Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry
For decades, a photo of the president of the United States hung at the entrance of my grandmother’s den in Indiana. It didn’t matter who was president — whether Republican or Democrat, John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan — my grandmother respected the office.
Can you imagine somebody doing that today, hanging a photo of the president, regardless of political affiliation?
My grandmother respected and genuinely wanted each president to succeed. She believed in our nation’s institutions. Through her belief in America, she embodied the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long but bends toward justice.”
As I near the end of my 38-year military career this month, I increasingly find myself wanting to remind people that our country is more united than divided. It may not seem that way, especially with the upcoming election, but our institutions are strong, and we the people are dedicated to a better future, even in the face of great challenges.
We remain the United States of America.
We must emphasize and echo our national success stories in the 20th century: passing the 19th Amendment providing women’s suffrage, defeating fascism, integrating the military, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and winning the Cold War — to name only a few.
In 2005, Gen. Craig McKinley, then the director of the Air National Guard, eventual chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hired me to tell the National Guard’s story to 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. I did just that over the course of two years.
I focused my discussions with an eye toward the future. The foundation for my thoughts on an evolving workforce and military were shaped by the Department of Labor’s “Workforce 2000,” published during President Reagan’s administration in 1987. This report aptly forecast the need to tap into underrepresented groups.
Later, I took from what I learned in my master’s in public administration courses at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Reno Police Department, the Nevada Air National Guard and in the private sector at MGM Resorts.
What is commonly referred to as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, or DEIA, became not only a moral imperative in this 21st century, but also necessary to remain competitive in the modern workforce. For our nation to remain competitive, we needed to expand our talent pool and address societal inequities. This was especially true in the post-draft, all-volunteer military force. Expanding our talent pool proved to be a force multiplier for the Department of Defense. This is how we continue to defend our Constitution and win in the 21st Century. This was yet another one of our national success stories.
The world in which we were born is not the world in which we live, nor will it be the world that we leave. When I enlisted in 1986, it was farfetched to believe that someday the Nevada National Guard would consistently recruit female soldiers and air personnel at a 30 percent, total-force rate.
As I reflect on my career, I remain optimistic. The United States of America is competitive and empathetic — a good balance of both keeps you strong and just.
For my parting message as Nevada’s 30th adjutant general: We must lean into our collective story as citizens of this great state and nation, together, united — even with our differences in this often-chaotic democracy — as Nevadans and citizens of the United States of America.
Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry is the 30th, and first African American, Adjutant General of the Nevada National Guard. He is set to retire from the military Oct. 30. His change of command ceremony was held Saturday (Oct. 19) in Reno. Gov. Joe Lombardo appointed Brig. Gen. D. Rodger “Dan” Waters as the 31st Adjutant General in Nevada to replace Berry.