Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    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
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Air National Guard couple juggles military life and exchange command job By Airman 1st Class Alexa Culbert
                42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - An Air National Guard officer recently took command of the Air Force Officer Training School's Detachment 12 here from another guard officer. While that may not seem strange, what is unusual is the fact that the former and new commanders have 23 years of history together. On July 16, Lt. Col. Loralie Rasmussen assumed command of the detachment from her husband, Lt. Col. Reid Rasmussen. Detachment 12, the Academy of Military Science, falls under the Air National Guard Readiness Center. The detachment is a line officer commissioning program, and its staff of 31 total force members commissioned about 500 total force officers in the past year, with plans to commission more than 1,000 next year. The Rasmussens' military journey began in 1992 when they were single freshman at the Air Force Academy. "I remember we were being organized based on home states, and while walking toward the group of other Virginians, I noticed a lone cadet holding up a Delaware sign," said Reid. That Delaware native, cadet Loralie Edinger, stood alone as the sole representative of her home state. At that moment, two things were clear to Reid: he was a cadet, and he wanted to know more about Loralie. While at the academy, Reid and Loralie began a friendship that developed into a relationship. Considering the time and distances they were going to be apart from each other as an Air Force couple, they decided not to marry after graduation and braced themselves for a long-distance relationship. After completing flight school, Loralie on the RC-135s at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and Reid on the A-10s at Pope AFB, North Carolina, they received their first Air Force permanent assignments, more than 1,200 miles apart. To keep their relationship going, they took advantage of military space-available flights as much as possible. "I have so many nights spent on airport floors and only getting to see him for 24 hours," Loralie said. "A lot of people said we should have ended the relationship. They didn't think we could handle the long distances and flying the very different air frames, but clearly we have proven that wrong." In March 1999, Loralie and Reid finally said their "I dos," only to again be apart after she received a deployment notification just days after returning from their honeymoon. This would be a never-ending cycle for the couple. However, in 2002, a life-changing moment occurred with the birth of their first child, which prompted Loralie to join the Air National Guard in 2004. Two years later, the family added their second son. Loralie's decision to leave active duty provided much-needed stability over the years while Reid continued his career. "Honestly, my Guard time reminded me I was as an officer and not just as a single parent," said Loralie. In 2012, Reid assumed command of the detachment and looked after their two sons while Loralie worked as an executive officer at Tyndall AFB, Florida, pregnant with their third child. For a year, Loralie made the trip from Tyndall to Maxwell every weekend until she received an assignment in 2013 as the Air National Guard adviser to the commander of Air University's Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education. Finally with her family and not wanting to venture away again, Loralie assumed that a command position for her would be out of the question. However, her assumptions were proven wrong when she was selected to assume command of the detachment from Reid. The Pennsylvania Guard member said she's appreciative of the opportunities she and her husband have had at Maxwell's Air University to be together as a family and plans to plant roots for a while. "I wanted to command, but I had just gotten my family under the same roof, so I didn't want to explore other opportunities to put us back apart. I'm definitely grateful to be able to command and not separate our family," she said. When asked about commanding a total force detachment, Loralie responded, "I don't feel like I'm Guard, I feel like I'm Air Force. I know a lot about the Guard, and I know a lot about the Air Force ... so this will be exciting. I'm thrilled!" Taking command of a unit from a spouse could sound daunting to some, but Loralie said she's ready to continue what Reid started, but in her own way. "I don't know if I would have chosen to follow my husband, but we work really well together ... so, in this capacity I couldn't have asked to follow a better person. I know what he's gone through; I've seen it from a leadership perspective, and I know I have big shoes to fill," she said. "I hope to allay some fears right off the bat and say, 'Hey, I think very differently from my husband, and I am not my husband.'" Her biggest supporter and wingman has no worries, either. "My first reaction was that it's good for the unit," said Reid, who is now an Air War College student here. "They're lucky to have her; she will 'kill' it like everything else she's done."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Washington Guard, Royal Thai Army Conduct Expert Exchange
 By Joseph Siemandel,
  Tennessee Guard Rescues Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains Park
 By Lt. Col. Darrin Haas,
  Champions Repeat at NH National Guard Marksmanship Match
 By Master Sgt. Charles Johnston,
  More
 Tennessee Guard Rescues Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains Park Guard News • 4 hours ago
 Champions Repeat at NH National Guard Marksmanship Match Guard News • yesterday
 West Virginia Air National Guard Wing Conducts ’Super Drill’ Guard News • yesterday
 Idaho Medical Airmen Train in Field to Boost Readiness Guard News • yesterday
 Alaska Air National Guard rescues 6 plane crash victims Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (189)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil