Photo By Staff Sgt. Lisa Crawford | Command Sgt. Maj. Dean Reicks (left) stands at attention during a change of command...... read more read more
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When Command Sgt. Maj. Dean Reicks was planning his final years in uniform, he was certain he would finish his career on the reverse side of where it began by serving as the command sergeant major for the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. But the organization had other plans.
Instead of recruiting new Soldiers to the National Guard, Reicks was appointed to 1st Battalion, 209th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) to serve as commandant for the Noncommissioned Officer Academy, overseeing the development of future Guard, reserve and active component leaders through the Army’s Basic Leaders Course.
“I was heartbroken,” Reicks said, while re-telling the story to an audience during his change of command ceremony at Camp Ashland, Nebraska, Apr. 26, 2022. But the sergeant major ultimately selected for the recruiting position did an outstanding job, he added, and leadership thought Reicks would be a better fit elsewhere.
Reicks, a Norfolk, Nebraska native, took on the commandant position at the 209th RTI, which is located at the Camp Ashland Training Site in Nebraska, in early 2019. Just a short time later, the state – including both the camp and the academy – would face the worst flooding event to date, testing not only Reicks’ leadership but the entire Nebraska National Guard’s ability to adapt and overcome adversity to continue mission.
“The last three years have been anything but ‘steady state operations’ at the Regiment, and Reicks and his team remained agile and responsive to each challenge they faced,” said Col. Thaddeus Fineran, 209th Regiment commander.
As flood waters came into the camp from two different breach points, the entire RTI team quickly moved personnel and equipment first to higher ground, then over to the Mead Training Site, then on to the South Omaha Readiness Center, before transitioning the academy out to the Greenlief Training Site near Hastings, Nebraska, while repairs were made. All the while continuing to host uninterrupted BLC classes.
About the time Camp Ashland had dried out and restoration and renovation of the training site had allowed most operations to return to normal, another challenge loomed. Once again, BLC classes continued uninterrupted as Nebraska supported a federal Health and Human Services request to house travelers from Wuhan, China, at Camp Ashland, the evolving demands of the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic over the next 24 months again pushed Reicks and the 209th RTI to adapt creatively.
“You couldn’t do it without a team, and that’s what I had – the best team,” Reicks said. He added that the battalion team was always out ahead of him with innovative ideas and facilitating the military decision-making process, all without complaint.
Reicks said when COVID-19 health protection measures forced the academy to cancel in-person courses, the RTI was ready to deliver a virtual BLC solution before other institutions across the country, but the funding wasn’t available. While they waited for permission to proceed, the team continued to brainstorm and adjust the course to be able to provide Soldiers better learning experiences – both virtually and in-person when courses eventually resumed.
“Reicks’ service to the Regiment over the past three years has been nothing short of monumental,” Fineran said. “Whether managing the qualification and development resulting from continuous and significant personnel transitions, the rapid and unending changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or the infrastructure challenges of our waterfront training site; Reicks led from the front with his team’s best interests at heart.”
Throughout his tenure, Reicks and the team executed more than 30 Army Basic Leader Course classes and graduated more than 5,500 total force noncommissioned officers from across 22 states, 21 Army Reserve commands and six active-duty installations.
“Because of his hard work, we continue to modernize and expand our facilities across the campus, and we are postured to return the investment of NCO leadership back to our units across the state as a partner with our major subordinate commands,” Fineran added.
During his change of command ceremony, Reicks passed a ceremonial halberd, symbolizing the official transfer of the commandant position and responsibilities for 1-209th RTI over to 1st Sgt. Andrew Siemek, concluding his unexpected – but grateful and historic – command.
“I can’t thank everyone enough…for that decision three years ago,” Reicks said. “This has been an honor and a privilege.”
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2022 12:35 |
| Story ID: | 419623 |
| Location: | ASHLAND, NE, US |
| Hometown: | NORFOLK, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 340 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Regional training institute commandant reflects on historic command, by SSG Lisa Crawford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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