Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 6.25.14

8 | JUNE 25, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Kalispell Major to Command One
Just
Sayin’...
“We can never again let dependence on foreign oil be a reason for war, which is why my bill to approve responsible construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline needs to pass now.”
Montana Sen. John Walsh (D) responding to the president’s decision to send U.S. military advisers to Iraq and America’s stated interest in Middle Eastern energy.
“I strongly oppose sending more American troops to Iraq and believe only Iraqis can secure their future.”
Montana Rep. Steve Daines (R) expressing his opposition to sending more American troops to Iraq.
“She was the woman who was standing under the streetlight with her dress pulled all the way up over her knees, and now she says, ‘I’m a nun,’ when it comes to this spying! I mean, maybe that’s the wrong metaphor — but she was all in.”
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer telling a reporter with the National Journal what his thoughts were about Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). He later apologized.
of Montana’s Combat Battalions
Renea Dorvall to be first female to lead one of Mon- tana Army National Guard’s deployable battalions
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
One of Montana’s citizen soldiers is achieving a milestone this summer.
Major Renea Dorvall, the executive of- ficer of the 495th Combat Service Support Battalion in Kalispell, is transitioning to commander of the 190th CSSB in Billings. When she formally takes over in July, Dorvall will become the first female com- mander of one of four deployable Army National Guard battalions in Montana.
“Being a battalion commander, you get an opportunity to lead soldiers at that next level and hopefully provide positive impact in the training and taking care of the soldiers and their families,” Dorvall said.
Dorvall followed her father’s footsteps at the age of 19 and enlisted in Montana’s Army National Guard.
“The National Guard has always been part of my life,” she said.
She stepped away in 1996 to raise her young family, which includes two sons, but she never lost her devotion to the ser- vice. In 2001, she felt her sons were old enough that she could re-enter and “give back to the guard.”
“I always knew I would come back into the guard,” she said. “When I start some- thing I want to finish it. And I’ve always had a strong opinion of the military and serving. I think it’s important.”
Dorvall joined Kalispell’s battalion as the No. 2 in command and served over- seas with the local group during its latest 10-month deployment, which ended last fall.
“I made some very good friends,” she said.
Now she will be transitioning to com- mander of one of four battalions within
Major Renea Dorvall COURTESY PHOTO
the Montana Army National Guard that can be deployed overseas. The 190th CSSB has six company commands totaling 617 soldiers from nine communities, includ- ing Billings, Malta, Glasgow and Sidney. The state has roughly 2,700 citizen sol- diers.
“It’s a huge responsibility, a challeng- ing responsibility. Being responsible for the training and preparation of over 600 soldiers and their families is not some- thing I take lightly. They will get my best everyday,” she said. “Because of the train- ing the National Guard has given me, that has prepared me for this next assign- ment.”
The 190th currently has a company
that is deployed, the 143th, and the group is scheduled to return in the fall.
Dorvall will be formally named com- mander at a ceremony on July 13 at the Billings Armed Forces Reserve Center.
Before she applied for the position, Dorvall said she consulted her husband, Rick, and two sons.
“I sat down with my family and said ‘Here’s an opportunity, what do you think?’” she said. “Without my family’s support, I would not be successful. My family has been very supportive of my military career. They are very proud of be- ing a military family.”
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