News from March 8, 2007 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press (3 pages) PDF
(Selected pages 1A, 4A, 8A, 4B)
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McDaniel promoted to Lt. Colonel
Crittenden Countian William “Billy” McDaniel has been promoted from major to lieutenant colonel. He is currently serving in Iraq.
McDaniel is among the highest ranking local soldiers serving in the Middle East. He is currently stationed at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, the largest base in the multi-national North Division in Tikrit, Iraq.
McDaniel, 42, received his promotion last week during a ceremony at COB Speicher. He joined the National Guard as a junior in high school and coincidentally is celebrating today (Thursday) his 25th year in the military. He joined March 8, 1982.
Before going to Iraq, McDaniel lived in Marion with his wife Sharon and their son Cameron. He commuted daily to the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center at Greenville where he was the base operations manager. He expects to return to that post when his current tour overseas is complete.
Currently, Lt. Col. McDaniel is with the 149th BCT which is responsible for managing the operating base that is about the size of Madisonville, he said.
“It has all the same infrastructure issues (as a small city) plus force protection,” McDaniel said.
Soldiers must always be on guard as the insurgency continues in various cities in Iraq.
McDaniel is the Life Support Officer in Charge at the base. His staff is responsible for all permanent and transient housing, the operations and maintenance of all facilities, and he is the primary liaison between the military and the local Iraqis who are in charge of project planning and oversight of utilities.
“We have our date we are to leave country, but due to security reasons, it can’t be published,” McDaniel said.
His family believes he will be home by early next month.
“It has been a great learning experience for the entire group and our families,” McDaniel said about his year-long deployment in Iraq.
In addition to McDaniel, there are at least two other Crittenden Countians who have achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and who are currently serving in Iraq. They are Lt. Col. John Watson and Lt. Col. Scott Campbell. Campbell, who is in Baghdad serving with the 149th BCT, has been selected for promotion to full colonel.
McDaniel said that he occasionally sees other soldiers from Marion.
“There are no other personnel from Marion (at his base in Tikrit) although we regularly have visitors from Benton C/2-123rd and occasionally Marion B/2-123d,” McDaniel said.
The Marion National Guard unit, on active duty in Iraq, was originally supposed to be home this month. However, new orders indicate that it may be staying until mid summer, according to family members of those men serving.