Esko-native to retire after more than 37-years of military service

Command photo of Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson, the Minnesota National Guard’s Command Senior Enlisted Leader taken in Cottage Grove, Minnesota on Oct. 16, 2024.

(Minnesota National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Ben Houtkooper.)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota National Guard is honoring Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson.

Chief Master Sgt. Erikson will be honored in a Saturday, December 6, 2025 ceremony. The ceremony will include the formal change of responsibility with Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Rost as the state command senior enlisted leader.

Chief Master Sgt. Erikson retires after more than 37-years of military service.

After graduating from Esko High School, Erikson enlisted in 1988 as a jet engine mechanic, spending time stationed in Washington and Japan before joining the Minnesota National Guard in 1993.

She became the command chief of the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth in 2018, and the state command senior enlisted leader in 2022.

She was the first member of the Air Force to serve as the senior enlisted leader of the Minnesota National Guard, and the second woman to hold the position.

In a news release announcing the change of responsibility ceremony Erikson said, “Serving in the Air Force and the Minnesota National Guard has been such a fulfilling career… You could say it was the work I got to do, or the places I got to see, but at the end of the day, what kept me coming in each day was the people.”

She is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and her awards include the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Reserve Meritorious Service Medal with six devices, and the Air Force Overseas Long Ribbon.

In November, Erikson was honored with the Croatian Silver Star for her service and dedication to the continued cooperation between Croatia and the Minnesota National Guard under the State Partnership Program.