What: State Command Chief Warrant Officer Change of Responsibility Ceremony
When: Friday, July 10, 2 p.m.
Where: NCNG Joint Force Headquarters, 1636 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607
Media Contact On Site: Lt. Col Matt DeVivo, Cell: (919) 612-5061
Special Instructions: Media organizations should arrive by 1:45 p.m. in order to setup equipment and identify locations to capture footage of the event. The event will last approximately one hour. NCNG PAO will provide high-resolution photos after the event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncngpao .
NCNG Command Chief Warrant Officer Change of Responsibility Ceremony
RALEIGH – The North Carolina National Guard celebrates the contribution made by the outgoing State Command chief warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Richard Comer, and welcomes incoming State Command chief warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Herring, during a Change of Responsibility Ceremony at the Joint Force Headquarters at 2 p.m. on July 10.
The position of State Command chief was established in 1998 not only to ensure that warrant officer issues were represented at the senior command level, but also to shape the direction in which to move the Warrant Officer Corps forward into the future. The command chief serves as a key member of the Air National Guard Command Team, assisting the director, Army National Guard, in implementing his vision by integrating the extensive expertise of the Warrant Officer Corps in actions that align with the director’s priorities.
Comer served for nearly five years as the senior warrant officer leader and state command chief warrant officer for NCNG. He served as the principal warrant officer advisor, and was responsible to the adjutant general of North Carolina for the supervision, training and well-being of the nearly 300 warrant officers of the N.C. Army National Guard. Comer has more than 25 years of service with the North Carolina National Guard and more than 29 years of active duty and National Guard service. Comer joined the Texas Army National Guard in 1982.
Herring enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1979 and attended military police training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He successfully completed the Special Forces Communications Sergeant Course in November 1986. In 1993, Herring attended the Warrant Officer Candidate Course graduating in November 1993.
In 2006, Herring and B/3/20 mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. CW5 Herring was assigned as a detachment commander and served in the Diyala Province from August 2006 through April 2007. As a result of his actions in combat during that tour, Herring was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device, and the Silver Star. In October 2013, Herring began working at Fort Bragg managing National Guard Special Forces Warrant Officer actions between the Special Warfare Center and Schools, the Special Forces Warrant Officer Institute, the 19th and 20th Special Forces Groups, the 15 states with National Guard Special Forces units, and National Guard Bureau. Herring resides in Roanoke Rapids with his wife Michell and their two children.