Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | Carolyn Birch, retired executive assistant for the Adjutant General of the Iowa...... read more read more
Birch Leaves Deep Roots in Iowa Guard
U.S. Army National Guard Story and Photos by Cpl. Tawny Schmit
“The governor is on the phone,” said Carolyn Birch, The Adjutant General (TAG) of Iowa’s executive assistant, interrupting the general’s staff meeting.
But when Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Orr stepped out of the conference room, the suite was packed full of Soldiers and Airmen. Birch had planned a surprise 50th birthday party for Orr, complete with cupcakes and decorations. She knew he wasn’t going to be in the office for his birthday due to annual training visits, so she planned it early.
“Everybody in the building gathered in the TAG’s office,” Birch said. “It was very crowded, very loud, but they didn’t hear a thing in the conference room!”
What stuck out in Birch’s mind as she recalled this fond memory with Orr was how she and the staff had gone out of their way to memorialize a pun on the general’s name; they sewed a beloved Winnie the Pooh character, complete with uniform and rank.
“As you know, Gen. Orr’s name is Timothy; middle initial E, last name Orr – not to be confused with Eeyore!” Birch explained.
Funnier still, the next day Birch actually received a call from the governor.
“Gen. Orr was in a meeting at this time, too,” Birch said. “So I had to go interrupt him again and tell him the governor’s on the phone, and it’s the truth! That was a really funny situation.”
Birch has worked for TAG’s office for 16 years, working directly with two adjutants general during that time. The demanding position has included organizing the general’s calendar, coordinating his travel, finding backup coverage for events, preparing correspondence, and of course, answering the phone.
“I’m like a gatekeeper, if you will,” Birch said. “I make sure Gen. Orr and his staff have the information they need to do their jobs. You do whatever you can do to make their job easier and smoother, and make sure we don’t have any hiccups.”
Birch said she has always tried to stay two steps ahead of TAG. This proved challenging at times because of Orr’s high operational tempo, especially during times of crisis.
“The schedule goes into chaos covering all those events,” Birch said.
Fortunately, Birch enjoyed the fast pace and believed in doing whatever was required to get the job done, even if that meant putting in extra hours.
“She never wanted to see us fail in any way,” Orr said. “She worked every drill weekend and she didn’t have to. She ensured we had a successful weekend.”
Birch said she saw herself as an extension of whoever she worked for. She believed the only things she could own were her integrity and putting the mission first. If she kept that in mind, her job was that much easier.
Birch’s belief in integrity and hard work, and her affinity for executive duties took root when she was very young.
“I know people think this is kind of cheesy, but my grandmother was an executive assistant,” Birch said with a giggle. “They called her a stenographer or typist back then. I wanted to be just like her.”
Her grandmother was the person Birch admired most, and she took steps to become like her in high school by taking business courses. Upon graduation, she thought she wanted to be a court reporter, but decided against it because she thought it would be too isolating.
“I wanted to be with people,” Birch said, a lifelong Des Moines resident from the Beaverdale neighborhood.
From there, she worked for the City of Des Moines for a couple years before landing a job at the IRS, where she stayed for 15 years before transitioning to the Iowa National Guard as a full-time civilian employee.
“I truly loved that job,” Birch said of her first job with the Guard. “Everybody’s more connected than when you work downtown. People were personable.”
Over the years, Birch said she developed a great sense of pride working for the Iowa National Guard because of the organization’s dedication to their people.
“It starts at the top with people like Gen. Orr,” Birch said. “They have a very caring attitude about personnel and I think that’s what’s great about this organization. I was taught by Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, who was then a colonel, that we will always treat everybody with dignity and respect, no matter what their concerns are. I think that’s very reflective of this organization.”
This belief was cemented even further for Birch when her parents passed away and she had an aneurism during her time off. The Guard offered unending support and understanding and checked up on her frequently, she said.
But the dedication of the organization to its personnel first showed itself very early in her career. The World Trade Center was attacked on the second day of Birch’s transition from the Chief of Staff’s office to TAG’s office. The operational tempo skyrocketed. Force protection levels changed. Critical meetings took place. The entire staff put their emotions aside to be strong for the Soldiers, Airmen and their families.
“[If] the walls in this suite would talk about what we went through during that time,” Birch said, tears welling in her eyes. “These walls would talk about all the KIAs (killed in action) we’ve had, and about those trips the Adjutant General took to present awards posthumously and support those funerals. That was very hard, but we got through it.”
Birch added she was very proud of Orr, who made every possible effort to visit wounded warriors and stay connected with them.
“Gen. Orr has never forgotten his roots,” Birch said. “He came through the system as an enlisted Soldier and I think that serves him very well. He knows what it’s like to be a worker bee.”
For Orr, Birch’s retirement will be an adjustment. He said he admires her constant professionalism, compassion and guidance for the senior leaders in the organization. According to him, the institutional knowledge of the organization and the systems she has in place are irreplaceable.
“We’re going to miss her terribly,” Orr said. “Carolyn has been like a mother to me in many ways, especially during periods of time when we’ve had casualties and had bad things happen to people.”
Throughout the years, Orr believes Birch has gone above and beyond to make his office a relaxed, welcoming environment in what could otherwise be a very serious setting. She never forgot a birthday or missed an opportunity to have a laugh.
“In addition to working really hard, Carolyn has a good sense of humor and fun,” Orr said, laughing. “She always had candy out for people, and she did that a lot of times out of her own pocket. She used to have an alligator with candy that would bite, or you’d reach your hand into a jar and something would talk to you.”
When TAG’s “gatekeeper” walks out the doors of her office for the final time, her lasting impression will be the way she cared about the Soldiers, Airmen and families she worked with and for.
“It will be tough to find someone who will be a ‘Carolyn,’ because she was so committed,” Orr said. “She’s a special person.”
In regard to her plans for post-retirement, Birch kept it simple: “I’m going to do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want!”
Though Birch will be missed in the office, her retirement is not a final goodbye to the Guard.
“She will not be lost as a friend [or] as an alumni,” Orr said. “Her grandmother ought to be awarded a medal; she can look down and say her granddaughter was very successful.”
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2017 17:59 |
| Story ID: | 248894 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 338 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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