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Virginia Defense Force (U.S.)

Last modified: 2017-08-12 by rick wyatt
Keywords: virginia | virginia defense force |
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image by Randy Young, 7 May 2017

• Description of the Defense Force
• Positional color for the Major General
• Brigades
  • Lafayette Brigade
  • Highland Brigade
  • Black Horse Brigade
• Training Command
• Regiments

See also:

• Virginia
• United States of America

Description of the Defense Force

The Virginia Defense Force is the organized, state-run militia of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VDF falls under the authority of the Virginia Military Department as ordered by the state Adjutant General and the Governor. The Defense Force is used to maintain National Guard installations when those Guard units have been mobilized for Federal service, and when called to service by the Governor to assist in disaster recovery operations within the Commonwealth or to defend the Commonwealth. Like the defense forces of other states, the Virginia Defense Force cannot be called to Federal service; it is responsible only to the Commonwealth and its Governor.

The Virginia Defense Force is organized along the lines of a light infantry division with six subordinate regiments, and commanded by a major general commissioned by the Virginia adjutant general.
(www.vdf.virginia.gov)

The VDF has many flags, including a divisional color and colors for its subordinate units. The flag of the VDF follows the pattern of divisional colors in the US Army, consisting of a horizontal bicolor of red over dark blue with the divisional patch at the center. The Virginia Defense Force patch is in the shape of a red shield bearing the dark blue silhouette of George Washington overlaid on a white dogwood flower (the official flower of Virginia) and the word "VIRGINIA" in white capital letters arched above the silhouette and flower.
Randy Young, 7 May 2017

Positional color for the Major General

image by Randy Young, 7 May 2017

The positional color for the Major General (Virginia) that commands the Virginia Defense Force is dark blue with two five-pointed white stars (the rank symbol of a major general) flanking the divisional patch of  the VDF.
Randy Young, 7 May 2017

Brigades

Prior to 2013, the Virginia Defense Force was organized as a light infantry division with three subordinate brigades, each brigade having responsibility for a specific geographic area of the Commonwealth. While the brigades were numbered, they were typically referred to by a name instead: the Lafayette Brigade, responsible for Richmond and the southeastern part of Virginia; the Highland Brigade with responsibility for the western counties in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley; and the Black Horse Brigade, covering the counties of northern and central Virginia. The colors of the brigades are as follows:
Randy Young, 21 May 2017

Lafayette Brigade

image by Randy Young, 21 May 2017

The flag of the Lafayette Brigade featured the brigade patch centered on a blue field above the words "VIRGINIA DEFENSE FORCE" in gold, capital, sans serif letters. The patch showed a hat with cockade similar to the one worn by the Marquis de Lafayette during the American Revolution. Behind the hat is a pair of crossed rifles. The name of the brigade is in black capital letters across the bottom of the patch, as well as a red ribbon bearing the years in gold "1775" and "1985." The year 1775 denotes the year that the militia was first activated to defend the independent Commonwealth of Virginia from the British Army and is seen as the genesis of the modern Virginia Defense Force. The year 1985 represents the year that legislation was passed bringing the current VDF into existence.
Randy Young, 21 May 2017

Highland Brigade

image by Randy Young, 21 May 2017

The flag of the Highland Brigade showed the brigade's white and blue patch centered on a white field.
Randy Young, 21 May 2017

Black Horse Brigade

image by Randy Young, 21 May 2017

The flag of the Black Horse Brigade was a vertical bicolor, red on the hoist and dark blue on the fly. The Virginia Defense Force patch was displayed in the center of the flag above a white numeral "3."
Randy Young, 21 May 2017

Training Command

image by Randy Young, 21 May 2017

The flag of the Training Command featured the battalion's dark blue and grey or silver logo centered on a dark blue field. The logo shows a rifle at the top pointing toward the hoist, and a representation of a building that may be the original Virginia capital building in Richmond. Arched below the building are the words "LIBERTY OR DEATH" with the date "MDCCLXXV" between the rifle and the building.
Randy Young, 21 May 2017

Regiments

image by Randy Young, 21 May 2017

In 2013, the VDF's internal organization was rearranged from three subordinate brigades to six subordinate regiments, later reduced to four regiments in 2015. Each regiment is still responsible for a specific geographic area of the Commonwealth. The flags of the Virginia Defense Force's regiments are all identical. An example of one is shown.

The flag of the 1st Regiment features a crossed sword and rifle in gold centered on a blue field. Above the sword and rifle are the capital letters "VA" in white for "Virginia," while below the sword and rifle are the words "1st REGIMENT."

Randy Young, 21 May 2017

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