General James Bauerle has committed his life to serving our nation, and that commitment didn’t end when he retired in 2000.
The Past
Having grown up on the southside of Indianapolis, Bauerle was drafted in 1968 during the Vietnam War. He retired 32 years later as the commanding general of the 88th Regional Support Group. During that time, Bauerle graduated from Engineer Officer Candidate School (OCS) and earned a bachelor of science degree from Marian University. He served in both the United States Army on active duty and the U.S. Army Reserve, holding titles like platoon leader, executive officer, commander and chief of staff. He worked in the highest level of logistics during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the early 1990s, when he organized large troop movements and wide-spread humanitarian efforts, including the emergency restoration of Kuwait.
Bauerle received the Legion of Merit twice, Bronze Star three times, Meritorious Service Medal four times, Army Commendation Medal twice and many, many more awards, including the coveted Humanitarian Service Medal for his actions in Indiana during the blizzard of 1978. He was inducted into the Engineer OCS Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Present
A Carmel resident since the early 1980s, Bauerle has spent the past 24 years working to improve the military community and the lives of service members and veterans.
He is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Council and a flag officer group called Mission Readiness that promotes Armed Forces’ preparedness. He serves as state president of Veterans for Energy and as a board member for TreatNow.org, which promotes the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)
As the Army Reserve Ambassador to Indiana, Bauerle interfaces between government, the public, private businesses and the Army Reserve. He helps recruiters, works with legislators and educates the public.
Bauerle also serves as vice president and legislative chairman for The Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana, an advocacy group for Hoosier military members, veterans, retirees, families and survivors.
He describes TMVCI as an “ACE organization” in that its goals are to advocate, celebrate and educate. He points out one visible accomplishment as seeing the road to the airport named Colonel H. Weir Cook Memorial Drive after a pilot during World War I.
“We spend much of our time trying to get laws passed,” Bauerle explains.
One of the organization’s top priorities right now is to get approval of the Reserve Tuition Supplement Program to have the scholarship support available to those who serve in the National Guard made available to reservists, as well. Other goals include reducing the veteran suicide rate in Indiana, property tax and rent tax breaks for disabled veterans, guard and reserve employer tax abatement credits and more.
The Future
Bauerle works hard now to make life better for service members, veterans and their families in the future.
He recommends that young people be open to talking to recruiters, even if they have never considered military service. He advises them to look into the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and Career Exploration Program (CEP) which help students identify interests, skills and career options, all for free.
With recruits, veterans and the civilian public, Bauerle stresses the skills gained through military service.
“Being a veteran brings with it unique skills like adaptability,” Bauerle says. “You can’t take a course on that in college.”
Skills like leadership, responsibility, work ethic and interpersonal communication often take years to acquire in civilian positions.
According to Bauerle, one way to help employers understand the benefit military service lends to employability is for veterans to talk more about their experiences during service.
“I tell veterans to tell their stories no matter how trivial they might seem,” Bauerle says. “If you see a veteran, ask them to share their stories and then listen. Tell them ‘thank you.’ That’s really all veterans are looking for.”
"If you see a veteran, ask them to share their stories and then listen. Tell them ‘thank you.’"
-General James Bauerle