monday, May 31, 2021. All complementary memberships issued in 2020 remain in effect through 2021. All members who have joined since Jan. 1, 2021, must return to their NGAUS profiles and update their Major Subordinate Commands to be counted accurately.
Reporters, Editors & Producers: Leaders are available for interviews or to appear as subject matter experts on issues related to the Virginia National Guard Association. Email contact@vnga.us to schedule an interview or appearance.
About VNGA: Established in 1960, the Virginia National Guard Association is a recognized non-profit 501(c)(19) veterans’ service association representing over 10,000 Service Members of all ranks and status; enlisted, warrant and officer; traditional, active duty and retired.
