February 1, 1946 – April 8, 2020
Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2020 issue
Former Wisconsin National Guard Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Al Wilkening, 74, passed away peacefully April 8, 2020 at his home in Brooklyn, Wisconsin after a fierce battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born in Freeport, N.Y., on February 1, 1946, the only son of the late Albert M. Wilkening and Madeline E. Wilkening (Wanser). He married Patricia Lynne Anderson on July 10, 1971, in Brooklyn, Wis., and they had two daughters, Jessica Elise and Allison Celeste.
Al Wilkening graduated from Massapequa High School, N.Y., in 1963. He graduated from Long Island University (C.W. Post) in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree cum laude in psychology. He completed his master’s degree in guidance counseling and personnel at Mississippi State University in 1973. He is also a distinguished graduate of the National Security Management Course, which he completed in 1989.
Wilkening enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1968 and was commissioned a second lieutenant on March 28 of that year. Following pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, he served as a flight instructor at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, until May 1973. In August 1973, he joined the Wisconsin Air National Guard and served in a variety of command and staff positions including as commander of the 176th Tactical Fighter Squadron and deputy commander for operations, 128th Tactical Fighter Wing, until November 1990. During this time, Wilkening was also employed as a human resource professional and manager for two Wisconsin corporations.
From December 1990, to August 2002, Wilkening served as Deputy Adjutant General for air, the commander of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. He was named Adjutant General by Governor Scott McCallum and assumed office on August 9, 2002. On March 18, 2003, Governor Jim Doyle appointed him Homeland Security Advisor and chairman of the Governor’s Homeland Security Council. He served in these positions until his retirement on September 1, 2007.
Gen. Wilkening was a command pilot with more than 3,300 hours in the T-41, T-37, T-38, O-2A, OA-37, and A-10. His military awards include the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and others.
Following retirement, Al Wilkening volunteer his service to numerous military, government and civic organizations. He is survived by his wife, Pat; his daughter, Jessica and her children, Cole, Carsten and Keira; his daughter, Allison (Mike) and their sons, Jameson and Anderson; his sister, Susan (Ed); his sister, Nancy (David); his brother-in-law, Dick (Julie); his sister-in-law, Jan (Jim); and his brother-in-law, Denny (fiancé Sherry); as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Al and Madeline; his father and mother-in-law, Arthur and Marian Anderson; and his sister-in-law, Shirley Erfurth.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Always a gentlemen and on duty, Gen. Wilkening could be seen at the biennial Volk Field Fly-In in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin meeting and greeting the general public, general aviation pilots and military personnel. When the Wisconsin Air National Guard transitioned from the A-10 Warthog to the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1993, Gen. Wilkening chose not to get checked out in the new jet fighter and instead gave his flying spot to a younger pilot to conserve limited resources. Gen. Wilkening’s leadership, community service and friendship will be missed!
