‘Two uniforms, one heart for service’: Brig. Gen. Michael Ake retires after 39-year military career

When Brig. Gen. Michael Ake looks back at his military career, he’ll remember the people. The noncommissioned officers who kept him grounded, the soldiers who served beside him in combat and the family who made his service possible.

On Oct. 17, 2026, Ake officially retired after 39 years in uniform, as both the Washington Army National Guard’s Land Component Commander and the Director of the Joint Staff, leaving a legacy behind him and his subordinate leaders with a challenge.

“You may have to lead with both strength and compassion,” said Ake. “But if you haven't made an impact on the people in the organization, what have you done? Are you a true leader?”

Ake’s story of service, both in the military and as a police officer, was shaped by his past, his family and the people that he met along the way.

Born in South Korea, Ake grew up speaking Korean and moving with his military family. His stepfather, James, an Army noncommissioned officer, helped instill the values of service and hard work that would guide both his careers. Ake became a naturalized American citizen while his family lived in Florida and later made Washington his permanent home. In Sept. 1987, Ake enlisted as an Army Reserve medic. Shortly after returning home, Ake applied for the Tacoma Police Department and joined the force in June 1989. Ake spent more than 32 years with the Tacoma Police Department, rising to interim chief before retiring from law enforcement in 2022.

“But what makes Mike's story so special isn't simply the years that he served, the rank that he's achieved, or the positions he's held,” said Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general, Washington National Guard. “It's the journey that brought him here, the people that influenced him, and the lasting difference he's made along the way.”

Ake served as an enlisted member before commissioning through the Washington Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School in 1995, graduating as the Distinguished Honor Graduate. His assignments took him from infantry platoon leadership to command of the 122nd Public Affairs Operations Center and the 56th Theater Information Operations Group.

Through Ake’s assignments and deployments to Iraq in 2006 and Afghanistan in 2008, one that Ake described as a defining experience in his career, he never lost sight of what was truly important, the people.

“The laughs we shared in the austere deserts, the shared hardships of combat, and the quiet pride of bringing our soldiers home safely, that is the true wealth that I take into retirement,” said Ake.

Throughout his remarks though, Ake returned to the influence of the NCO Corps that shaped him from a young enlisted member to a combat tested leader to a general officer.

“The most inspirational things I've seen from the Army has come from the NCOs,” said Ake.

As he walks away from service, Ake is thankful for the opportunities that he was given and for the people who trusted him along his journey.

“This organization trusted me to lead, challenged me to grow, and allowed me to serve both our great state of Washington and our nation,” said Ake.

Along with the people, Ake also recognized his family and everything his wife and children sacrificed for his service.

“Watching you grow into the incredible people you are today has been my greatest joy,” said Ake. “To my wife Carrie, you bore the heaviest rucksack of all.”

Welsh offered a final assessment of the career, both in and out of uniform, for a leader that gave so much.

“Your legacy won't simply be measured by the rank that you've achieved or the positions that you've held,” said Welsh. “It will be measured by the lives that you've touched, the leaders you've developed, and the relationships that you've built. You helped build something that will continue long after you've taken off the uniform, and that's a tremendous legacy.”

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