MajGen Daniel Krumrei made news a few years ago when he was appointed the top military officer of the Illinois National Guard. He was the first chaplain to ever hold such a position.
MajGen Krumrei recently retired, and BrigGen Richard J. Hayes was appointed as the new Illinois Adjutant General. Read more
Last month, the Los Angeles Times (repeated at the Stars and Stripes) noted that an Illinois National Guard Soldier was arrested in the Chicago airport as he attempted to leave the country to join ISIS:
Hasan [Edmonds] told the [undercover] agent he had been a member of the U.S. Army National Guard for three years, and had converted to Islam at some point during that time, according to the criminal complaint.
…The cousins met with a second undercover FBI agent and discussed an assault on the base where Hasan Edmonds had been training, the complaint said.
The article notes this isn’t the first time a Read more
According to the Chicago Tribune, Governor Pat Quinn has appointed Chaplain (MajGen) Daniel Krumrei the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. The Adjutant General (TAG) acts as the commander of the state’s Guard forces and reports directly to the Governor.
On one hand, it is fascinating to see a chaplain rise to such a position.
On the other hand, his appointment is a bit confusing and seems hard to square with military regulations.
Under Title 10, which governs the national armed forces, chaplains have, by definition, rank without command. Thus, by law, a chaplain cannot command Read more