After 43 years Brig. Gen. Thomas Croymans retired from National Guard

South Dakota Army National Guard general retires after 43 years

American News via the AP
By: Kelda J.L. Pharris, Aberdeen (S.D.)
May 26, 2019

When he joined the Guard, the U.S. was enjoying a peaceful respite after the Vietnam War. The Guard’s first active duty was during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. It tested the Guard’s mettle in a way it hadn’t been for some time, Croymans said. This was after his time as a soldier, so he fulfilled his duties stateside.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Croymans, assistant adjutant general for the South Dakota Army National Guard, speaks during his retirement ceremony at Camp Rapid in Rapid City, S.D., May 4, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Austin Pearce/Army)

ABERDEEN, S.D. — It was a privilege.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Croymans didn't speak the phrase.

He didn’t have to. With a slight flush in his skin, he averts his eyes and wipes at invisible particles on his meeting table in his office. His voice holds steady.

“It went quick,” Croymans told the Aberdeen American News.

Croymans, 60, retired from the South Dakota National Guard after 43 years. He was officially honored May 4 during a retirement ceremony at Joint Force Headquarters on Camp Rapid.

He’s quick to call attention to the sacrifice his family and employers have made and the support they’ve shown him and every guard member. He never anticipated being at this stage when he signed on at 17. He’s 60 now and continues working in his civilian job as a highway engineer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Central Office.
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