A longtime spokesman for Iowa’s National Guard retires today. Colonel Robert King has been the face and voice of the guard for more than 14 years years, starting on the evening United Flight 232 crashed in Sioux City. He says the job’s stayed interesting ever since.In that time he’s gone through three wars and three deployment periods, major events like the 1993 floods with 44 days on duty nonstop, this year’s tragic deaths of Iowa guards in Iraq, and a death during the time of the floods. King says while he’s gotten along with reporters and the public, his job has been one of almost constant “on-call” service.He says you have to be available with the right answer at the right time, and put the right face on events. King says while he’s enjoyed the job, fourteen years in the same assignment is a long time. He thanks the soldiers and airmen, saying while he puts up with inconvenience of 24-hour phone calls and late-night news interviews, he praises the service of those called to active duty who put their lives on the line here and overseas…and says what he’s done is “nothing” compared to their service. King says soldiers appreciate the job he’s done explaining their work to the general public, and he’s even gotten cards and notes of gratitude from the troops. King’s replacement is well-trained — Major Greg Hapgood, new guard spokesman, is an 18-year veteran of the guard who served as public-affairs officer for his unit in the mid-1990s in Macedonia.
