OUR LIVES | MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD FEATURE
Dimensional Professional: Captain Zack Thelen-Liebl BY ISAAC JOHNSON | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZACHARY THELEN-LIEBL
Some things are never easy, but getting to know Captain Zack Thelen-Liebl of the Minnesota National Guard isn’t one of them. He knows who he is, and although it may seem a simple formula, it’s a bold and refreshing take on the authenticity of “what you see is what you get.” CPT Thelen-Liebl comes from a Willmar, Minnesota family with high military participation on both sides. However, as the youngest of four children he was the last one they expected to join. Even though he always knew he wanted to serve, it was always assumed his older
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brother would be the one. When he turned 17 he contacted a recruiter and joined the Minnesota National Guard. Two weeks later his older brother followed suit and is currently with an infantry battalion in southern Minnesota as a sniper. Now 16 years of military service later, he is the Battalion Executive Officer and Officer-inCharge of the 682nd Engineer Battalion and is about to be promoted to Major. He has worked full time at the Minnesota National Guard since 2018 and came with a wealthy experience of nonprofit work for Habitat for Humanity, a
theater company, and a zoo. Even though CPT Thelen-Liebl joined the military before Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, he’s never experienced anything but welcoming environments and has loved every minute of his service. He adds, “Once the policy was officially repealed, it was still a massive weight off our shoulders,” finally a difference of being an officially valid member. As he climbs the ranks he is paving the way for LGBTQ representation. Recently CPT Thelen-Liebl and his husband attended an officers conference and couldn’t help but notice the
