Hoogland retires as National Guard state chaplain

The Wisconsin National Guard will welcome a new state chaplain in November.

Lt. Col. Douglas Fleischfresser of Oconomowoc has been selected to succeed Lt. Col. Kevin Hoogland of Merrill, who will retire next month. The state chaplain is a traditional, rather than full-time, National Guard position and guides the Wisconsin National Guard's vision of providing ministry and service to its members and families.

Fleischfresser most recently served as the command chaplain for the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from 2008-2012. During that time he also served as command chaplain for the Joint Area Support Group and the International Zone in Baghdad, Iraq when the 32nd Brigade deployed to Iraq from 2009-2010.

Hoogland's military career began in 1986 as a chaplain in the Arkansas Army National Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade. He transferred to the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1987 and served for many years as battalion chaplain for the 632nd Armor Battalion in Wausau. His next assignment was as command chaplain for the 32nd Brigade, with whom he deployed to the Middle East in 2005-2006. During this deployment he was selected to be the state chaplain. He will retire from the Wisconsin Army National Guard in November 2012.

Military service is a cornerstone of Hoogland's family. His grandfather served in World War I, his father served in World War II, and his wife, Cpt. Sandy Hoogland, is a physician's assistant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard who recently deployed with the 724th Combat Engineer Battalion. Their youngest son Aaron graduated infantry school and airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga., and hopes to begin Special Forces training through the Special Operations Preparation Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Hoogland served his first parish in Waldenburg, Ark., and has served Faith Lutheran in Merrill since 1987.