Nelson Officially Retires April 30 After 27 Years of Service in ILARNG

SPRINGFIELD, IL (03/30/2012)(readMedia)-- With every military memory and mission, Col. Tracy Nelson of Springfield, is not afraid to give credit to those who have shaped him into the commissioned officer and Soldier he is today. After 27 years in the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG), Nelson will retire April 30.

While Nelson credits many Soldiers throughout his career, he said it is the noncommissioned officers (NCOs) who taught him the most.

It all started when he enlisted in the active component of the U.S. Army in 1975. He was just 17, grew up with five brothers and five sisters on a small Minnesota farm and needed his father's signature to serve his country. He was stationed in Germany for three years as a crewman for CH-47 Chinook helicopters that transported nuclear weapons. During this assignment, young Pvt. Nelson was introduced to a group of seasoned NCOs who served in Vietnam.

"The NCOs from Vietnam were empowered; they owned the Army," he said. "They have had the largest impact on my life...and on the rest of my career."

After his tour in Germany, Nelson decided to get out of the U.S. Army to go to college in East Peoria. He soon realized he missed the military, so a friend and ILARNG aviation Soldier convinced him to join the ILARNG and enroll in officer candidate school (OCS).

Out of his entire OCS Class that graduated in 1985, Nelson is one of only three Soldiers who still remain in the ILARNG. One of those Soldiers, Col. B.J. Mayberry of Springfield, with Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) in Springfield, was his battle buddy during OCS and vividly remembers a moment of Nelson's resiliency during training.

"On a night land navigation event he took off running, with me attempting to keep up, when all of a sudden he practically fell to his knees," Mayberry said. "I caught up only to find he had ducked under a tree and had stuck a piece of the tree in his eye and it looked like a dagger sticking out of his face. He grunted, grabbed the stick, pulled it out and yelled 'Let's go!' We ended up beating the rest of the class in that night by close to a half an hour."

Once he commissioned, Nelson started his career with 1st Battalion, 123rd Infantry Regiment. He was with the battalion until 1993 and made it to the rank of captain.

He said it was during this time that he and his fellow Soldiers enforced a standard he was familiar with while on active duty. Realistic training was a priority and the battalion initiated training that had never been done before.

"We're going to train like we're going (to war) tomorrow," Nelson said. "If we're going to be here, we're going to do it right."

The third OCS classmate who is still in the ILARNG, Col. Tom Weiss of Sherman, with JFHQ, was in the 123rd with Nelson.

"With Nelson, don't slow down or he will run you over," said Weiss. "He likes to boast, but he backs it up with action!"

In 2003, Nelson, now a lieutenant colonel, faced his first deployment. While he had never deployed, he frequently travelled across the country and the world.

He was at annual training with the 33rd Area Support Group when he was told, within days, he was deploying to Iraq. First he immediately reported to U.S Central Command in Tampa, Fla., for a two-week mission. He then returned home to Illinois on a Thursday to pack his bags and say good-bye to his family before he left Sunday morning for the year-long deployment.

Nelson said the quick turn-around was easier because it left less time for him and his family to think about it. His wife, Debbie, understood it was simply part of the job. She said she was used to him travelling but admitted an entire year to Iraq was a little different than two or three weeks across the country or the world.

"It's who we are and what we do. You accept it and move forward," she said. "It's a mental state. It's no different than going out and running a race. It's a will to win."

She said some days were easier than others but she never let their children have pity parties or feel sorry for themselves because their dad was in Iraq. At the time, their son Everett was in fifth grade and their daughter Madeline was in first grade. Nelson's daughter Kathleen, from a previous marriage, was 16.

This deployment was the first Multi-National Division (MND) deployment with the Polish Armed Forces and the ILARNG.

When he returned, he became the 108th Sustainment Brigade commander. The 108th was going through a transformation and Nelson's OCS battle buddy was by his side.

"I would say one of my most memorable training events was working with him when he (took command of) the 108th," said Mayberry. "The 108th ended up arguably the best brigade in the state. It was a lot of hard work and relentless pressure to attain excellence but in the end I wouldn't trade that transformation for any of my other military experiences."

Then in 2010, Nelson faced his second and final deployment. Again, along with a team of ILARNG Soldiers, he deployed with the Polish Armed Forces for a joint mission to Afghanistan. This mission was the deadliest deployment the Polish had experienced since World War II. Now a colonel, Nelson was even a personal target of a suicide bomber while on a mission.

"You can't stop doing your mission because you're a target," he said. "My Soldiers were a target every day."

Debbie said Everett and Madeline understood this deployment a little more since they were older and because military deployments were fairly common. She said Nelson made both deployments a little easier, too, because he kept his family and the children's school friends informed about what he was doing and where he was at.

Despite Nelson's busy career, Debbie said the two of them have always spent time together, which she knows will continue into his retirement.

"Tracy and I are best friends, so we're always together," she said.

Looking to the future, Nelson plans to spend some time coaching Madeline, who is now a freshman in high school. He also said he hopes to spend more time at the family's South Carolina home, which is where Everett is living while attending the Citadel.

Despite his future plans, he said he'll miss the Soldiers he grew up with and the ILARNG Soldiers of the next generation.

"I'll miss the Soldiers the most," he said. "There is a small core of guys who know what you have to do. It's all about leadership, which I've learned from my NCOs."

 

HUNTINGTON, IN (03/30/2012)(readMedia)-- Four Huntington University students in the Indiana Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Scholarship Society were recognized at the Alpha Chi Super-Regional Convention in Baltimore, Md., on March 22-24.

Sarah Johnson, a senior journalism and English major from Davenport, IA, was awarded the National Benedict Fellowship. She is Huntington's 12th national winner and the seventh since 2004. She gave a presentation on "Prophetic Heroism in A Lesson Before Dying" on the Ernest J. Gaines's novel of the same name.

Nine HU students attended the convention.

The Indiana Beta chapter was also named a 2012 Star chapter at the convention. This is the 17th year straight year it has won the award since its inception. Only three other chapters out of Alpha Chi's 300-plus have equaled this. As a result, the chapter was nominated by Region V as one of its candidates for the 2013 Alpha Chi President's Cup. The chapter contributed 103 books to the literacy program "Reading is Fundamental" as part of Alpha Chi's national service project, and several members of the delegation participated in a chapter leadership conference.

Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest, and Forbes.com has listed the university as one of America's Best Colleges. Additionally, Princeton Review has named the institution to its "Best in the Midwest" list. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

Dear Rivermont Community,

College acceptance letters have been flying through cyberspace and snail mail for the past few weeks and our own seniors have been anxiously checking emails and mailboxes.  Last night, the long awaited Ivy acceptances were released.  You may have heard the shouts of joy or groans of disappointment reverberate across the country.  There were definitely shouts of joy from Rivermont households.

Congratulations to our seniors, Class of 2012 for their college acceptances to date!  Their hard work and dedication has been rewarded.  Kudos to our faculty for preparing our students to meet the challenges and expectations offered by colleges and universities across the country. 

American University DC

Augsburg College MN

Augustana College IL

Baylor University TX

Benedictine University IL

Boston University MA

Brown University RI

California Institute of Technology CA

Case Western Reserve University OH

Columbia University NY

Cornell University NY

Dartmouth College NH

DePaul University IL

Duquesne University PA

Drew University NJ

Drexel University PA

Duke University NC

Emory University GA

Gustavus Adolphus College MN

Johns Hopkins University MD

Kent State University OH

Knox College IL

Lehigh University PA

Michigan Technological University MI

New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ

New York University NY

Northern Michigan University MI

Northwestern University IL

Pennsylvania State University PA

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY

Richard Stockton NJ

Rosemont College PA

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey-Newark NJ

St. Ambrose University IA

St. Bonaventure University NY

St. Louis University MO

Sienna College NY

Stanford University CA

Stony Brook University NY

Temple University PA

Union College NY

University of Alabama AL (EMSAP)

University of Chicago IL

University of Cincinnati OH

University of Connecticut CT

University of Illinois at Chicago IL

University of Iowa IA

University of Kansas KS

University of Maryland MD

University of Miami FL

University of Minnesota, Morris MN

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities MN

University of Missouri- Kansas City MO

University of Pennsylvania PA

University of Pittsburgh PA

University of Southern Alabama AL

University of Rochester NY

University of Toledo OH

University of Virginia VA

Ursinus College PA

Vanderbilt University TN

Villanova University PA

Virginia Commonwealth University VA

Washington University in St. Louis MO

Wayne State University MI

West Chester University PA

Widener University PA

Yale University CT

Youngstown State University OH

 

This significant list of acceptances gives our seniors a wealth of opportunities to continue their path of learning and achievement.  Of our seven seniors, four are lifers, one entered in first grade, one in seventh, and one in eleventh.  The Class of 2012 has been awarded a combined total of $1,372,344.00 in renewable merit scholarships over 4 years.

 

The Rivermont Experience culminates in the Upper School and once again our students and faculty have demonstrated the benefits of focused Intellect, refined Character, and boundless Creativity!

 

Rick St. Laurent

Headmaster

The theme for this year's National Women's History Month is "Women's Education-Women's Empowerment," and the University of Iowa was among the first to recognize this connection.

 

• In 1855, Iowa became the first public university in the country to admit women and men on an equal basis.
• In 1873, it became the first public university in the United States to grant a law degree to a woman (Mary B. Hickey).
• In 1907, the UI became home to the nation's first female college newspaper editor.
• In 1912, the UI graduated the first African American women, Letta (Cary) Bledsoe and Adah (Hyde) Johnson of Des Moines, from the College of Liberal Arts (now College of Liberal Arts & Sciences).
• In 1941, Lulu Merle Johnson became the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. from an Iowa institution and among about a dozen black women in the nation to achieve such status at that time.
• And in 1983, C. Vivian Stringer became the first African-American to coach a Big Ten women's basketball team.

 

FYI
Learn more about National Women's History Month at the Website of the National Women's History Project at http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php.