Major General Michael Garshak retired in June after 37 years of service, more than 30 of which were with the Idaho National Guard.
In 2017, then-Governor Butch Otter appointed Garshak as the Adjutant General, the leader of the Idaho National Guard and it was a title he carried until retiring this past summer.
( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“A lot has changed over 37 years, but the one thing that remained constant is the amazing quality of people you work with in the military,” said Garshak. “If you can imagine going to work everyday for 37 years and knowing you can trust [coworkers] with your life— that is extremely powerful.”
Ahead of Veterans Day, I wanted to chat with Garshak about his service as it started in 1987 when he earned his helicopter pilot wings at Fork Rucker Flight School in Alabama. During his first assignment, Garshak fought in Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a first Lieutenant.
“Looking back on my career, I considered it fortunate [that] I got to deploy in my first assignment to a combat zone,” said Garshak. “It helped me prioritize where to put my time and energy throughout the rest of my career which was really important.”