Hilburn a special guest at State of the State address

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

A Cassville man was a special guest at Gov. Mike Kehoe’s State of the State address on Jan. 13, recognized for his efforts in helping with tornado clean-up in St. Louis in May 2025.

Travis Hilburn, of Cassville, is a First Sergeant in the Missouri National Guard and served along with Cpt. Glenn Longhibler in the command team responsible for providing critical engineer support. Leading the 220th Engineering Company out of Festus, Hilburn and Longhibler directed 32 volunteer soldiers in coordinating debris removal operations, removing hundreds of truckloads of wreckage. 

“Their leadership played a vital role in stabilizing the community and laid the groundwork for recovery that continues today in St. Louis,” Kehoe’s special guests listing said.

Hilburn, who has more than 20 years of service in the U.S. Marines and National Guard combined, said the recognition at the address was fleeting, but left an impact.

“It wasn’t huge, but it was huge for me to be at the capitol,” he said. “I’ve met several governors over the years, but this was the first time I was ever invited to the capitol building, and that was significant.”

Hilburn said he and Longhibler had the opportunity to visit with Kehoe for a time, reminiscing about their experiences at the clean-up site last May.

“The governor got on a machine with one of our younger soldiers and worked it with him, so we reminisced about that and visited about the neighborhood we were in because Gov. Kehoe is from that area,” Hilburn said.

Hilburn said the tornado did significant damage, not as extensive as the 2011 Joplin tornado, but similar.

“There were a number of houses totally destroyed and tons of trees knocked down,” he said. “It was significant damage. I as with the Highway Patrol when the Joplin tornado happened and was there at 6 a.m. the day after helping dig people out and recover bodies. [In St. Louis], we worked 10- to 12-hour days for over a week, and we had a tornado warning while we were there and i had to evacuate all my people expeditiously.”

Hilburn said he spoke to numerous residents during that time, most of whom were greatly appreciative of the help.

“Most people were appreciative, bringing us food almost every day,” he said. “They were very grateful.”

Leading his group of 32 soldiers, ages 17-55, was also a rewarding experience.

“The challenge with that is it’s a very diverse bunch,” Hilburn said. “We have people from every background, location and demographic. There are kids from the inner city in St. Louis and kids who grew up on farms milking cows. Sometimes, with diverse groups, it’s tough to get cohesion, but the wonderful part is we can relate to anyone and cover the spectrum of personalities.”

Hilburn said from his role, he was also able to see the benefits to his unit.

“I saw them get a sense of how serious these kinds of events can be to the average public,” he said. “We see photos in the newspapers and images on TV, but it’s not real until you have your boots on the ground and can see the harm it does to people just like us. It brings out the good in everybody.”

Hilburn said those lessons, among others, can translate to friends and neighbors at home.

“What people here can get from this is finding out the National Guard is not beyond reach,” he said. “We are here to help the people of the state of Missouri, regardless of where you live, what you look like or where you’re from. The Guard is here for you and is made up of people just like you. We’re from every corner of the state and everywhere in between.”