Major General Mike Stencel – Thank You for Your Service

Major General Mike Stencel
The Life Changing Impact of Public Service

As Mike Stencel’s story progresses, a narrative is revealed, formed by the life-changing impact of his military experience. After serving 39 years, Stencel recently retired from being an Adjutant General of the Oregon National Guard and former Air National Guard pilot. His experience demonstrates the valuable skills one learns while serving. As he looks back on his life and career, Stencel offers a perspective that has grown over time and shows the importance of public service and the need for everyone to take part and pay attention to what is happening around them.

Since he was a kid, Stencel knew he wanted to fly; it wasn’t until after he graduated from college that he was able to make his dream a reality and join the United States Air National Guard. Though competitive at the time, and still is, he managed to get in in 1984 and began his training to fly fighter planes.

While in the ANG, he maintained a civilian life; he got his MBA and a “regular job” “I went after my MBA at Portland State, and then went into commercial real estate,” he said. “So, I had an eight to five job and get to come out and fly on the evenings or weekends to do the drill training and drills every month.”

When he got married and had a family, balancing became difficult, so he quit his job and dedicated his time to family and carrying out his ANG duties. Stencel held several positions, however, the most notable was Wing Commander (from 2010 to 2013) and most recently, Adjutant General.

“I got the opportunity to be promoted to general office,” he said. His predecessor asked if he could be acting general while the governor went through the selection process, and he couldn’t pass that up. Once he was able to apply for the full position, he took that opportunity and then began his nearly decade-long career as head of the Oregon National Guard.

As the Adjutant General, Stencel had a lot to manage, including more than 8000 people, staying on top of federal issues, and being engaged in the state legislature, among several others. “When it came to legislative issues I had to be engaged in and understand the state legislature,” he said. “I also had to, you know, stay on top of all federal issues too.”

While there was so much that went into his career, the experience was nothing short of rewarding, educational, and insightful. He found that attention to detail, self-discipline, and maintaining calmness and control of being a fighter pilot was beneficial when taking on the position of Adjutant General. “I’ve had an ability to not get emotional and stand back and look at things, get all the inputs, and make a deliberate decision,” he said. “Not taking things personally and giving everybody the courage to be open and critical.”

Though initially joined the Guard to fly, his perspective changed throughout his career. One of the biggest takeaways of his time in the military as he grew, was the importance for people to get engaged in public service and pay attention to what’s happening around them. “I think one of the huge values that you get out of military service and public service is that it unifies everyone, and it doesn’t matter what your religion, your race or education, it’s trying to do the right thing for the country,” he said. “It’s like the classic Kennedy quote “’ Ask not what your country can do for you… ask what you can do for your country.?’”

Putting it into perspective and reflecting on his military career, Stencel ultimately wants to see public service become relevant again; to be able to be a community and serve each other. “It doesn’t have to be military; it can be you know, Red Cross or any type of public service where you create some bonding with people,” he said. “This is a community and everything, and that’s unifying.”

Throughout it all, Stencel is grateful for everything, from the support of his family and community to the growth and knowledge he gained along the way. “I got to live my dream, and as I said, it wasn’t all about service, but it gets into your DNA, and I have a greater appreciation for it now,” he said. “And I wouldn’t have gotten there without the people I had, like the guardsmen, employers, and my family too; [that support] helped me get to where I was, and I have a lot of gratitude for them and the service too.”