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© 2013 KentuckyGuard
Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs with contributions from Kyle Hilbrecht
Former Kentucky Warrant Officer of the Year are recognized during the 97th anniversary of the Warrant Officer Corps ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., July 9, 2015. Each winner since 2007 was presented with the commendation which became an official award in 2014. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky National Guard gathered to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the Warrant Officer Cohort at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, July 9. State Command Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops was joined by Brig. Gen. Charles Jones, Deputy Adjutant General and hundreds of warrant officers and Soldiers to recognize nearly 100 years of the “quiet professional.” “The modern U.S. Warrant officer Cohort is nearly a century old, and I’m sure the original forty warrant officers of the 1918 Mine Planter Service had no idea the significance their appointment would have on the United States Army,” said Stoops. “We now see a highly professional cohort that is indispensable to the United States Army and the Kentucky National Guard.”
State Command Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops promotes Ricky Skelton to the rank of chief warrant officer four during the 97th anniversary celebration of the Warrant Officer Corps in Frankfort, Ky., July 9, 2015. In addition to celebrating 97 years, several warrant officers were honored for their achievements and service to the Kentucky Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Click here for more photos.
Stoops commended Kentucky’s warrant officers for their recent gains in National Guard categories of education and readiness. There are less than 175 warrant officers in the Kentucky Guard, while nearly 30,000 warrant officers serve worldwide in the Army components.
Known as technical experts in their fields, warrant officers are also referred to as the “quiet professional” for their behind the scenes stance in numerous occupational specialities.
In addition to the celebration of 97 years, Kentucky Guard leadership also recognized the previous eight Warrant Officers of the Year, ensuring each received the commendation which became official just last year. Stoops said the award is the only award among the three Army components dedicated to the recognition of warrant officers for their outstanding service and achievements.
“The creation of this official state award is the culmination of a seven year effort to create an award that was equal to the Outstanding Airman and Soldier of the Year Award,” said Stoops. “I am very pleased and proud that we could go back and present it to all of the previous seven recipients. It just seemed to be the right thing to do.”
Stoops said he has already been contacted by other states looking to adopt the award and he fully expects it to take off and potentially become a national standard.
Retired Chief Warrant Officer Larry Moore receives the 2008 Kentucky Warrant Officer of the Year commendation during a birthday celebration of the warrant officer corps in Frankfort, Ky., July 9, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Following that award presentation, Chief Warrant Officer Ricky Skelton was promoted to the rank of chief warrant officer four and Warrant Officer Jonathan Dukes was promoted to chief warrant officer two.
Chief Warrant Officer Jacob Lewis was also recognized for being named the 2014 Most Outstanding Engineer Warrant Officer in the National Guard. He was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal for his accomplishment.
Jones said the warrant officer used be an untapped resource for the Army and National Guard, but that has changed thanks to education, leadership and support from senior warrant officers. He called them an integral part of the Guard’s daily operations.
“The Army takes the cream of the NCO Corps off the top, makes it warrant officers and gives it special, graduate level training,” said Jones. “Warrant officers are an incredible resource of commanders and soldiers alike. They are world renowned for being the Army’s technical and tactical experts and are valuable leaders as well.”
Story by: Capt. Stephen Martin, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Chief of the Joint Staff Brig Gen. Ben Adams (left) and Command Chief Warrant Officer five Dean Stoops (right) present Chief Warrant Officer five Stuart Lindfors with the 2013 Warrant Officer of the Year in Frankfort, Ky., Mar. 4. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Stephen Martin)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Named after Chief Warrant Officer four retired Dewey Pope, the 2013 Kentucky National Guard Warrant Officer of the Year was presented to Chief Warrant Officer five Stuart “Swoop” Lindfors, of the 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, at Boone National Guard Center, in Frankfort, Ky., Mar. 4.
To see all photos from this event, please click HERE.
“I’m extremely proud and honored to have the opportunity to present this prestigious award,” said State Command Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops. “It truly recognizes the outstanding Warrant Officer in the Kentucky National Guard.”
Lindfors, affectionately known as “Swoop”, has been in the Kentucky Guard for more than 14 years. He earned his nickname in 2002 while on a maintenance test flight in El Salvador trying to test the Automatic Flight Control System and did a low pass of the airfield. Walking off the flight line afterwards, one of the master sergeants in the unit addressed him as ‘Swoop’ and the name stuck.
According to Stoops, Lindfors not only stands out as a warrant officer but an aviator as well.
Chief Warrant Officer five Stuart Lindfors pilots a UH-60 Blackhawk in Iraq in 2004. Lindfors is seen here holding his “good luck bear” given to him by his father. (photo submitted)
“Chief Lindfors is rare among aviators especially. Warrant Officer pilots not only have to be good at flying, but they also have to be proficient in one of four aviation “tracks”, either as an instructor pilot, a tactical operations officer, a maintenance test pilot or a safety officer,” said Stoops.”Occasionally you’ll find a warrant who tracks more than one, sometimes even three - but never all four. Swoop, over the course of his career, has become qualified and proficient in all four of these specialties. Because of this experience and know-how, he brings a wealth of experience to whatever position he’s in.”
Not only is Stuart an invaluable asset in this organization, but he volunteers a significant amount of his time helping with “hearts for heroes” and “military missions” projects as well as serving as one of the Den Leaders for the local Cub Scout Organization, of which is son, Spencer, is a Webelo.
“This is a great honor for my dad,” said Spencer. “I’m really proud of him and really glad I got to be here to be a part of it.”
The Soldier that the award was named after in 2007, retired Chief Warrant Officer four Dewey Pope, was also in attendance to honor Lindfors.
“Stu receiving this award is absolutely well-deserved as are all of the guys who have received it over the years,” said Pope. “I count this award as the biggest honor the Kentucky Guard has ever bestowed upon me and I’m happy to see Mr. Lindfors name added to the roster.”
Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops assumed the role as Kentucky’s Command Chief Warrant Officer Jan. 31, 2014. Stoops has served for 35 years in the Kentucky National Guard, primarily as an aviation warrant officer. (Kentucky National Guard file photo)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — After 35 years in uniform for the Kentucky National Guard, Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops is at the top of his game. He assumed responsibility as Kentucky’s Command Chief Warrant Officer in January, but he said he’s not the Soldier he expected to be.
“I knew that I wanted to be a Soldier since I was a little kid,” said Stoops. “But I wanted to be a ranger out in the field, the tip of the spear kind of guy.”
“Timing and positions and duty assignments did not afford me those opportunities. I knew I wasn’t going to be a general, but there are so many other ways to be a leader.”
Stoops traces his military lineage back generations and credits his father, retired Army Lt. Col. Dick Stoops for getting him into the Guard. Stoops father was a battery executive officer with the 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery in Bardstown, so he enlisted as a fire direction specialist, but would quickly learn that his path would be different than he had thought.
Even after so many years, Stoops still vividly remembers the last words his father said to him as he boarded the bus to basic training in 1978. His father said ‘be a leader and seek leadership positions.’ As a young private, the words helped guide him through leadership roles all through his training and into his career in the military.’
“It was the most profound piece of advice he could give me as father and as a Soldier,” he said. “I sought the leadership positions and leadership opportunities my whole career to improve myself and has certainly helped me along the way.”
Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops pilots a UH-60 Blackhawk while deployed to the Middle East in 2005. Stoops deployed to the region where he served as the Theater Aviation Standardization Officer for U.S. Army Central Command. (Courtesy photo)
Shortly after coming to his father’s battery, Stoops saw an opportunity and steered his career into a different direction by attending Warrant Officer Candidate School and Rotary Wing Flight Training. His father was a private pilot, so it was an easy transition.Stoops would graduate as the honor graduate at flight school and spend the next 19 years flying helicopters for the Kentucky Guard. He became qualified in three of four aviation warrant officer career fields and held positions such Kentucky’s Standardization Instructor Pilot, Air Traffic and Aerospace Officer and State Aviation Safety Officer. On the civilian side, Stoops holds FAA certifications as a commercial helicopter pilot and private airplane pilot, and is certified as an aviation accident investigator.
The latter role brought Stoops into one of the toughest assignments of his career when he was chosen to assist in the shoot-down investigation of a CH-47 Chinook in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of 30 U.S. Service members in 2011.
After a four-year stint as the Army National Guard Aviation Standardization Officer in Washington D.C., Stoops returned to Kentucky to take on what he called the pinnacle role in his career.
“This feels really good because I’m coming back to family, friends and an organization that I know,” he said. “I enjoyed the assignment at NGB, but this is also a position that I had set a goal of having in the zenith in my career.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Brian Stoops congratulates his father, Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops following a change of responsibility ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014. The Air Force officer is the fourth generation career Service member, following his father and grandfather, retired Army Lt. Col. Dick Stoops, also pictured. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
The next generation of Stoops’ in the military said his father’s guidance has been of the utmost importance in his life. Stoops’ son, Capt. Brian Stoops is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and said his father’s principles and advice have shown him the way through the “tough questions in life.”
“Dad’s military values of honor, hard work, integrity, service, duty, and excellence that he not only internalized, but passed on to me are what have influenced me the most both personally and professionally,” Brian said. “His example, as a dedicated father and as a consummate professional, as both an aviator and an officer, continues to be a constant guiding light for me now as a young father, officer, and pilot.”
Stoops’ own friends and mentors, including Chief of the Joint Staff, Brig. Gen. Benjamin Adams believe Stoops is more than ready for the role. Adams called him one of the finest officers he has served with and the perfect fit for the job.
“He is the epitome of a professional aviator, Soldier and officer,” Adams said. “He brings a vitality and energy that will
continue to grow the interest in and maintain our warrant officer strength.”
Stoops’ new hope is to impact future leaders and manage the warrant officers of the Kentucky Guard to the best of his ability, all the while paying tribute to a lasting legacy of inspiration and cementing his own chapter as a true mentor.
“I think my dad is proud, my son is proud, but the important part is not the pride they have in my accomplishment,” he said. “The important part to me is by ascending to the leadership positions that I have attained, I have influenced my son, my daughter, and any other warrant officer out there and inspired them to seek their own leadership opportunities.”
Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops passes the officer’s sword back to Warrant Officer Victor Blair to complete the symbolic change of responsibility as Stoops became the Kentucky National Guard’s command chief warrant officer, Jan. 31, 2014 in Frankfort, Ky. Stoops assumed the role from Chief Warrant Officer James Simms who is retiring after more than 40 years in uniform. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops assumed responsibility as Kentucky’s fifth command chief warrant officer during a ceremony held at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014.
Stoops succeeds Chief Warrant Officer James Simms who is retiring after more than 40 years in uniform and three years as the state’s command chief warrant officer.
“It is indeed an honor to be here as the command chief warrant officer for the Kentucky National Guard,” said Stoops. “I have to thank General Tonini for having the confidence in me to lead and manage the warrant officer corps into the future.”
Kentucky’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini places Command Staff insignia on the uniform of Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops during a change of responsibility ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014. The insignia replaced Stoops aviation branch insignia and symbolized his transfer to the command staff as the new command chief warrant officer for the Kentucky Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
To see more photos from the ceremony, click here.
Kentucky’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini oversaw the ceremony and participated in the passing of the officer sword from Simms to Stoops. In front of a large crowd of family, friends and fellow Guardsmen in the Capitol Rotunda, Stoops exchanged the aviation branch insignia on his uniform and became the newest member of the Kentucky Guard’s Command Staff.
Also in attendance were Stoops’ father, retired Army Lt. Col. Dick Stoops and son, Air Force Capt. Brian Stoops, a generational example of a long military tradition in the Stoops family.
Born in Fort Campbell, Ky., Stoops has served in the Kentucky Guard for more than 35 years and is returning to the Commonwealth after his last assignment with the National Guard Bureau. He has served for the last four years in Washington D.C. as the Army National Guard Aviation Standardization Officer and senior aviation warrant officer advisor where he said he learned of the Kentucky Guard’s reputation at the highest levels of the military.
Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops presents his first coins as Kentucky’s new command chief warrant officer to his son, Air Force Capt. Brian Stoops and father, retired Army Lt. Col. Dick Stoops following a change of responsibility ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014. Stoops is a third generation career Soldier and thanked his father and son for inspiring him to succeed in his own career. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“All along the way, Kentucky was referred to as an organization with exceptional leadership and that not only met the standard but exceeded the standard,” he recalled. “So it’s very gratifying for me to come back into this position.”
Stoops new role serves as the senior warrant officer advising the adjutant general on the state of the Warrant Officer Corps. He is also responsible for providing guidance, resources, assistance and supervision to all warrant officers in the Kentucky Army National Guard.
“We need to ensure that we do not lose the expertise and knowledge gained in the past decade at war, and one of the keys to that is our warrant officer corps,” said Tonini. “Dean’s qualifications for this job are unquestionable and his history with the Kentucky Guard is quite extensive. He is the right man at the right time for this job.”
Photos by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Warrant Officer Victor Blair delivers officer’s sword to complete the change of responsibility ceremony at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., in which Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops succeeded Chief Warrant Officer James Simms as Kentucky’s command chief warrant officer Jan. 31, 2014. The sword symbolizes the authority of commissioned officers, including warrant officers in the ranks of the military. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops became Kentucky’s fifth command chief warrant officer during a change of responsibility ceremony at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014.
Stoops takes over for the outgoing command chief warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer James Simms who is retiring after more than 40 years in uniform.
Check back at kentuckyguard.com on Monday for the full story.
Chief Warrant Officer James Simms is awarded the Legion of Merit by Kentucky Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini following a change of responsibility ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014. Simms retired after more than 40 years in uniform for the Kentucky Guard and served three years as the state’s command chief warrant officer. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Chief Warrant Officer Dean Stoops shares a moment with his father, retired Army Lt. Col. Dick Stoops and son, Air Force Capt. Brian Stoops after a change of responsibility ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 31, 2014. The three generations of Service members have continued a long tradition of military service in the family Stoops said. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Story by Capt. Stephen Martin, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Benjamin Adams IV and his sister Whitney assist their father, Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Adams III, in attaching his new one-star epaulets to his uniform during a promotion ceremony at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Dec. 7, 2012. (Kentucky National Guard photo by Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FRANKFORT, Ky. —After 30 plus years of service, Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Adams III, pinned on his star.
(To see all the photos from this event, please click HERE.)
Hundreds of Soldiers, Airmen, family, friends and associates of Adams gathered together at the Army Aviation Support Facility Dec. 7 in Frankfort, Ky., to watch the newest Kentucky National Guard general pin on the rank of brigadier general.
Col. Benjamin F. Adams III sits with Kentucky’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini during a promotion ceremony at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Dec. 7, 2012. (Kentucky National Guard photo by Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“A lot of us have worked very hard over the years, not so much to promote our own careers, but to help put the right people in the right places,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dean Stoops, National Guard Bureau Standardization Officer. “Brig. Gen. Adams deserves this promotion. It’s not only a great day for him but for the Kentucky National Guard and our Nation.”
Quite a bit of family showed for Adams’ promotion to include his wife, Shelley and his mother, Doris. Both assisted in the pinning ceremony and were recognized by Adams for their contribution to his life and to his career. Adams is currently assigned as the Director of the Joint Staff for the Kentucky National Guard, overseeing both the Army and Air organizations within the state.
“So, now that the collar is just a little heavier, I get to go home with a new box of chores for Shelley to block out on the family calendar,” commented Adams. “We’ll do our best to find that elusive balance between the Adams calendar and Uncle’s calendar.”
