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JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Missouri’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, has been elected as the new chairman of the board of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), which represents the nation’s Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen to Congress and the Pentagon. Gov. Jay Nixon, who appointed Danner as Adjutant General, said the major general will make a strong leader for the nearly 45,000 members of the association.

“Major General Danner has ably led the Missouri National Guard during a time when its members have risen time and again to meet the challenges they have faced, both on deployments around the world and on humanitarian missions to help Missourians during and after natural disasters,” Gov. Nixon said. “His leadership skills and the genuine concern he has shown for those under his command will enable him to serve well the men and women of the Guard and their families.”

Danner was elected chairman of the board last week at the association’s 134th General Conference and Exposition. Prior to his election, he served as a board member as the adjutant general representative in region four.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be chosen to represent this strong organization,” Danner said. “We are focused on bringing the issues that are important to the Soldiers and Airmen who are our members to our elected representatives.”

Danner is the second Missourian to achieve a high-ranking national position in connection with the National Guard. Just last week, Gen. Frank Grass, who began his military career with the Missouri National Guard, became the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  

Danner enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1972 and has served as a traditional Missouri National Guard member since 1981. He was deployed to Iraq with the 35th Area Support Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service there. Before becoming Adjutant General in January 2009, Danner was a successful businessman and attorney. He also served as a Missouri state representative and state senator.

Danner received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He completed a master of strategic studies through the United States War College in 2004.

NGAUS includes nearly 45,000 current or former National Guard officers, and works closely with the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS). NGAUS was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington, and with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on militia needs.