Mom, Rep. Johnson bring policy change to attend son’s ceremony

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - While President Joe Biden officially declared the end of the pandemic as a national emergency in April, all COVID restrictions have not come to an end. Until this week, that included the ability for families of South Dakota National Guard soldiers to be present for swearing-in ceremonies.

Wendi Hogan of Harrisburg is the mother of 17-year-old Jonathan. Two months ago, she learned that she nor Jonathan’s other family members could be in the room for Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.

”I’m not really one to take no for an answer (laughs), so when we left there, I started making some phone calls,” Hogan said.

For weeks, she reached out to the camps of Governor Kristi Noem and U.S. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, but got nowhere.

She almost lost hope. Then, last Wednesday, 6 days before Jonathan’s ceremony, she got a call.

”I randomly get calls from Dusty Johnson’s office for the town halls, and I happened to get a call that night as I’m in Wal-Mart,” Hogan said.

Wendi called into the meeting.

”And, Dusty’s like, ‘Wait, what? You can’t what?’ And I’m, like, yeah, and he’s like, ‘This isn’t good,” Hogan explained.

“The time for COVID-era protections and prohibitions is in the rearview mirror,” Rep. Johnson said.

The next morning, Dave Forsythe, a veteran in Johnson’s Rapid City office, contacted leaders of the Department of Defense and National Guard. By Monday, Johnson had stepped in to convince a DOD official to reverse the policy.

”People focus so much on the laws that we pass in Washington, D.C., and that is a really important part of the job,” Johnson said. “But, day in and day out, half of our team is focused way more on delivering blocking and tackling wins for South Dakotans.”

On Tuesday, Johnathan’s parents and stepfather became the first family members to attend a South Dakota National Guard swearing-in ceremony in over 3 years.

”Happy. Very happy that I got to be in there that I got to be in there and witness it, because that is such a pivotal moment in somebody’s life, and it is very important that no matter what age they are, that they have the family support,” Hogan expressed.

Jonathan begins his senior year at Harrisburg High School next month, then will ship out for National Guard training after graduation in May.