The Kansas National Guard will be adding three new names to its roster of distinguished Guardsmen during an induction ceremony for the Kansas National Guard Hall of Fame Nov. 4.
The ceremony will take place at Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 E 6th St., Topeka, beginning at 2 p.m.
This year’s inductees are retired Col. Wayne L. Cline, Topeka, the late retired Col. James E. Trafton, Kansas City, Kansas, and retired Chief Master Sgt. Danny M. Roush, Lyndon.
“These nominees are stellar examples of what it means to be a member of the Kansas National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general. “Throughout their careers, they exemplified the kind of dedication and leadership that makes the Kansas National Guard the proud and honorable organization it is.”
Retired Col. Wayne L. Cline’s career covered more than 36 years of service that included branch qualification in field artillery, engineering, transportation and aviation. Cline enlisted in the Kansas National Guard in 1953 and completed Officer Candidate School in 1959, commissioning as a second lieutenant. Over the course of his career, he served in numerous leadership positions. As an aviator, he was instrumental in implementing a phase maintenance program for the CH54A helicopter that was adopted worldwide. He was the first KSARNG aviator to fly helicopters in instrument weather conditions and developed a comprehensive instrument training program for all of the other aviators.
Retired Col. James Trafton began his military career in 1971 as a private and served in a reconnaissance platoon with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge. Trafton graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1982 and was commissioned as an engineer officer in 1984. He branch transferred to infantry in 1991 and served in several leadership positions, including command of the 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry. He led the battalion during its deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, overseeing more than 1,300 combat patrols with units dispersed throughout Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, Ramadi, Irbil and Basra, Iraq. At the time of his retirement in 2008, he was Kanas Army National Guard Strength Management Officer. He was inducted into the Kansas National Guard Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in August 2009. Trafton died in April 2010 from injuries sustained in a traffic accident.
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Danny Roush joined the Kansas Air National Guard in 1973, enlisting into the 190th Civil Engineer Squadron. During a career that spanned almost 40 years, Roush served the Kansas National Guard in many capacities, including journeyman electrician, interior electric shop noncommissioned officer in charge, exterior electric shop supervisor, squadron first sergeant, electrical superintendent, facility manager and civil engineer manager. Roush deployed twice in his career, first to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1990 and to Kirkuk, Iraq, in 2005.
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