On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we look at the return of warrant officers to the Air Force and what that means for the Minnesota National Guard, then turn to a statewide tribute and claims effort from Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota.
Guests:
- CW5 Erik Homme – Command Chief Warrant Officer, Minnesota National Guard
- CW2 Michael Volkmeier – Minnesota Air National Guard, 210th Engineering Installation Squadron
- Stephen “Butch” Whitehead – Adjutant, Disabled American Veterans, Department of Minnesota
- Angel Fields Mitchell – United in Service
Across the first three segments, Chief Homme and Chief Volkmeier explain why the Air Force brought warrant officers back after ending the rank in 1959: to keep technical experts in place, beginning in cyber, and to steady sections that otherwise lose knowledge each time leaders rotate. Chief Volkmeier, recognized as Minnesota’s first Air Force warrant officer since the program returned, describes the path from enlisted network technician to Chief Warrant Officer 2 — ten years on active duty, service in the 210th Engineering Installation Squadron, an application encouraged by peers, and eight weeks of warrant officer training at Maxwell Air Force Base. Day to day, the work has shifted from pulling cable to project engineering: setting up jobs, ordering materials, and giving a commander technical options. The conversation also covers who the Air Guard looks for in applicants, the difference between enlisted, warrant, and commissioned responsibilities, and the misconceptions that a warrant officer is only a technician, or is rarely around. Both guests talk about growing the cohort so more warrant officers can be placed where they are needed, including the possibility of a future position with the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth. Chief Homme, in his final months as the state’s senior warrant officer advisor, compares the new Air track with the Army warrant officer program and reflects on a career that began in 1986 and closes with his last day in uniform on November 30.
Later in the show, Adjutant Stephen “Butch” Whitehead and Angel Fields Mitchell preview United in Service, a traveling exhibit created by Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota. This year’s theme is that every Veteran has a story. From October 15–18, the experience is at the North End Event Center on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, with more than 12,000 square feet indoors, military vehicles outside, a Tribute Garden of personalized tags, and the recorded stories of 13 Veterans spanning 250 years of military history. Visitors can hear those stories in a theater or by QR code, and families who want a story captured for a future stop are encouraged to find a volunteer on site. On Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, 9 am – 4 pm, a Rapid Claims Clinic brings Department of Veterans Affairs staff, DAV accredited service officers, and County Veterans Service Officers together so Veterans can file a new claim or revisit an older one. A decision may not be issued that day, but the clinic is built to move a packet as far as possible, with a dedicated team at the Federal Building at Fort Snelling continuing the work. A job and resource fair and state-benefit tables run alongside the clinic. Admission is free. Register for a claims appointment at unitedinservicemn.org or davmn.org.
