An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

National GuardAlways Ready Always There

National Guard

                - 

Search

Search
Search

-  Home		 
-  News    -  Guard News         
  -  Overseas Operations         
  -  State Partnership Program         
  -  News Features         
  -  RSS Feeds         
  -  Press Releases         
  -  Transcripts 
-  Features    -  Features by Year         
  -  State Partnership Program         
  -  Special Features 
-  About the Guard    -  How We Began         
  -  Air National Guard         
  -  Army National Guard      -  DEERS Soldier Journey         
    -  Leader Development Program 
  -  History and Heritage         
  -  I am the Guard         
  -  NGB Official March 
-  Leadership    -  CNGB         
  -  VCNGB         
  -  SEA         
  -  DANG         
  -  DARNG         
  -  Joint Staff      -  J-1         
    -  J-2         
    -  J-3         
    -  J-4         
    -  J-5         
    -  J-6         
    -  J-7         
    -  J-8         
    -  Personal Staff        -  Inspector General         
      -  General Counsel          -  Special Victims Counsel 
      -  Public Affairs         
      -  Executive Support Services         
      -  Legislative Liaison 
    -  Special Staff        -  Office of the Provost Marshal         
      -  Office of the Joint Surgeon         
      -  Director of Acquisitions         
      -  Small Business Programs         
      -  Chaplain         
      -  Senior Leader Management Office         
      -  Diversity Equity Inclusion 
    -  Comptroller 
-  Resources    -  National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance         
  -  Community Engagement         
  -  FOIA         
  -  Fact Sheets         
  -  Helpful Links         
  -  Image Gallery      -  News Images         
    -  Graphics         
    -  Historical Paintings 
  -  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion         
  -  Legislative Liaison         
  -  Small Business Programs         
  -  Social Media         
  -  State Websites         
  -  Videos      -  Featured Videos         
    -  On Every Front         
    -  2019 Videos         
    -  2020 Videos         
    -  2021 Videos 
  -  Suicide Prevention         
  -  Family Programs         
  -  Environmental         
  -  Trial Defense Service         
  -  Holistic Wellness Challenge 
-  Contact Us		 

Home : Features : 2011 : Tornado Season

## Bittersweet homecoming for Citizen-Soldier helping Joplin

JOPLIN,  Mo. (6/20/11) - A southwest Missouri native considers it an honor to lead Task  Force Phoenix in providing state oversight of the clean-up and removal process  after a deadly May 22 tornado left millions of cubic yards of debris strewn  throughout Joplin.

When  Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to provide state oversight  for the debris removal the process, Missouri National Guardsman, Army Col.  William A. Ward, was appointed commander of the task force.

Ward  was born in St. John’s Hospital, which was hit hard by the tornado and is less  than a mile from the armory where his task force is based. 

"I’ve  felt like I’ve been part of this community my whole life," said Ward, who grew  up in nearby Neosho. "This, for me, is a way for me to finally give back and  pay back what southwest Missouri has done for me my whole life."

Ward  recounted how the Joplin community supported him and his troops as they  deployed to Iraq in 2003, lining the streets of Joplin and waving flags. Many  of those same streets are now covered with the debris left by the tornado. 

"Most  of those people didn’t know us, they were just supporting the National Guard and  their country," said Ward. "I get a little emotional when I think about it, but  it’s a way for me to give a little back to the community."

After  graduating high school, Ward attended Missouri Southern State University and  was commissioned as an officer in 1984 with the university’s ROTC. He later  received his engineering degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia. 

In  1987, Ward joined the Missouri National Guard and served with the 203rd  Engineer Battalion in Joplin for 20 years. Though living in Oklahoma, Ward  spent a lot of time in Joplin with the Guard and his father.

"Joplin  was, for 20 years, my home away from home," said Ward. "My Guard unit was here  and all of my friends in the Guard were from this area."

When  news of the horrific tornado reached Ward immediately started making phone  calls checking on people.

"The  first thing that went through my mind was, ‘Are my friends and people I know in  this area OK?’" said Ward. "Immediately after that, if not the same thought,  was ‘I know the Guard is responding already because the units in the area will  do that.’ They just automatically respond."

The  next few days were uneasy for Ward as he wanted to be in Joplin to help any way  he could.

"I  wanted to get down here; this was my home," said Ward. "When I got the call  from the adjutant general, even though this is a disaster area, I was honored  and relieved to be finally going. I had to watch it for about four or five days  without being involved and it was killing me."

The  debris removal process will take months to complete, said Ward. 

"It  is a daunting task, but I think my experience in doing engineering projects,  and very large scale engineering projects, allows me to look at it from a  unique perspective. We’ll put a plan in place and start executing that plan,"  said Ward. "That plan is going to allow us to establish milestones and goals.  As we reach those, we’ll either modify the plan or keep going if it’s working  properly, and we’ll adjust as necessary."

While  it is a daunting task, Ward is optimistic.

"Even  though it’s huge, there is an end in sight," said Ward. "We know what the  end-state is and that’s ensuring the debris gets cleaned up so Joplin can start  rebuilding."

Ward  also commands the 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquartered in Kansas  City. Much of Task Force Phoenix is made up of Citizen-Soldiers from his  brigade that live in the Kansas City and northwest Missouri area. With flood  missions on the horizon, even more of his troops are facing yet another state  emergency.

Though  Ward clearly has his hands full in Joplin, and can’t be two places at once, he  said he is naturally concerned with the flooding and is keeping abreast of the  situation.

"I  feel very comfortable with the command structure we have in place," said Ward.  "We, as a brigade, are designed to be able to command on multiple fronts and  have multiple things going on at the same time. Having this amount of  responsibility in multiple locations is not something that would be out of the  ordinary if we were overseas doing a mission. We’ve got the capability to do  both, and I know the Soldiers working on the flood fight will be just as  passionate as the Soldiers down here helping the tornado victims."

As  Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen, Guard members have a dual role serving both  stateside and abroad. Ward said that even though the operations couldn’t be  more different, they are similar in many respects. The training Soldiers  receive for overseas missions also prepares them for what they are facing now.  In a hostile environment Soldiers have to be ready for consequence management,  which is basically responding to disaster-type incidents when they occur."It  trains you to think quickly, it trains you to perform decision making in a  time-constrained and stressful environment," said Ward. "We do the same type of  training when we’re overseas and have to respond to similar events. Granted  they are from different sources, but the same type of response occurs no matter  where you are at."

Regardless  the mission, be it in Missouri or Iraq, Ward is quick to give credit to his  entire team for its successes.

"This  is a team effort," said Ward. "This isn’t just ‘Bill Ward’ down here. I could  not do what I do without the strong team members I have around me. It goes all  the way from the top to the bottom. We’re strong all the way through the  organization and every person has a crucial role and we couldn’t do what we do  without everybody performing their job.   The motto of the 110th MEB is ‘Get it Done,’ and that’s what we intend  to do."

Ward  is a licensed civil engineer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Okla.,  for the 72nd Air Base Wing.

Related Lnks

                            -  Massachusetts National Guard   
                            -  Missouri National Guard   

- Home
- Site Map
- Privacy & Security Policy
- Link Disclaimer
- Web Policy
- DOD Information Quality
- DOD Open Government

- FOIA
- No FEAR Act
- Accessibility/Section 508
- Contact Us
- Army Guard Careers
- Air Guard Careers
- USA.gov

                  - X
                  - YouTube
                  - Flickr
                  - Facebook
                  - Instagram

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil