Change of command ceremony to install state’s 31st adjutant general

Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, who will retire at the end of October, will relinquish command of the Nevada National Guard on Saturday after serving as the state’s adjutant general for five years.

As adjutant general, Berry oversees more than 4,400 soldiers and airmen. Berry is reaching the maximum age to serve and will officially retire on Oct. 31. Brig. Gen. D. Rodger “Dan” Waters will become the first Nevada Army National Guardsman in 40 years to serve as adjutant general.

In September 2019, Berry became the 30th adjutant general of the Nevada National Guard. A retired Reno police officer and former senior vice president in MGM Resorts International’s human resources department, he assumed the top leadership role from Brig. Gen. William Burks.

Berry grew up in Evansville, Indiana and received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of Evansville, where he played running back for the Purple Aces. He also earned a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air War College. Berry enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard in 1986 and was commissioned as a lieutenant four years later. Since then, he has held numerous positions.

As adjutant general, Berry has been responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, programs and plans affecting Nevada Guard soldiers, airmen and civilians. He is also responsible for both the state and federal missions of the Nevada National Guard and serves as the official communication channel with the National Guard Bureau.

Berry brought enthusiasm to his position, which shows when he addresses the troops or talks to civilian audiences. He recently sat down with the Nevada News Group to reflect on his career and look ahead to his future plans and those of the Nevada National Guard.

Distinguished military career

During his military career, Berry has visited every state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories as well as 20 countries.

“One of the things I think about … I know people in every state,” he said, grinning.

Over the years, Berry has nurtured relationships and friendships and several colleagues will attend the change of command ceremony, including Gen. Craig R. McKinley, the first National Guard general to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an expert in leadership and diversity programs.

Berry said he has sought advice, support and information from many military experts over the years, which has helped him understand the complexity of his role.

“It has facilitated and accelerated my ability to understand the complexity of the job because of the exposure I’ve received,” he said.

Berry recalled how McKinley created situations to teach him about force structure, its importance and how leaders manage their states.

With retirement on the horizon, Berry said he and his wife, Margo, plan to travel. He will also get involved with a Saturday school for boys at the Boys and Girls Club. As a young boy, Berry remembers the guidance he received, the importance of having a job and tutors stressing the value of education.

“The challenging group for young men is in seventh and eighth grades,” he said.

Berry looks forward to providing mentorship through the 10-week program. As the boys begin to develop into young adults, Berry wants to help them navigate college and avoid getting lost in the process.

Leadership dynamics

In the seventh month of Berry’s command, his leadership was tested when the coronavirus pandemic shut down many states including Nevada. The Nevada National Guard was at the forefront of ensuring the safety of the state’s residents.

“You will always know the impact if we put people in dangerous situations,” he said.

The governor’s office sought an active role for the Nevada National Guard. Berry prioritized understanding the enormity of decision-making required to address the state’s needs during the pandemic. Early on, Berry had discussions with the governor about the Guard’s role in managing multiple casualties. Although the first COVID-19 death occurred on the East Coast, Berry said the virus was heading west.

In 2020, Nevada had 3.1 million residents and the challenges became apparent.

“There was a need to protect our citizens,” Berry said. “People listen to the military.”

With limited knowledge about the virus and concerns over personal protective equipment and hospital beds, the Guard faced a Herculean task.

“Based on the available resources, leadership looked to us for guidance and decision-making,” Berry said.

Many of the Nevada Guard’s citizen-soldiers worked 14- to 16-hour days. When a vaccine became available in early 2021, the Guard traveled from community to community to administer vaccines and perform other tasks as assigned.

The missions didn’t stop. Two months before COVID shut down daily activities, a battalion deployed to Poland for a year in January 2020.

The expanding Nevada Guard

During Berry’s tenure, the Nevada Guard continued to grow.

“The growth of the Guard starts with people,” Berry said, adding that leadership must support the organization’s ability to grow and align with a strategic plan.

Berry said the Nevada Guard and its soldiers and airmen all have stories to tell.

“Our community knows who we are, what we do and what we represent,” he said.

Berry and Margo have their own story. They are the parents of three adult children: Jarel, Aivy and Dulcena, who is an Airman First Class in the Nevada Air National Guard. She recently graduated from the University of Nevada.

During Berry’s tenure, the Nevada Guard has promoted officers into key leadership positions regardless of gender and race. If that weren’t happening, Berry said the Nevada Guard would be losing talent.

Berry described the Nevada Guard as representative of the state by creating a culture of service.

“If you have a desire to serve and the willingness to take an oath to serve and protect this nation, we welcome you and provide opportunities to grow, develop and be part of this mission,” he said, referring to both females and males.

Berry said about 30% of incoming recruits are female.

Nevada became the second state, after Vermont, to swear in a female adjutant general when 

Maj. Gen. Cindy Kirkland served from 2005-2009.

“You don’t hear much about it now,” he said. “The reason is it’s becoming more normal in the National Guard.”

Berry said the military personnel and civilians with the Nevada Guard do a “phenomenal job” in their specialties. He added that the Nevada legislature has shown strong support for the Guard through state funding, which is a major investment in the Guard’s growth. In the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers asked how they could help the Nevada Guard.

“What the state does for us is outstanding,” Berry said. “We do better than a majority of states in terms of support.”

Although Berry will be retired when the next legislative session convenes in February, he said the budget process has already begun.

Forging partnerships

The State Partnership Program (SPP) began in 1993 after the breakup of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. The program initially helped countries emerging from behind the Iron Curtain, but it now involves many other countries.

The Nevada National Guard first partnered with Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia. Representatives from the Nevada Guard have traveled to Turkmenistan several times, and Turkmen military and civilian representatives have visited Nevada.

In 2004, the Turkmens visited several areas in Nevada to learn about agriculture, including a visit to the University of Nevada’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources. Their last trip to the U.S. was in 2007 when they spent a day at Naval Air Station Fallon to learn about aircraft fire suppression.

Berry said the program has evolved, and the Nevada Guard now partners with three South Pacific nations: Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

The Nevada Guard completed its most recent SPP exchange with Samoa in August, the newest partner nation. Tonga became the first partner country in 2014, followed by Fiji four years later.

“State partnerships and allies are important,” Berry said, adding that the Guard represents the United States at some events and activities. Developing relationships, partnerships and collaboration is important, as it’s “potentially enhanced when we find common ground instead of being in conflict.”

Berry is a firm believer in using diplomacy rather than sending people into harm’s way, though not everyone agrees with how the U.S. operates.

“We have some challenging days ahead,” he said.

Berry shifted his focus to Europe, discussing NATO’s importance in maintaining global stability.

“NATO is important, and so is how we take care of this world,” he said.

NATO is a military alliance of 32 member countries with 30 in Europe and two in North America (the U.S. and Canada). Berry said NATO is providing aid to Ukraine to prevent Russian expansion.

“People don’t play fair or by the rules,” Berry emphasized.

Berry fondly recalled a trip two years ago to one of NATO’s youngest partners. In 2022, he and seven other members of the Nevada Guard traveled to Romania to visit guardsmen from the 137th Military Police Detachment based in Carson City. The unit spent a year at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase, near Constanța, a coastal city on the Black Sea. The base is expected to become the largest NATO military installation in Europe.

Berry and the other soldiers saw the operations firsthand and the garrison commander praised the Nevada soldiers.

“I talked to the garrison commander,” Berry said.

Lt. Col. Brian Fiddermon, commander of the Army Support Activity-Black Sea, was impressed.

“I did not know how effective the National Guard is in its mission. I have given them additional responsibility,” Fiddermon told Berry in a meeting with other Nevada guardsmen.

During the short visit in January 2023, Berry said Gov. Joe Lombardo gave a shout-out to the Nevada Guard during his inauguration speech.

Berry also noted that the U.S., New Zealand and Australia are part of the ANZUS Treaty, which the three countries signed in 1951 to protect security in the Pacific.

Taking care of people

“We are a very pro-military state,” Berry said.

During former Gov. Brian Sandoval’s administration, he vowed to make Nevada one of the most supportive states for veterans and the military. Berry sees the dividends because of the positive reactions the state’s residents show to the active-duty military, Nevada Guard and reserves.

“That is pure show when you see that,” Berry said.

The shift toward the Guard began during Desert Shield in late 1990 and then Desert Storm when coalition forces stormed into Kuwait to liberate the country from Iraqi control. Iraq invaded the tiny Arab nation in August 1990.

That period also pushed the Total Force concept, which, according to the Army, is “the amalgamation of active and reserve forces into a combined military entity capable of meeting the Nation’s military needs in a timely and efficient manner.” The concept was used extensively during the Gulf War and in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror.

Another priority has been caring for both military and civilian personnel, as well as their families.

“Their families matter,” Berry said. “We’ve done quite a bit to take care of people. I keep that in the forefront of all my priorities because readiness is our most strategic objective. If you take care of people, they take care of your nation and state.”

Berry noted that 30 to 40 years ago, employers didn’t make it easy for a person to serve in the Guard. Now, with required deployments and training, businesses give soldiers and airmen up to 30 days off for training. Federal law also requires that deployed soldiers be reinstated to their previous or a similar job.

Preparing for employment takes time.

“I have to keep readiness in the forefront,” Berry said, adding that military personnel are evaluated and tested before deploying to the Middle East. Some units receive months to prepare for deployment.

Berry said the big question is how the military continues to monitor the Global War on Terror.

“The world is a challenging place right now,” Berry said, listing the world’s hot spots: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. “It’s no secret potential global conflicts could increase over the next couple of years.”