Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) hosted a Guard and Veterans Day event at the state capitol, showcasing its dual mission of supporting the Pennsylvania National Guard (PANG) and Pennsylvania veterans.
The commonwealth has the nation’s third largest National Guard, with more than 17,000 members. Pennsylvania is home to approximately 650,000 veterans, and maintains the seventh largest veteran population in the country.
“We are one team, with one mission, and today’s events were an example of the rich patriotism exuded by members of PANG,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “We take great pride in being one of the nation’s first National Guards and continuously strive to serve both Pennsylvania and the United States, as we have since 1747.
The Associators were founded in 1747 by Dr. Benjamin Franklin. This group became Pennsylvania’s first volunteer militia and later became the PANG.
During the event, the deputy adjutant generals of both the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard swore 20 enlistees into the guard. Maj. Gen. Michael Wegscheider, Army, installed 8 now-guard members and Maj. Gen. Terrence Koudelka, Air, swore in 10 airmen.
Several table-top displays were available throughout the state capitol’s East Wing Rotunda, showing examples of how DMVA and PANG collaborate to best serve our nation, commonwealth, veterans and community partners.
With a combined state and federal budget of more than $1.1 billion, DMVA employs approximately 2,800 commonwealth employees and supports more than 17,000 National Guard members and numerous federal employees throughout the commonwealth. The DMVA’s economic impact exceeds $1.5 billion.
To learn more about the DMVA, visit www.dmva.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or X.