Service Ends After Nearly a Half Century for Springfield Soldier

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SPRINGFIELD, IL (06/06/2012)(readMedia)-- After 40 years of service, Master Sgt. Charles H. Tozer of Springfield, with 65th Troop Command Brigade in Springfield has retired from the Illinois Army National Guard.

Tozer worked full-time as a mechanic at Camp Lincoln in addition to his status as a National Guard Soldier.

He deployed with the 2nd Brigade, 203rd Corps to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, for a year in January 2007.

As part of a 16-man Embedded Transition Team responsible for the training of Afghan Soldiers, Tozer trained the Afghan mechanics who would be working on a variety of vehicles, from Ford Rangers to older model U.S. military Humvees.

"I was in maintenance my whole career. Fixing trucks was all I knew," Tozer said. "I really enjoyed taking a broken truck and giving it back to a unit repaired."

In addition to his tour in Afghanistan, Tozer has been to Germany, Honduras, Puerto Rico, much of the United States and also supported the Hurricane Katrina response for 30 days.

"That was something that was very rewarding," said Tozer. "I felt like the unit was really able to do good for the community."

Tozer performed five days of flood duty in April of 1973 on the Illinois River.

"No one talks about the flood of 73," Tozer said with a laugh.

Master Sgt. Mike Robertson of Petersburg worked with Tozer at the Combined Support Maintenance Shop at Camp Lincoln. He said Tozer will be missed.

"We started out together in the same unit more than 35 years ago," Robertson said. "He is a great guy. He's always upfront with you and I have to say that he was a guy who always put the mission first."

Tozer is an avid race fan and plans on getting a part-time job to help rebuild his 1968 Camaro. Knowing Tozer's love of racing, his friends and fellow Soldiers gave him tickets to a NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C.

Tozer said it was the experiences that kept him in the National Guard for four decades.

"I've travelled a lot of places and seen a lot of sights and got paid to do it," Tozer said. "I've met a lot of people and made a whole bunch of friends. I would have never been able to have all those experiences and meet those people had it not been for the Guard."

Photo 1: Master Sgt. Charles Tozer of Springfield

Photo 2: Photo submitted/ Master Sgt. Charles Tozer of Springfield works on a parking brake assembly for an up armored humvee at his maintenance shop while deployed to Paktika Province, Afghanistan in 2007. Tozer was part of a 16-man Embedded Transition Team assigned to work with and teach Afghan National Soldiers. Tozer retired in February after 40 years in the National Guard.

Photo 3: Photo submitted/ Master Sgt. Charles Tozer of Springfield stands with two Afghan Soldiers that he helped to train while on deployment in Paktika Province, Afghanistan in 2007. Tozer was part of a 16-man Embedded Transition Team assigned to work with and teach Afghan National Soldiers. Tozer retired in February after 40 years in the National Guard.

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