Military digest 2/26/07

Armour promotion in National Guard

Dan Armour of Sikeston, Mo., was recently promoted to command sergeant major for the Missouri National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion. Armour has been serving as the acting battalion command sergeant major since the 1140th was deployed to Louisiana for support during the Hurricane Katrina cleanup efforts in September 2005. He has also served as a company first sergeant for Company C, 1140th in Sikeston, for four years. Armour has been with the Missouri National Guard since 1981. Recently Armour was the keynote speaker for the annual Veterans Day ceremony in Sikeston. Armour has been with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety for 28 years and is currently a captain and division commander of uniformed patrol officers. Armour is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Armour of Sikeston. He is married to the former Sondra Stewart of Sikeston. He has a son, Brent, who currently holds the rank of sergeant in the Missouri National Guard.

Carden picked as public affairs representative

Staff Sgt. Heather Carden, of East Prairie, Mo., was recently hired as the Unit Public Affairs Representative for the 1140th Engineer Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard. "I have a wonderful opportunity to tell the story of the traditional resident-soldier," Carden said. "It's going to be my job to let everyone know how hard these men and women work." Carden said she believes that the men and women who join the Guard do so for various reasons. One soldier may just want the additional job skills that the Guard offers, while another soldier may join because they want to serve not only the state of Missouri, but the country as well. Carden served on active duty in the Army from 1994 to 2002 as a Korean linguist. During her career, she was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., South Korea and Fort Hood, Texas. She is the daughter of the late Milo Carden and Sylvia Carden of East Prairie. She has a daughter, Brittany, a fourth-grader at Martin Elementary School in East Prairie.

-- From staff reports