For some reason this was never published in August:
After two years in the Rakkasans, and 18 months as commander of Alpha Company, 626th Brigade Support Battalion (nine of which were in combat), it is time to move on. Yesterday, I relinquished command of Alpha, and am about to move to my next assignment. It is hard to put into words how it feels to pass on the mantle and burden of command to another after so long. I was able to at least try to in my Change of Command speech. Below is the text:
COL Vowell,
CSM Barteky, LTC Downie, CSM Greene, distinguished guests, friends, and
families of the Rakkasans, thank you for coming to today’s ceremony. I want to start off by giving thanks and
praise to God for blessing me not only through my command tour, but every
day. I also want to thank COL
Lillibridge and LTC Crist for the honor of commanding a company in this storied
regiment, and for the privilege of being part of the rich 95 year history of
626th. I am truly humbled to
have had this experience. Too often,
changes of command are conducted and the focus is on the commander. Today, I want the focus first and foremost to
be where I believe it belongs: the
Soldiers represented on the field before us.
For the 18 months I have served as American 6, we asked a lot of these
Soldiers, and they have not let us down.
Whether it was purifying water in the February cold, executing countless
mission requests to move containers and deploy the brigade, spearheading the
brigade’s retrograde effort in Afghanistan and moving out 80% of the equipment
from AO Rakkasan, or crossing the icy mountains of the KG Pass in the winter
(though pushing a trailer off the mountain in the process), I’ve seen the best
these young men and women have to offer.
And for that, I say “thank you Alpha Company.”
During my
tenure, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a talented group of officers and
NCOs. As a commander, many times you
only have time to give a leader a task and purpose, and hope they can turn out
the results you’re looking for. Consistently,
the officers and NCOs of Alpha Company did just that, and more. I want to thank you all for your dedication,
your loyalty, and your candor. Your and desire
to excel and openness to share new ideas and ways of operating helped make this
company work. To my LTs, thank you for
your willingness to learn and stay engaged.
Despite my oftentimes hare-brained ideas for how to do things, and the
unrealistic expectations and deadlines I’d generally give you, you always
produced great results. I’m proud to
have had the opportunity to serve as your commander, and I look forward to
seeing the great futures you all have ahead of you. No unit can be successful without a solid
NCO Corps. Alpha Company truly has a
solid backbone, and the NCOs I’ve had the chance to work with over the last 18
months exemplify that. You’ve pushed
your Soldiers as 1SG and I have pushed you, and you’ve always upheld the
standards we’ve expected. Thank you for
your loyalty, your dedication to excellence, and for taking care of the
Soldiers and Families of Alpha Company.
Growing up
as a young officer, I’ve always been amazed at the relationship between a
commander and 1SG. Until I came to 626th
however, I never truly knew just how special it could be. Since June 2011 when I assumed the duties as
Assurgam 3, I’ve the the distinct privilege of working with one of the finest
Non-Commissioned Officers I’ve come across in my combined 12 years of service in the Army. When I was told in the Fall of 2011 that I’d
be taking command and 1SG Clark was moving out to be the Rear Detachment SGM, I
told LTC Crist there was only one NCO I wanted to be my First Sergeant. Thank God I got my wish. 1SG Yolanda Joseph is a leader who truly
cares about her Soldiers. She never
coddles them, enforces one standard (the Army standard), and is always trying
to make everyone around her better. Our leadership styles complement each other
well, and 99.9 time out of 100 if I came to her with something I want to do or
a direction I wanted to go with the Company, she already had the wheels in
motion. 1SG, I thank you for being a
battle buddy, a sounding board, a wise counsel, and a friend (and for keeping
me sane and out of trouble!). We can be
proud of what we accomplished together.
We set out to deploy and bring all our Soldiers home safe, and we
did.
Lastly, I
want to thank my family. I’d be remiss to close this speech without
thanking my parents, who made me who I am today. My Dad was here at Fort Campbell in January
2012 to see me take the guidon, but was taken home too soon. He truly loved this Nation and our military,
and I know he’s watching down today with pride.
And of course, to my wife Melissa and daughter Caitlyn, thank you. Thank you for going willingly wherever my
crazy aspirations take us. Thank you for
standing steadfast through the last 18 months.
Without question, without condition, Melissa has been by my side, my
biggest cheerleader, and the strongest supporter of Alpha Company and of 626th. I’ll never forget when I mistakenly referred
to Alpha as “my Soldiers,” and you corrected me, reminding me they’re “our Soldiers.” That’s just the type of selfless, caring Army
wife you are. You truly love our service
to the Nation and to our Soldiers. I
couldn’t ask for a better partner through this adventure. Through all the late nights, missed dinners,
missed holidays, birthdays, recitals, bedtimes, and countless other events, you
and Caitlyn always welcome me home with open arms, hugs, and smiles. Thank you both for your unending and
unconditional love and support.
To Brice,
you’re taking command today of a great company.
I hope I’ve left it a little better than it was when I took command, and
I wish nothing but the utmost success for you during your time as American
6.
As it says
in the Gospel of Luke, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be
demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked.” I can only hope that I lived up
to what was asked of me.
ASSURGAM! RAKKASAN!
AIR ASSAULT! This is American 6
signing off the net.
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