Sgt. 1st Class Richard Bartkowiak, Rhode Island National Guard State PERSEC Manager, poses for a portrait the penultimate day to his retirement, Dec. 30, 2025. Bartkowiak has served in the National Guard for over twenty four years and reflects on his career and leaves a few words for his team mates and the Rhode Island National Guard all together.
Bartkowiak said, “Retiring is bittersweet but looking back, being a part of the bigger picture will always be my greatest accomplishment. Watching my leaders grow, being a part of a team – being a tool for success – that’s what this all comes down to… The biggest thing for me during my career has been watching young Soldiers become great leaders. It’s been being the man inside the machine, with the little oil can, putting oil on the squeaky wheel, helping things run smoothly….You know, I didn’t have a mentor as a kid. I didn’t have a dad, but I had a lot of uncles, who really weren’t uncles, but they were my friends’ fathers and everyone else who showed me a little something of what they did in life. Those mentors, many many of them made me into who I am today. So, to anyone reading [this], be a mentor. Take care of the people around you. Always always take care of the people around you because it’s never about me or you. It’s about us.”
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rajsombath)
| Date Taken: | 12.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2025 09:28 |
| Photo ID: | 9464920 |
| VIRIN: | 251230-Z-PJ209-1001 |
| Resolution: | 6000x4000 |
| Size: | 3.24 MB |
| Location: | RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 3 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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