Photo By Staff Sgt. Kelly Carlton | Lt. Col. Chad D. Goyette shares a few words with Col. James F. Reckard III, 4th...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – Lt. Col. Chad D. Goyette took the reins of the 92nd Military Police Battalion from Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bevington on Wednesday during a change of command ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.’s Gammon Field.
It wasn’t the first time the storied parade field played host to a milestone in Goyette’s life.
Nearly 25 years ago, then Pvt. Goyette graduated his initial training on the same field where he assumed command of the 92nd MP Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 1st Infantry Division on May 7, 2014.
Colleagues, friends and Goyette’s wife and fellow Soldier, Lt. Col. Michelle Goyette, along with their two sons, gathered for the tradition-steeped ceremony as Goyette assumed command and Bevington bid farewell.
“Never could I have imagined that I would be blessed with such an opportunity as to command men and women of our Army at any level, let alone at the battalion [level],” Goyette said.
And he’ll be taking over a unit with a laundry list of accomplishments.
Bevington, addressing his former formation of “Phoenix” Soldiers after the ceremony, proudly shared a list of some of those achievements with the gathered crowd.
The outgoing commander touted the battalion’s accomplishments, such as deploying and redeploying multiple companies, receiving and setting up more than 125 new military vehicles, conducting multiple field training exercises, all while simultaneously conducting 24/7 police operations and installation access control points. Additionally, Bevington said the troops of 92nd MP Battalion solved more than 3,500 MP cases and worked major installation events such as festivals, concerts and VIP visits.
“All of the above was conducted without one case of police misconduct or a major accident,” said Bevington.
The 92nd MP Battalion’s new leader and his family should feel right at home as they know a thing or two about achievements and challenges themselves.
A dual military couple and married for almost 10 years, Michelle and Chad Goyette are both active duty officers holding command positions at different locations.
“Another challenge is the competitive nature of being the same rank, in the same branch, sometimes having the same senior rater and often times doing the same job just behind each other because she outranks me,” said the “Phoenix” Battalion’s newest leader.
Michelle will complete her command of 91st MP Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, which is a tenant unit within the 10th Mountain Division, located at Fort Drum, N.Y., in about a year’s time.
“We’ve been pretty blessed. The MP Corps has been very good to us,” said Michelle. “This is the first time we have been stationed apart.”
Aside from the family challenges, “Phoenix 6” talked about what his new assignment means to him.
“Being the commander is an immense responsibility,” Goyette said. “Being responsible for the lives, the welfare, the readiness of 800 Soldiers and their families blows my mind.”
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2014 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 129228 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | AKRON, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 1,917 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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