Janesville native is promoted to brigadier general

JANESVILLE (AP) -- A Janesville native has been promoted to brigadier general.

President Barack Obama nominated Army Col. Andrew Poppas to the rank of brigadier general. The Senate must confirm the nomination, which is considered a formality.

He's a 1984 Craig High School graduate.

For the past seven months, the 46-year-old has been the 101st Airborne Division's deputy commander for operations at Fort Campbell, Ky. It's a duty ordinarily filled by a brigadier general.

He is scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan in February. He served a tour of duty in Afghanistan from May 2010 to May 2011.

He tells The Janesville Gazette he's honored to be nominated for the promotion. He says it's not only his accomplishment but people in his life that helped him along the way.