National Guard officers honored

Dick Benoit

Thursday, June 1, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.

Four senior officers assigned to the state headquarters of the Nevada Army National Guard were recently presented with the Maj. Gen. Drennan A. Clark Order of Nevada, the state's highest military award.

Cols. Dennis George, Phillip Gustafson, Miles Celio and Ashley Hall will retire from the Guard this summer.

The Order of Nevada is given for meritorious service while a person is a member of the Nevada Army National Guard. An individual must have served at least 20 years in Nevada among at least 25 years in the military.

George, the chief of staff for the past two years, has served in the Nevada Guard for 21 years. During his tenure he has also been deputy chief of staff for training and operations and the state's aviation officer.

As chief of staff, George was behind numerous initiatives to guide the Nevada Guard into the 21st century.

He addressed critical management and soldier care issues by encouraging unit commanders to hold regular family support events each year. He also refocused the state readiness improvement goals by working with the National Guard Bureau to provide leader training for Nevada Guard senior NCOs and ensuring that training was passed down the ranks within the Nevada Guard.

Gustafson's service in the Guard has ranged from recruiting and retention to public relations to information management. In his current assignment, he was responsible for securing $4 million of credit returns and reimbursable funds.

The Las Vegas native, now a resident of Carson City, served 33 years with the Nevada Guard.

Celio has spent 27 years with the Nevada Guard, which under his direction has fielded many new state-of-the-art information systems and underwent a redesign of its telecommunication system.

Before assuming his current position, Celio served as assistant U.S. property and fiscal officer.

Hall of Las Vegas has served as the state chaplain. The 35-year veteran of the Nevada Guard has worked with soldier care issues to include drug demand reduction, family readiness, recruiting and retention, health services and employer support programs. He has led efforts to enhance programs, including the Unit Ministry team and the States Suicide Prevention Program.

In brief