KUDOS: We had to take a moment to pass along some well-deserved kudos earned by local members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Our own Marcie Schellhammer recently interviewed the commanding officer of the 28th Infantry, Maj. Gen. Mike Wegscheider. He’s a two-star general, a pretty high ranking officer who serves as a Pennsylvania State Trooper in his civilian life.

He told us that he’s always heard positive comments about soldiers coming from around here, and that “we have a lot of real patriots” in this unit, volunteering for deployments.

“I have nothing but great things to say about Charlie Company. They’ve done some absolutely great things. They are a really solid company. For some reason Pennsylvania provides some of the highest performing infantry.

“They are without a doubt among the strongest companies in the state. They are a pleasure to work with and there are always great comments that come out of operations they work.”

He added something that we already knew.

“Bradford should be proud.

“This company is among the best and we are very proud of what these men and women are doing. Northwest PA and Bradford specifically have a long history of producing some of the best officers, non commissioned officers and soldiers within our division.”

According to the Guard, “The 28th Infantry Division and the Pennsylvania National Guard trace their lineage back to the militia organized by Benjamin Franklin in 1747 known as the Associators. Franklin organized artillery and infantry units to defend the city of Philadelphia against French and Spanish privateers.

“The 28th ID is the oldest continuously serving division in the United States Army. The keystone was prescribed as the designated symbol of the National Guard of Pennsylvania on Aug. 27, 1879.”