Tattoo Of BG Daryl K. McCall
US Army National Guard, RET

Oklahoma Sky – Miranda Lambert

Daryl McCall was born on August 13, 1949 in Duncan, OK. Daryl’s father was a welder at Halliburton and
his mother was an elementary school teacher in Marlow, OK. In the third grade, Daryl began commuting
with his Mom, attending elementary and high school in Marlow. He spent his summers and many
weekends on the family farm east of Lawton--about 4 miles east of East Range. At an early age, he could
distinguish artillery fire from thunder. Daryl graduated from Marlow High School in 1967. Following High School, he attended Oklahoma University and later the University of Central Oklahoma earning a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

Citizen Soldier – Three Doors Down

In February 1970, Daryl joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard, Detachment 1, 1345 Transportation
Company, in Healdton. From May through August that year, Daryl went to Fort Polk, for Basic
Training and AIT as a Light Truck Driver where he graduated as honor graduate from BCT.
After a few months back at home station in Healdton, the First Sergeant talked with Daryl about
attending Officer Candidate School. Daryl applied and was accepted for branch immaterial OCS at Fort
Benning. Daryl graduated and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1971.

Thunderstruck - ACDC

Daryl was initially assigned to a combat engineer unit, but growing up near Ft Sill, Daryl wanted Field
Artillery. He was living in Lawton at the time and discovered the big round domed armory on Cache Rd
was an artillery unit. He joined 1st Bn 158th Field Artillery, a nuclear capable 8-inch battalion. Following
his assignment to 1-158th FA he attended Field Artillery Officer Basic Course in the summer of 1972. As
math was a favorite subject, he found gunnery charts and darts pretty easy and graduated in the top
10% of his OBC Class. Being on active duty appealed to him and he was confident he wanted a career in
the military.

Following Officer Basic, his assignments with the 1st -158th FA included Ammunition Officer, Service
Battery in Lawton, and Executive Officer, Alpha Battery, Anadarko. As the XO, walking
the gun line was where Daryl learned the value of and gained much respect for Non-Commissioned
Officers; the section chiefs, Gunnery Sergeant and the Chief of Firing Battery. He was fortunate to have
served with such dedicated people who taught him much about artillery early on because they helped
shape the rest of his career.

On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

When not in uniform, Daryl worked full-time as a manufacturer’s representative wholesaling automotive
and motorcycle accessories. He traveled in portions of three states--NW Oklahoma, the Panhandle of
Texas and Western Kansas (none of which were particularly scenic). Tiring of all the travel and hotel
rooms, he decided to switch careers. In the fall of 1975, he took a position as a teacher of
Distributive Education at Gordon Cooper Area Vo-Tech School in Shawnee. He taught retail and
wholesale advertising, marketing, sales and research to high school juniors and seniors. Students across
Oklahoma would compete annually for the opportunity to represent Oklahoma at the National
Conference. In his three years of teaching, Daryl had many students that qualified for the National
competition with three students earning first and two earning third-place National finishes. Daryl’s
military career continued to thrive. In February 1976, Daryl was assigned as Commanding Officer, Charlie
Battery, 1-158th FA in Chickasha and promoted to Captain in November 1976. After two and half years of
Command, Daryl was assigned as the S-2 and later Battalion FDO.

Don’t Stop Believing – Journey

In 1979, the Army was converting Guard and Reserve full-time manning from Civil Service Technicians to
Active Duty. Daryl’s goal of being on active duty was coming true and he entered active duty in May. He
was assigned as the full-time Operations and Training Officer, 1st – 158th FA. He continued to serve as
the FDO and later another year of Battery Command. In September 1982 Daryl was assigned to Headquarters, 45th Field Artillery Brigade in Enid, serving as the full-time Operations and Training Officer. While working full-time, Daryl attended night school and in December 1983, he earned his MBA with emphasis in Management from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK.

North Dakota – Chris Knight

Upward mobility and promotion potential was greater in the National Guard Bureau program as
compared to the State. Entry to the NGB program was through ROTC as an Assistant
Professor of Military Science. Daryl applied and was accepted. The application asked preferred duty
station. He listed OK, TX or any school east of there. When assignments were called, Daryl had been
selected for North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND and the report date was in 3 weeks.
He had 24 hours to accept. In those days, there were more applicants than positions available, so if
someone turned down an offer, they just didn’t call back. Daryl accepted and decided to look at this
move as an adventure. He reported to Fargo in February 1984. He taught map reading the first trimester
and for the next two years taught the seniors. This was one of the most rewarding assignments he had
up to this time in his career.

Daryl was on the move again after two and a half winters in Fargo. In 1986 he was assigned as
Director of Training at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, AR. This is the school that trains
all of the full-time force from all 54 States and Territories. It was during this assignment Daryl
celebrated the birth and adoption of his son, Robert in July 1987. Next, he reported to
the National Guard Bureau’s assignments branch. While only staying in assignments for eight months,
the experience and knowledge he gained was instrumental in preparing him to counsel and mentor
subordinates on professional progression for the rest of his career.

Changes – David Bowie

In July 1989, Daryl was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned as Chief of Force Integration of the
Force Management Division at National Guard Bureau. The job was to manage the structure and
modernization of ARNG units. In October of 1989 the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and almost
immediately there was a call for cashing in on the Peace Dividend--calling for downsizing the Army. In
early 1990, units were being identified to deploy for Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Continuing to program
downsizing and identifying fully modernized units for deployment was a huge challenge. It was during this time that Daryl met and worked for Major General John D’Araujo, initially the Deputy Director of the Army
National Guard and later the Director. MG D’Araujo was a mentor for the rest of his career.
In Sep 1992, Daryl attended the National War College at Fort Lesley J McNair, in Washington,
DC. In 1993, Daryl was promoted to Colonel and upon graduation in May, was assigned to
Fort Leavenworth, as ARNG, Assistant Chief of State to CG. One of the highlights was getting to see four
Captains coming through Leavenworth for CAS3 that he commissioned from ROTC.

Thunderbird – The Continentals

Daryl was selected for Brigade Command and in September 1995, he assumed command of the 45th Field Artillery Brigade in Enid, OK. During command, Daryl served for two years on the ARNG Field Artillery Advisory Committee, serving as the Chair the last year. The FAAC met regularly to identify issues that adversely affected ARNG Field Artillery readiness and made recommendations to the Director, ARNG or a proponent for potential solutions.

Caisson Song – US Army Band

In October 1998, Daryl was selected as the first Deputy Commanding General, ARNG Field Artillery and
ultimately promoted to Brigadier General. He advised the CG of Fort Sill on all matters relating to ARNG Field Artillery and continued to serve on the ARNG Field Artillery Advisory Committee. Brigadier
General Daryl K. McCall retired 28 Feb 2001.

Daryl continued to work the next eighteen years to help modernize the National Guard. Working with
various States, he built coalitions that sought congressional funding for modernization of the
ARNG. This congressional funding was used to either accelerate modernization for the ARNG or
provided funding for what was otherwise unfunded requirements. Over the years, he orchestrated
obtaining additive funding in excess of $700 million. Daryl also served as a “gray beard” advisor and
mentor to the Field Artillery Advisory Committee and he served on the Board of Directors of the
National Guard Association of the United States.

Better Together – Jack Johnson

In April 2011, Daryl met his wife, Lisa. Two years later they were married at Fort Leavenworth in
the Old Post Chapel. Their blended family includes two sons, two daughters, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law and four grandchildren. Robert and his daughter Ellie, live in Kansas City. He is an electrician working for Integrity Electric. He works on commercial and residential new construction and remodels. Jennifer with her two dogs Albus and Chewie live in Kansas City. She is a Registered Nurse at North Kansas City Hospital
working in the Pre-Op ward. Jonathan and his wife, Randi, have two boys, Jayden and Carsen and they live in Maryville, MO--1 1⁄2 hours north of Kansas City. Jonathan owns a construction business specializing in remodeling and flipping houses. Randi works for Northwestern State University in Maryville. Sydney and her husband, Max have an infant son, Sullivan--better known as Sully and live in Lenexa, KS a suburb of Kansas City. Sydney works as an Account Manager for Medical Solutions. Max works as the Director of Procurement and Strategic Planning for Relation Insurance. In July 2019, Daryl fully retired and now enjoys several expensive hobbies. His dad taught him to quail hunt and Daryl always enjoyed hunting with his father while he was alive. Daryl still enjoys hunting and following his dogs. When quail season is over, Daryl fishes for crappie and bass. He enjoys fishing with family and friends. When fishing is slow, he plays golf, but he’s a better at hunting and fishing than golf. Daryl treasures his time in
the military and especially his Field Artillery family.