On the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 4, Governor Jim Justice held a virtual “Change of Command” ceremony to formally welcome Brig. Gen. William E. Crane to his new position as Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard.
“General, it goes without saying that I have all the faith in the world in your abilities to be able to lead our men and women, and to take that leadership role and run with it,” Justice said during the ceremony. “You’ll do unbelievable, without any doubt in my mind whatsoever. Your credentials are impeccable. You have all the right stuff and, without any question, I am confident beyond belief that you’re going to do an incredible job.”
Crane is assuming command from Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, who had served as adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard since February of 2011.
“I am honored to assume the responsibilities of adjutant general of our great Mountain State and cannot begin to thank Gov. Justice and Gen. Hoyer for the trust and confidence that have placed in me to lead this incredible organization into the future,” Crane said.
Originally joining the National Guard in 1984, Crane was worn the uniform in the service of West Virginia for the last 36-years.
“The true heroes are the men and women in uniform, our civilian workforce and our retirees who make up our One Guard family, who are on the front lines today and every day defending our nation and our state,” Crane continued. “It is my honor to represent them and to command one of the most well respected and proven military forces in the world.”
Crane was promoted to brigadier general in March of 2020. A chemist in his civilian career, Crane holds several patents for his work in that field.
The ceremony also served to both honor and thank Maj. Gen. Hoyer for his 37 years of service.
“General Hoyer has been with us for a good while, and what an incredible job he’s done,” Justice said of the now former adjutant general. “I’ve seen him in action so many times. I’ve had the great opportunity to work with him…I can remember, General, you in the derecho. I can remember you in the terrible flood of 2016. I saw you and I’ve seen exactly what our great National Guard has done.”
In recognition of his leadership and his nearly four decades in uniform, Gov. Justice presented Maj. Gen. Hoyer with the WVNG’s West Virginia Distinguished Service Medal.
“It’s my honor to lead the transition between these two really great men,” Justice said. “They’re great husbands, great dads and great West Virginians.”
Hoyer took the opportunity to offer words of praise and encouragement to his successor.
“I greatly appreciate not just your commitment and sacrifice to the Guard over the years, but how you always stepped up and took on challenges when they needed to be taken on,” Hoyer said.
“I am supremely confident in Bill’s (Crane’s) abilities to take over the responsibilities as Adjutant General without missing a beat,” Hoyer continued. “He is a proven leader, well-respected among the troops and I cannot wait to see his vision for our force become realized. Great things are ahead for our Guard, and I couldn’t be prouder to turn the reins over to Bill and his team.”
“It’s clear that there are big shoes to fill in the departure of Maj. Gen. Hoyer,” Crane said. “I have no doubt that the vision and priorities we have established as a new team will lead the Guard into even more successes here at home and abroad. I envision our organization embodying the One Guard family motto, meaning our soldiers, airmen, their families, our retirees and civilian workforce are our most valuable asset and our West Virginia values set us apart from other organizations. There are numerous other priorities such as leadership development, diversification of our force, capitalizing on our unique units, talent and terrain in West Virginia and the promotion of our national-level training assets to name a few.”
Although retiring from the uniform, Hoyer is not retiring from public service, as he will continue in his leadership role with the state’s Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 vaccinations.
