Kent Porter has been promoted to the rank of colonel in the Army National Guard.

First Sgt. Wes Halvorson was the recruiter at the Albert Lea Armory when Porter signed up in 1986.

Porter is a 1984 graduate of Albert Lea High School. He attended Austin Community College and graduated from Bemidji State University.

He is stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and will leave on his third deployment soon. He plans to retire in 2021 after 35 years of service.