But when 9/11 hit, the former mortgage lender from Twin Lakes knew he had to up the ante, too.

“I was inspired by my family’s service to serve in a larger capacity,” said Essing. “I always tried to be ready for opportunities as they came up. Part of being in the (Army) National Guard meant being ready to deploy.”

After 32 years of service to his country, Essing retired on June 30. Since 1988, he has served in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Mexico and with the U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs.

After working in the 1st Battalion of the 194th Field Artillery and 2nd Battalion of the 34th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Essing was first deployed in 2007 to a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, an eastern European remnant of the Soviet Union that declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. backing under President George W. Bush’s administration.

-Submitted photo
Lt. Col. Todd Essing of Twin Lakes, left, was inspired to serve his country by the heritage of military service in his family. His father, Mark Essing of Manson, right, served in the Vietnam War.

There, he served as an executive officer and worked with Kosovo’s equivalent of FEMA, the EPA and National Guard units to test for radiation and clean up the remnants of 100-some state-owned, abandoned factories left by the USSR decades after its collapse.

“We were trying to help them stabilize all the Soviet era factory remains,” Essing said. “It was very gratifying to be able to work with them.”

Acting as an emergency management adviser for a team of 24 in Kosovo, Essing worked with NATO stakeholders over seven of the last 11 years to define goals and make plans to achieve them.

Kosovo, formerly part of Yugoslavia, was left with defunct factories that produced items like textiles and car batteries, which left toxic and hazardous materials. Slowly, Kosovo sold the factories to private civilian companies as they were cleaned up.

Since President Woodrow Wilson backed Albanian independence over 100 years ago (the vast majority of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian), Essing said Kosovo has had a great appreciation for Americans, underscoring what he said is still a strong U.S. standing on the world stage.

-Submitted photo
Lt. Col. Todd Essing served in the Army National Guard from 1988 to 2020.

“They really looked to the U.S. for strong leadership to work shoulder to shoulder,” Essing said — a learning moment for him overseas.

Essing worked the the U.S. Northern Command in Colorado to coordinate U.S. responses to disasters like fires and hurricanes. His experience there also included two years in Mexico City, where he developed and planned exercises to build up the capacity of the Mexican military.

Later in 2010, in the heat of the War in Afghanistan, Essing once again stepped up to serve, with two weeks notice to prepare for a departure to the Middle East.

“I’m ready, let’s go,” he said.

During Essing’s year in Afghanistan, he served as a human resources officer for 3,200 soldiers in the Second Battalion of the 34th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. There, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service.

-Submitted photo Lt. Col. Todd Essing spent a significant amount of time in Kosovo while in the National Guard, including 2008 when the country declared independence from Serbia.

While it was a different line of work, it was something Essing eagerly rolled his sleeves up to jump into.

As if that wasn’t enough variety, Essing was one of the first Iowans chosen to go to the Joint and Combined War Fighting School, where he became a certified Joint Qualified Officer.

“I’ve been very fortunate to do many things,” he said. “Part of being in the National Guard meant being ready to deploy.”

Another thing he learned over 32 years is that Iowans are prepared for the unexpected in a way unlike many others.

“Iowans are used to tornadoes and tough conditions,” Essing said. “When the alarm sounds, we’re always ready to go out. … We take a look outside and see how we can help others.”

In his retirement, the 52-year-old hopes to put his decades of experience and instinct to work for FEMA, helping Americans enduring natural disasters.