POWERGRAMS

10 with their military. During 10 months, he received briefings from all service branch chiefs and the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. "You start to understand why our senior leaders make the decisions they do sometimes," McLain said. "The War College prepares you to look at the strategic level instead of an operational level. There are military and political objectives to any military deployment you're involved in. As you become a senior leader, the military wants you to see the world through an expanded lens." After a successful battalion command and many staff assignments, McLain was promoted to brigadier general in command of the 31st Chemical Brigade. "After 9/11, I saw more than 2,000 soldiers from our brigade deploy," McLain said. "We trained and readied them to deploy and welcomed them back home when they returned." When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005, McLain was tapped to help lead more than 1,200 Army National Guard troops mobilized for emergency response. That task force provided engineering, security and distribution support of water and food to southwest Louisiana. After landfall, the Guard began relief operations along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. As levees failed in New Orleans, active duty troops were mobilized for rescue efforts. Military leaders' experiences in Iraq and other operations helped bring order to a difficult situation in America, McLain said. "We stayed for about seven weeks in the Lafayette and Lake Charles areas," he said. Living a busy retirement McLain retired from Alabama Power after a 38-year career. He worked in Line Construction; Construction Services; Risk Services in Mobile and Southern divisions; as a business office manager in Eastern Division; and in Labor Relations at Corporate Headquarters. After serving 35 years in the Army National Guard and active Reserves, McLain retired as a brigadier general in January 2009. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service medal, Army Commendation medal, Army Achievement medal, Parachute Badge and Expert Infantryman Badge. Since retiring, McLain has been an adjutant instructor at Troy University at Phenix City for more than five years, teaching courses in human resources and labor relations. He has worked as a part- time consultant to Dawson Inc., a defense contractor, since 2014. McLain facilitates exercises for the National Guard, Army Reserve and Army, dealing with hazards, storms and military response. He and Judi live in Auburn, where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and attending Auburn football and basketball games. They also enjoy their 300-acre pine tree farm in Clay County, where McLain hunts deer. Though he retired from the military more than a decade ago, McLain's thoughts remain with the men and women dedicated to the nation's safekeeping. "There's not one day that goes by that I don't think about our soldiers who are in harm's way," he said. By Donna Cope ========================================== McLain retired after 38 years with Alabama Power. McLain holds division patches, award ribbons and mementos of service alongside wife Judi. PHOTOS BY WYNTER BYRD

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