Pa. Guardsman Reflects on 40 Years of Service (and Counting)

Photo By 1st Lt. Lindsey Foulk | Sergeant First Class Clair McKnight with 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment conducts a communication status check for a field training exercise at Fort Pickett.  

LEWISTOWN, PA, UNITED STATES

05.14.2022

Story by 1st Lt. Lindsey Foulk 

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The morning air is crisp and the dew-covered grass dampens the equipment and tents strewn about. The sun is peeking over the horizon, all is still quiet, and soldiers are preparing to wake up and start the day. One soldier who already started their day is quickly working on status checks, repairs and ensuring communication is flowing throughout the battalion. That same soldier does this day in and day out on training exercises, missions, deployments and more and has for the past 40-plus years.

Sgt. 1st Class Clair McKnight with 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment in Lewistown, Pennsylvania has dedicated the better part of his life to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the unit. In October 1980 at the age of 16, McKnight was recruited as a high school senior, following in his brother’s and cousin’s footsteps. “Family was a big part of me joining,” said McKnight, “after they came to my school for a recruiting event, I went to RSP and then eventually into the Guard.” Since that day, he has spent all 40 years with 2-112th.

McKnight started his Army career as a 36K, a tactical wire and operations specialist, and has held several MOS since; tactical communications system operator, wire systems installer, army combat signaler, telecommunications operations chief and signal support systems specialist. Remarking that, “progression was always on my side,” he said he was, “lucky in that regard,” to spend all his time with one unit while meeting career goals.

Never shying away from leadership roles in signal, McKnight occupied slots in everything from Radio Team Chief where he was responsible for RATT Rigs or, “80s technology,” as he laughed about, to Physical and Personnel Security Officer roles where he was responsible for the SCIF and other sensitive Signal-related equipment.

With 40 years under his belt and an unimaginable amount of change in both the Army and with the technology he handles, he’s also experienced multiple deployments and training exercises. When asked how many deployments he’s been on, McKnight said humbly, “a few,” namely; 28th Division Challenge Germany in 2000, KFOR Kosovo 2003, Operation Bright Star in 2005, Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008 and most recently in Macedonia (which he cites as his favorite) in 2019. And when asked about stateside missions, “I can’t count the number of missions I’ve done on the state side, but I have my 6th award for state active duty officially.”

And that’s not all--McKnight has also been a part of training exercises and rotations since 1981. He mentioned that he has been a part of every training exercise 2-112th has been on since 1981 including most of the 56 SBCT exercises. In addition to the already stunning level of experience that most will never have during their Guard career, McKnight also recalled being a part of two NTC rotations (one with the Alaskan Stryker Brigade when 2-112th first received their Strykers in 2005), two JRTC rotations and one XCTC rotation.

But it hasn’t all just been training and work-- McKnight, when asked about his favorite Army memory, said, “I have a lot of memories and still have yet to remember a bad one. I don’t really have a favorite--all were pleasant but if I had to pick I’d say getting on a plane to come home from deployments and reuniting with family and friends was always a good one.”
And for the past 30 years, McKnight has come home to his wife, Betty, a Registered Nurse. He is also the proud father of his two children-- his son, Nathan, 28 years old and a college graduate with two bachelor's degrees in IT and AI Programming and his daughter, Marissa, 26 years old and also a college graduate working at Geisinger Hospital as a Pharmaceutical Technician. “I have been fortunate that I have a wife that supports me all of these years. It was tough for her when I was on deployments and training exercises but she stuck with me,” he said. “My kids support me all the way too even though I was away for most of their lives growing up. I’m so thankful for them because without them I wouldn’t have been able to do this for as long as I have,” McKnight said. “They are my rock.”

When he’s not ensuring communication goes off without a hitch, he likes to do work around his house, is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting and fishing, and is an accomplished gardener where he grows fruits and vegetables he often shares with the soldiers and leadership at his unit. And when asked what he’ll do with the extra free time he’ll have after his retirement in 2024, he said, “haven’t given it much thought yet, but I know I won’t be traveling for a while.”

In 40 years, there have been a lot of lessons learned and skills acquired. McKnight said, “the Army taught me respect, leadership, compassion for others, trust, commitment and being thankful for what we have in the United States of America and learning to not take it for granted.” And in addition to the lessons learned, McKnight also had some advice for those looking to join the Guard.

“I would tell them it’s been an awesome life experience for me and it would be a great learning experience and job opportunity,” he said. “You get to travel to other countries and states and places you may never get to see,” he continued, “money is good, and all of the good times and memories they will make with friends and teammates are great all while learning a new skill.”

• Date Taken: 05.14.2022
• Date Posted: 05.14.2022 22:40
• Story ID: 420737
• Location: LEWISTOWN, PA, US