Army Brig. Gen. John A. Byrd (right), assistant adjutant

Army Brig. Gen. John A. Byrd (right), assistant adjutant general of North Carolina, affirms the General Officers’ Oath as his family observes his pinning ceremony at the North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh on Jan. 24. As a fourth generation Guardsman, Byrd joined the North Carolina National Guard in 1981 as an infantry soldier. He has deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and has successfully commanded at all levels from platoon to corps level. Army Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, the adjutant general of North Carolina, administered the oath at the ceremony. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. Leticia Samuels, North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs/ Released)