Vt. Army National Guard to host firing range tour July 20

July 14, 2022  |  By 1st Lt. Nathan Rivard 

The Vermont Army National Guard announced that it will host a public tour of the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho on Wednesday, July 20.

The tour will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon and is open to just 20 people due to transportation constraints. More information and a link for registration are online at vt.public.ng.mil/About-Us/Our-Mission/EAFR/. 

The tour will include an overview of the Vermont Army National Guard organization and capabilities, a visit to multiple firing ranges and training site locations. “This tour program represents another opportunity for us to engage with our communities,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont Adjutant General. “The range has been here for a long time, but many people have never had the opportunity to see what kind of training occurs here.”

Located in Jericho since the 1920’s, the Ethan Allen Firing Range provides unique training in New England. The Army Mountain Warfare School serves as the only military mountaineering school in the United States Army, serving students from all branches of the military as well as foreign allies. The Vermont National Guard acts as the program manager for the National Guard biathlon program, and the range boasts what many consider the best biathlon course in the Eastern U.S. 

“While the range has served the training needs of the Vermont National Guard and the region for nearly 100 years, our capabilities have increased dramatically in recent years,” said Lt. Col. David Fabricius, range chief plans and operations officer. “Units from all over come here to qualify on mounted crew served weapons and we continue to adapt to meet new training standards for rifle and pistol qualification standards, in addition to many other training opportunities year round.”

Consisting of more than 11,000 acres, the range is also home to the headquarters of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), as well as the headquarters and Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry (Mountain). 

Register online for the tour. Any questions may be directed to Vermont National Guard Public Affairs Officer Capt. Mike Arcovitch, 802-338-3434, or mikel.r.arcovitch.mil@army.mil.

1st Lt. Nathan Rivard is with Vermont National Guard Public Affairs.