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"Texans Serving Texas"

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:

Austin resident to be inducted to Texas Military Hall of Honor

AUSTIN, Texas (May 11, 2016) – Texas Army National Guard retired Sgt. Maj. Elwood H Imken, of Austin, will be inducted into the Texas Military Department’s Hall of Honor for his extraordinary impact on the Texas Military, during a 10 a.m. ceremony at Camp Mabry in Austin, May 14, 2016.

Imken’s military service spanned more than 38 years from March 1967 through 2005. His career reached every echelon from platoon through division and every level of leadership, culminating as the Division Operations Sergeant Major for the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 4th Armored Division and 36th Infantry Division. In each capacity he demonstrated the highest degree of professionalism and dedication to improving unit readiness and taking care of the Soldier.

As Operations Sergeant Major for the 4th Armored Division and 36th Infantry Division, a position he held for over 13 years, he left an indelible mark for all of his successors to achieve. He served as the Operations Sergeant Major for all four division warfighter exercises and approximately 30 other major exercises conducted by the division.

Additionally, he served as the State Active Duty coordinator for the division, directing the mobilization of Texas soldiers in over 100 state active duty missions, ranging from hurricane relief to the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery mission.

As the Texas Army National Guard Chief Training Specialist for the Texas Military Department, he was integral in designing the All Hazard's Plan and statewide rehearsal of concept drills where services across the state met to rehearse the plan for a state response to natural disasters. In fact, it was his plans and integration of many key organizations that led to the successful responses for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike, as well as dozens of other droughts, fires and floods that have affected Texas in the last 15 years.

In addition to his immense impact in domestic operations, Imken played a huge role in establishing and sustaining community outreach programs such as Food for Families, a program that provides food to stock pantries across the state of Texas. His planning efforts directly contributed to the one-day food drive collection of more than 1.5 million pounds of food in 2014 alone.

He has worked alongside the Texas Department of State Health Services to create an annual medical emergency preparedness exercise, Operation Lone Star. The exercise was designed to provide hands-on training for the Texas Military Department medical personnel as well as provide valuable community health services to Texas inhabitants that may otherwise not receive medical care. Imken facilitated the planning and coordination necessary to execute the establishment of Medical Points of Dispensing along the Texas border. The magnitude of this operation is so big that 12,000 border area residents attend annually with more than 100,000 receiving care during the program's 12-year history.

Imken’s tireless efforts and devotion to the Texas Army National Guard and the state of Texas for the last 49 years made a significant impact on the force that will undoubtedly continue far into the future.

The Hall of Honor program was established in 1980 to recognize outstanding Texas Air, Army and State Guard members. Since its inception, more than 95 members of the TMD have been inducted. Imken’s picture and a narrative explaining his service will hang in the conference room of the Brig. Gen. John C.L. Scribner Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin.

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The mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.

The Texas Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General's Department), the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS).

For more information about the Texas Military Department visit our Website at https://tmd.texas.gov.