NEW ULM — Jeff Bertrang is a high school principal and a Minnesota National Guard commander, but says those roles are more complementary than they might appear at first blush.
Both rely more on planning, interpersonal and coordination skills than technical knowledge.
“One was a different type of uniform,” the 43-year-old said.
Bertrang, of New Ulm, was recently promoted to brigadier general in the Guard. The promotion makes him the assistant adjutant general-Army for the Minnesota National Guard.
He’s also the principal of Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School, a job he plans on keeping as his Guard duties expand.
It was that experience that partly explains his promotion, which makes Bertrang one of three brigadier generals under Maj. General Larry Shellito, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard.
Shellito himself is a former president of Alexandria State University and promoted Bertrang partly because his educational background gives him insight into training, a key part of the Guard, said Capt. Randy Belden, a public affairs officer. Bertrang commanded a 900-person task force at St. Paul’s Republican National Convention that provided security and freed up police for more specialized tasks, such as controlling rioters.
He said the National Guard has been used more frequently since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That includes terrorism- related duties in the United States as well as service in overseas conflicts.
Add to that the fires in northern Minnesota, floods in the Red River valley and tornadoes and it’s no surprise “there’s been more need for the National Guard.”
His role as assistant adjutant general means he’ll oversee the readiness of Minnesota’s 12,000 or so Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers and make sure they have the resources and training to carry out their responsibilities.
Readiness is distinguished between individual soldiers — if they are physically and mentally prepared and qualified for their jobs — and unit readiness, which determines whether a group of soldiers can fulfill their tasks.
In the Guard, different units have different specialties, including infantry, artillery and engineering, so each unit has different training needs.
Despite this specialization, the units also “have to be able to flex or change with the mission,” Bertrang said.
Of his background, he said, “prior to 2001, it was a good career mix to be in education and the Guard.” Training fit well into summers and weekends, but more deployments has made the Guard more time consuming.
Bertrang says his family has helped him accommodate his dual roles.
“My wife, Wendy, she takes the onus of being in charge of the house and family when I’m gone,” he said.
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