Nevada's top military leader, Major General Ondra Berry, announces retirement

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — The man who oversees the Nevada Air and Army Guard is retiring. Major General Ondra Berry, the adjutant general, has been the state's highest ranking military office since 2019. The major general just announced the news to his soldiers, airmen and civilians Wednesday.

After 38 years in the Nevada Air National Guard, he's hanging up his stars.

"It's time. I just because, you know, first of all, when I took this job, I had some goals, and I pretty much have hit all my goals," he said.

General Berry is the first African-American to hold the high military position in state history.

General Berry has faced some unexpected challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest with protests which sometimes led to vandalism, and just days after becoming adjutant general, Army Staff Sergeant Chase Rauchle took his life. That was September 9, 2019. Rauchle left behind a wife and two young children. In response, General Berry created Purple Resolve in Nevada which launched in 2021. Other state have picked up the suicide prevention program to help soldiers and airmen deal with stress and depression.

Serving others has been a goal of Berry. He spent 25 years as an officer at the Reno Police Department.

Berry also knows grit. He was raised by a single parent, lived in public housing and food stamps kept the family fed.

He had to overcome adversity in the military too. In the mid 1980s, Berry was working on his private pilot's license and wanted to fly for the military.

"I was told that I would not be given the opportunity to apply," he said. "Because, pretty sure how I looked."

Berry said confirmed that he believes his race kept him on the ground.

"Frustrated. Disappointed. Upset. But, you know, I'm, I'm a fighter," he said about the situation.

A setback for a comeback. That rejection may have helped push Berry to set his sights even higher, he admitted.

After Berry's retirement, the 65-year-old hopes to start a Saturday program for middle school boys at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Nevada as he continues to serve his community as he's done for nearly four decades.

Ondra Berry said he will work with Governor Joe Lombardo and the state's leadership to transition to a new Adjutant General. He said the Governor will appoint his replacement in August. Berry's official retirement date from the military is October 31.

Below is Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry's retirement letter released on July 17, 2024: