Herald Post 2009-07-23.pdf

12 NEWS
Thursday, July 23, 2009 HP
COMMAND
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Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Lomax, who left for
Korea shortly after the ceremony.
The change-of-command and
change-of-responsibility ceremony
was held inside the Patrick Henry Village
Pavilion due to the weather and
was attended by hundreds of people
from each community in the garrison
as well as German dignitaries and military
service members.
Butcher comes to Heidelberg from
the Army War College Fellowship
program as a fellow with the Atlantic
Council of the United States in Washington,
D.C. He said he is prepared to
carry on the traditions of the Baden-
Württemberg garrison and knows his
first few months in command will be a
time of learning and leading.
“What I hope to accomplish – and
I have the expectation of doing so – is
learning these communities,” Butcher
said in an interview prior to the ceremony.
“My first mission is just to learn
my responsibilities of USAG Baden-
Württemberg and how those encompass
the three communities of Heidelberg,
Mannheim and Kaiserslautern.
Then, certainly my expectation after
I’ve got a sense of that, is to continue
to take this community forward, in
support of those who serve and sacrifice
for our great nation.
“It goes back to the responsibilities
of supporting the community. But
most importantly, I want to learn. I
recognize my obligations as the commander
and I will do that, but this first
step is gaining and understanding.”
Butcher said as a leader, he is a team
player and a communicator. He has
high standards, he said, as well as a
critical eye.
“What you can expect out of me is
hard work,” he said. “I am a team player,
and I always have been.”
His expectation of coming here,
however, is to take care of the Soldiers,
families and civilians who live and
work here.
“My expectations are very similar to
that of the former commander – that
we support to the best of our ability
the Soldiers, civilians and dependants
that count on this organization for
their livelihood, their safety, their normal
support and their enjoyment in
being in Europe,” he said.
During the ceremony, Butcher
spoke to those in attendance about
how proud he is to take command of
the garrison.
“I am truly honored and humbled
by the opportunity to again take the
reins of a command, and I look forward
to leading by, with and through
the men and women of USAGs Baden-
Württemberg, Heidelberg, Mannheim
and Kaiserslautern,” he said. “While
we undoubtedly possess unique and
varied communities, I look forward
to continuing the exceptional work
of Col. Ulses by focusing on building
strong ties between us in order to ensure
the best possibly safety, security,
support and care for the Soldiers, civilians
and family members touched
by the efforts of this command.”
As Ulses left command, he thanked
the garrison community for the support
shown to him and his family,
calling the time he spent in command
1-214th Avn. changes command
Sieg Heppner
Lt. Col. Troy D. Krings, outgoing commander; Col. Richard E. Crogan, 12th Combat Aviation
Brigade commander; and Lt. Col. Richard G. Watson, incoming commander, salute during
the playing of the national anthems at the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment’s changeof-command
ceremony. Krings had been in charge of the unit for the past 24 months. He
leaves for Omaha, Neb., where he will serve as a professor of military science at Creighton
University. Watson most recently served as the 12th CAB’s deputy commander in Iraq.
Juan R. Melendez Jr.
Col. Robert J. Ulses, former U.S. Army Garrison Baden-Württemberg commander, congratulates
Command Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Lomax for her work in the garrison at an award ceremony
prior to the change-of-command and change-of-responsibility ceremony at the Patrick Henry
Village Pavilion Friday morning.
here “an honor and a privilege.” Ulses’
next assignment is as the chief of staff,
U.S. Forces Afghanistan.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been two
years, and I really mean that,” he said.
“I was told before assuming command
that time would go quickly, and at
times it didn’t, but as I stand here today,
it has gone very quickly.”
During Ulses’ time in command, he
helped the Family and Morale, Welfare
and Recreation programs, the Army
Community Service and the Child,
Youth and School Services programs
grow and prosper, achieving national
and Department of the Army-level accreditations.
WELCOME HOME
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“(Moving to Germany) was drastic
for us, but we adjusted well,” Rodriguez
said. “We love it here, and we’re
hoping to stay another three years.”
The family has lived in Germany for
two years, but, of course, Huerta has
been deployed for the majority of it.
Rodriguez said she stayed busy
working on Coleman Barracks in
Mannheim and traveling with the
boys. The couple was able to talk on
the phone or via Webcam nearly every
day.
“It all worked out really well for us
– and the experience was hard, but in
the end, it was all worth it,” she said.
“We made it, so what matters most is
that we’re both here.”
As a human resource information
system management specialist, Huerta
spent more than one year in various
Iraqi cities with the Soldiers from his
unit.
“We went into Tikrit first and did a
phenomenal job,” Col. Matthew Russell,
18th Engineer Brigade commander,
told Rodriguez and the other family
members waiting to reunite with their
loved ones. “And then they pushed us
up to Kirkuk, so we could ... rebuild in
Also under Ulses, the command
made extensive improvements to Soldier
barracks and significantly upgraded
more than half of the Army
Family Housing units in his footprint.
He managed major transformation
initiatives to achieve USAREUR’s
global rebasing and restationing objectives,
which enabled the command to
move, merge or inactivate numerous
units and close several installations
and housing areas. The command also
supported Operation Iraqi Freedom
and Operation Enduring Freedom
deployments for more than 3,300 Soldiers,
successfully reintegrating more
than 2,195 redeploying troops.
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that city, and finally to the hotbed of
Mosul, where I can tell you, you ought
to be proud of your Soldiers – and I
know you are – for the tremendous job
they did in taking on the rebuilding of
the essential services and structure in
Mosul to give those people, 2.5 million
people in Mosul, the chance to regain
the livelihood in their lives.
“It is because of the troops you see
here today that Mosul and Ninewa
Province and Iraq can now again start
to stand upon its own feet and take
care of its own country,” the colonel
said before thanking the families for
their constant support and then releasing
the troops for their first day
back home.
As for Rodriguez and Huerta,
they’re gearing up to spend some time
together on vacation – a family vacation.
Rodriguez said she is ready to be
a family again and go back to the routine
they had together.
“We’re really united,” she said, “and
with him being gone, I think it’s actually
made us stronger.”