RALEIGH - Gov. Beverly Perdue on Thursday picked an officer who has served twice in Iraq to be the top leader of the North Carolina National Guard.
Col. Gregory Lusk, commander of the guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will be appointed adjutant general starting Oct. 1 and be promoted to a general's rank, officials said. The 31-year Guard veteran will replace Adjutant General William Ingram, who led the 12,000-member air and army guard in the state for nine years.
Lusk served in Iraq for about 18 months ending in April 2005 and 14 months ending this past April. In the latest tour, the 30th worked in part with the country's security forces.
Lusk joined the guard in 1979. Outside of the Guard, he works as a financial adviser and owns a hardware store in Raleigh.
"Whether it's helping respond to hurricanes here in North Carolina or defending our country's freedoms, the National Guard plays a vital role in our domestic and international security," Perdue said in a news release. "Col. Lusk is a strong leader and will carry on that proud tradition of being a citizen soldier."
Ingram has served in the guard since 1972 and was named adjutant general by then-Gov. Mike Easley two months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, after which the guard's involvement overseas increased dramatically.
Ingram, a major general, isn't retiring from the guard, spokesman Maj. Matt Handley said. He couldn't comment Thursday on what Ingram's new assignments may include.
State law says the adjutant general serves at the pleasure of the governor, who is commander in chief of the state military, and is chosen in consultation with the crime control and public safety secretary.
"Throughout his career, Major Gen. Ingram served the country and state with distinction," said Crime Control Secretary Reuben Young. "We are honored by his service and wish him the best in his future endeavors."
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