Elgin Soldier Achieves Highest Warrant Officer Rank

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Chief Warrant Officer (5) Ronald Archibald

SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/28/2010)(readMedia)-- "It is nice to know that the Adjutant General, Assistant Adjutant General and the Chief, Chief Warrant Officer (of the Illinois National Guard) has complete confidence in me to hold this position," said Chief Warrant Officer (5) Ronald Archibald.

That was the first thing that crossed Archibald's mind when he found out he would be promoted. In order to achieve the rank of chief warrant officer (5) Soldiers must have hold the rank of chief warrant officer (4) for five years and be selected for the position prior to being promoted.

Warrant officers make up two percent of the Illinois National Guard force. There are only 11 chief warrant officers (5) out of the 220 warrant officers, making them five percent of the two percent force. Warrant officers posses a high degree of specialization in a particular field, compared to more general assigned tasks of other officers.

Archibald joined the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) when he was 18 years old as a launcher crewman with Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 202nd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) based in Northfield. Since enlisting in the ILARNG, Archibald has been in 15 ADA and transportation companies in the Chicago area. Today, Archibald is the senior maintenance officer for Joint Force Headquarters at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, supervising 11 field maintenance shops in Illinois.

"When you are 17 years old and your father is in the National Guard and a Korean war veteran and he tells you to join, you join," said Archibald.

Archibald was a first sergeant for eight years with Company C, 133rd Signal Battalion in North Riverside when he and his boss sat down and discussed his future in the Illinois National Guard.

"I had been a first sergeant for eight years and looking forward to command sergeant major," said Archibald. "Since I was only 38 years old, I figured that staying a command sergeant major for 20 years was highly unlikely."

That is when Archibald decided that becoming a warrant officer was his best career choice he said, because being able to train Soldiers is important to him.

Archibald volunteered to deploy twice. In 2003, while visiting the 1244th Transportation Company, based in North Riverside, at their mobilization site, he saw "great need" for a strong maintenance officer to take care of the Soldiers, its fleet and equipment. Archibald deployed with the 1244th from 2003 to 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In 2007,

Archibald waived his dwell time in order to deploy with a 50-member team from the 108th Sustainment Brigade in support of OIF. Archibald is married to Tonda with a daughter, son and stepson. Archibald and his wife live in Elgin.

"My family is proud of me, but they are always worried about the deployments," said Archibald. "They know if I am asked to go I will, because that's my job. I missed a lot of birthdays, football games and weekends that I could have spent with my children due to my commitment with the National Guard."

As for his future in the ILARNG, he said he is excited to keep mentoring junior warrant officers and improving maintenance in Illinois until he turns 60.

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Story by Staff Sgt. Stephanie McCurry, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office