GEN. DAVID RATACZAK (Photo courtesy of the Arizona National Guard)

Unlike the federal military services, the Arizona National Guard has a single person who commands all of the state military branches called the adjutant general. The man who has held that post since 1999, David Rataczak, announced this morning that he will retire in December after 43 years in the military.

A combat helicopter pilot from the Vietnam War, Rataczak was appointed to his post by then-Gov. Jane Dee Hull, a Republican. But he has been a faithful and able commander during the administration of Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. Rataczak has managed Army and Air branches that have grown quite rapidly (by 60 percent) in terms of troops, armories and other buildings, and missions. The Air National Guard became a lead military agency to test and deploy the Predator combat drone, which has been used in nonviolent patrol missions along the Mexican border and in a variety of combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Rataczak has seen a fair share of controversy during this tenure. In 2000, Tribune investigative reporter Mark Flatten disclosed evidence that the Arizona National Guard was keeping the name of soliders on its books for months after they had left service in order to draw in more federal funding. The “ghost soldiers” series sparked some criticism, particulary within the military community. But the issue disappeared after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as federal funding jumped for the various state national guards in exchange for participating heavily in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rataczak also found himself in a political showdown in the past two years with Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, that nearly cost Rataczak his job. Harper was angry that Rataczak had previously refused to back the senator’s proposals for using National Guard troops in direct border patrol operations and potential detention of illegal immigrants. Operation Jump Start, which was funded by the Pentagon, relied on National Guard troops from Arizona and other states in a supporting role for the civilian Border Patrol. Harper used his position as a committee chairman to block Rataczak’s reappointment as adjutant general, and Harper relented only under enormous pressure.

I got to know Rataczak just a little bit when I was covering Napolitano a few years ago. The governor had traveled to Yuma for a regional military conference, so she was allowed to use a National Guard plane to make the trip. I was invited along, and it turned out Rataczak was Napolitano’s host for the day. The general admitted during a quiet moment that he was using the daylong trip to speak one-on-one with Napolitano about some of his ideas for the National Guard and about a couple of funding requests. Since the two have continued to work well together, I always assumed that Napolitano was pleased with what Rataczak had to say.

Posted in: Arizona government • Arizona National Guard • Gen. David Rataczak • Gov. Janet Napolitano • Jack Harper • Operation Jump Start |

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