Retirement in the OHARNG

So, you’re retiring from the military? “Who cares?!” according to the Ohio Army National Guard.

By Colonel Six, Defend Ohio News Group

Updated 1:35 PM ET, Monday, November 30, 2020

Columbus, Ohio ­— 20 Years is a long time to spend doing anything. It’s a VERY long time to spend serving one’s country. For the dedicated members of our nation’s military who’ve missed out on life events like children being born, anniversaries, birthdays, sporting events, or who’ve been injured in service to their country, those 20 years are a defining piece of who they are as a person. The Ohio National Guard’s senior leadership apparently couldn’t care less.

If you visit any “real” Army post across the country, you’ll find that they conduct quarterly or monthly post-wide retirement ceremonies in order to honor every single retiring member of their respective commands. In fact, a short YouTube search will land you countless videos of such ceremonies (see videos at the bottom of this page). Even during this pandemic, commands across the country have found safe ways to ensure a dignified, formal send-off. So although Ohio Adjutant General John Harris often contends that the OHARNG is just like the real Army, this treatment of his own Soldiers is one of many examples of how delusional that assertion is. The typical retirement honors for one of his Soldiers carries less gravitas than Tuesday evening happy hour at a bowling alley.

Why is this sort of thing important? Firstly, it’s the right thing to do. These men and women have offered everything to their country. As part of their 20 years of service to the American people and the citizens of Ohio, most have suffered some combination of physical degradation, injuries, mental anguish, substance abuse, marital problems, depression, anxiety, PTSD and more. Secondly, it’s a regulatory requirement. Yes, big Army decided that a 10-15 minute ceremony was the least we should do for someone who has given so much. In fact, Army Regulation (AR) 600-8-7 Retirement Services Program, lays out countless requirements that OHARNG commanders continue to neglect (see footnotes). It’s a prime example of the toxic leadership culture of the OHARNG, where commanders don’t care about something unless their boss cares about it. Until it’s on the commander’s “report card,” (the IG Checklist) the Ohio Guard will continue to fail its Soldiers and families - something that doesn’t go unnoticed by its young Soldiers when they consider whether or not to make this a career.

To hear some firsthand accounts, ole’ Colonel Six met virtually with several recently-retired OHARNG members who got the cold shoulder when their time was up. Here are their stories:

Retired Sergeant First Class Donald Barlow served 20 years, with time in both the active component and the Ohio Army National Guard. His 12 active duty years included 15 months in Korea and deployments to Afghanistan and Kuwait, as well as full-time service in the Ohio National Guard. SFC Barlow was assigned to Joint Force Headquarters at the time of his retirement over a year ago. When we asked him about his experience, he told us that his unit didn’t conduct any ceremony or send-off at all for him when he retired. “I have not heard a single thing from any member of the OHANG in a formal capacity since I decided to retire,” he said. In regards to an award or retirement benefits information, he continued, “I have not received a single bit of information from the Guard regarding my retirement.”

Master Sergeant Jack Kacin retired in August of 2020 from the 155^th Chemical Battalion in Kettering. “I planned my own retirement ceremony around 3 months out. I got buy-in from my AO (administrative officer) and thought everything was going to be fine. My friend from active duty, whose beautiful retirement ceremony I attended last year at Joint Base San Antonio, flew here from Orlando to be a part of it. My wife and son both scheduled off work for it. My mom, and brother took off work and drove from Atlanta, Georgia. My dad took off work and was going to be taking an 11-hour drive from Wilmington, Delaware. And then suddenly, 4 days before my ceremony, I was told that the Battalion Commander was not going to allow the ceremony, citing that my award and promotion orders weren’t yet in-hand. So I made a few calls higher and the G1 was able to get both to me in less than 48 hours. I called LTC Harris to plead the case to continue with the ceremony, but he wouldn’t budge. This time he said it was because of COVID, despite the fact that my ceremony was planned to be outdoors and following all social distancing protocols. He actually told me to have my dad, who was halfway into his drive, turn around and go home. I was shocked because LTC Harris had just had his promotion ceremony a short time beforehand and our XO, Shane Harlor, had his promotion ceremony a short time after. Their ceremonies were announced “A-distro”, were conducted with their loved ones present, indoors, and even streamed live on Facebook. I wasn’t offered any of that. Not even an email announcement. It’s been months and I still have former peers and Soldiers come to me saying they didn’t even know I was retired. Not a single member of my Company or Battalion leadership even reached out to congratulate me. I was embarrassed (for my leadership, not by them). All I got was just the typical, ‘We’ll bring you back in in a few months’ crap they tell everyone. And they never call them back.” MSG Kacin did share with us that his AO did end up calling him the month after his retirement to invite him to the upcoming quarterly full-time staff lunch, where he was presented a plaque, retirement award and a buffet-style burrito lunch in the unit’s classroom. MSG Kacin’s company commander was CPT John Flegal; Battalion Commander was LTC Joshua Harris; Command Sergeant Major was David Walker.

According to one of our sources, similar insult befell Retired Sergeant First Class Latishia Riley. SFC Riley retired over 18 months ago from her time as an AGR (Active Guard Reserve) Human Resources NCO with the 155^th Chemical Battalion in Kettering. Our source told us that SFC Riley was “the one who always stepped up to make sure that others were honored upon retirement or PCS.” But when it came for her time to retire, there was nothing but the sound of crickets in the distance. There was no ceremony, award, plaque, recognition in front of her troops, or even the typical cheesy luncheon that some are lucky enough to receive. Neither her, nor her husband or children, were thanked for their service and sacrifices over the years. She was merely told, “We’ll bring you back in for something.” That was a year and a half ago. As is the norm, she was quickly forgotten about in favor of more pressing matters like making spreadsheets with little green squares. SFC Riley’s Battalion Commander was LTC Phil Buxton; her Command Sergeant Major was SGM David Walker.

We reached out through a source to another AGR retiree shortly before this article was published. He didn’t wish to relive the details of his disappointing experience, so we asked around for information regarding the situation. Our source tells us that this NCO retired with no ceremony or recognition whatsoever at the end of his AGR career last year. But after a Facebook post where he vented his disappointment, his chain of command hurriedly contacted him to bring him in for a small gathering of the full-timers in the unit. With little details on the situation, it would be safe to assume this was a “damage control” measure to reduce any further negative publicity for the command. We’re told this NCO had spent years pondering what he’d say in his final formation - who he’d thank, his words of encouragement to young Soldiers, maybe a funny story to share. But he never got that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was just ushered out the door and promptly replaced, like the many before him.

And rank alone doesn't seem to guarantee a dignified retirement ceremony. Retired Sergeant Major Benjamin Maxim was honored for his 31 years of service at a local pizza parlor. We're also working to verify intel that we received suggesting that COL Jeff Suver was left high and dry as well.

These stories are only those of the few Soldiers that we were able to contact on short notice. But embarrassingly, this same neglect happens across every command in the state. And sadly, it will continue until the OHARNG’s “leaders” are forced to honor their retirees with dignified retirement ceremonies. For the Ohio National Guard, it’ll be one step closer to being a respectable military organization on par with every other branch who doesn’t seem to have a problem getting this small but important task right.

I want to personally thank the NCOs who shared their stories with us. Your willingness to open up about your experiences may help ensure this doesn’t continue to happen to others like you. As for my other readers, if you or someone you know has retired from the Ohio Army National Guard and were denied a formal retirement ceremony or award, please contact me at colonelsix@dongvideos.com . We plan to publish a follow-up article on this topic and would love to share more Soldiers' experiences. As always, we will respect your anonymity if you prefer. In the mean time, feel free to check out the videos below to see what right looks like.

- Six out.

Additional notes:

- AR 600-8-7, paragraph 1-7c: Provide Soldiers, regardless of component, the opportunity to participate in an appropriate retirement ceremony as determined and resourced by the commander.

- AR 600-8-7, paragraph 2-6c(9)(a): Create a command climate that says Retired Soldiers, their Families, and survivors are valued.

- AR 600-8-7, paragraph 2-6c(9)(i): Look for ways to honor Retired Soldiers’ service in front of current Soldiers at formations and ceremonies.

- AR 600–8–22, paragraph 1-33a: All U.S. Army decorations will be presented with an appropriate air of formality and with fitting ceremony.

- AR 600–8–22, paragraph 6-20e: Commanders will present the [US Army Retired] lapel button to Army personnel as a part of the Army Retiring Soldier Commendation Program package at an appropriate ceremony prior to retirement.

- AR 600-8-7, paragraph 3-3b(3)(g): Reserve Component (RC) Retirement Services Offices will maintain a retirement services web page on the command’s web site with an easily located, active link. The site will include scheduled dates, times, and locations of upcoming retirement ceremonies.