Wisconsin Guardsman named Warrant Officer Mentor of the Year

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. News:  Wisconsin Guardsman named Warrant Officer Mentor of the Year 08/16/2013 12:00 PM CDT Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777 NEWS: Wisconsin Guardsman named Warrant Officer Mentor of the Year August 16, 2013 Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office FORT MCCOY, Wis. - Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Knuppel of Campbellsport, Wis., received the 88th Regional Support Command's Warrant Officer Mentor of the Year Award during an Aug. 10 ceremony at the Wisconsin Military Academy. "It's gratifying," Knuppel said. "It says that what I do is recognized and appreciated." A senior warrant officer with more than 30 years in service, Knuppel has been a flight instructor in the Wisconsin Army National Guard since 1990, where he has had the opportunity to lead and mentor numerous pilots and enlisted crew members. He has logged more than 6,300 flight hours of training, mission and combat time in 11 different aircraft, helicopters and airplanes. Knuppel was honored for his recent work as standardization instructor pilot, and then commander, of the newly organized Detachment 2, Company D, 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation Regiment in West Bend, Wis. That unit fielded the UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopter in late 2011, a commercially available aircraft intended for domestic operations such as medical evacuations. Last October, a U.S. Army Forces Command Aviation Resources Management Survey Team evaluated Knuppel's standardization program for the Lakota and found no deficiencies. The 88th RSC encompasses 19 states and its Warrant Officer of the Year program is open to active duty, Army National Guard, Army Reserve or Coast Guard. Knuppel received the award immediately following a song and hat-hanging ceremony by the 426th Regiment's Warrant Officer Candidate School Class 13-001. The song, in which candidates detail their drive to become warrant officers, is a team-building activity and a tradition at the Warrant Officer Candidate School. Hanging the hat - a specially designed cap bearing the class motto and logo - signifies the candidates' transition to the final training phase. - 30 - Online story and photo Current News Releases and Media Galleries   This email was sent to mhamidlad.game@blogger.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of the State of Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, which includes the Wisconsin Air and Army National Guard, Wisconsin Emergency Management, and the Wisconsin State Emergency Operations Center • 2400 Wright Street • Madison, WI 53708-8111 • 800-335-5147. Visit us on the web at: http://dma.wi.gov