STARKVILLE — There are three institutions in Andrew Rendon’s life that helped him get where he is today: his family, the Mississippi National Guard and Mississippi State University.
The support of each was evident in the full auditorium of the Old Main Academic Center Thursday, as Rendon was promoted from colonel to brigadier general in the Mississippi National Guard.
“I can’t do this without them,” Rendon said of his family after the ceremony. “They’re the essence in which I’ve been able to be successful. … I talk about standing on the shoulders of giants. Those are the giants – Mississippi State, the Guard and my family.”
Rendon, a Starkville native and MSU alum, is the commander of the 66th Troop Command of the Mississippi Army National Guard and the executive director for Veterans and Military Affairs at MSU. His military service began nearly three decades ago as an Army aviator.
Rendon spent nine years on active duty with assignments in Germany and Alabama. He returned to Starkville in 2004, where he joined the Mississippi National Guard and held various roles across the state, including logistics officer, platoon leader and his current role.
MSU President Mark Keenum delivered remarks Thursday, touching on both the university’s history of supporting military-connected students and Rendon’s role in providing that support.
“We have a great, wonderful partnership with the Mississippi National Guard, and I know that partnership will get even stronger with the promotion of General Rendon,” Keenum said during the ceremony. “Every one of you knows he is an outstanding human being, individual (and) leader. … He sets out to achieve something, it’s going to be done in an excellent manner.”
In his new title, Rendon will be responsible for the training, development and readiness of all soldiers within the 66th Troop Command. He will also oversee the development and coordination of all policies, plans and programs for the troop.
After promoting him, Maj. Gen. Janson Boyles, adjutant general of Mississippi, presented Rendon with his own officer flag and personal firearm.
“There are about a million men and women who serve in the Army,” Boyles said during the ceremony. “(Rendon) is entering a class of officers that number about 2,500 out of a million. … So the duties that he’s taking on are the duties of a few, and this is quite an accomplishment for anyone who gets promoted to the general officer rank.”
Thursday’s ceremony, Rendon said, exemplified the support each institution has given him throughout his career. Facing the crowd of family, friends and even his third-grade principal, Rendon thanked the audience for their support.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of and play a role in three amazing institutions that have taken care of me and poured into me, quite honestly, more than I could ever pour into them,” he said. “It hasn’t always been easy. … But not once have those institutions left me alone. … In every instance as I ask for help, support or assistance, they’ve been there for me, and man have they been there for me.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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