Photo By Staff Sgt. Ruth McClary | North Carolina Army National Guard Capt. George Fly the 130th Maneuver Enhancement...... read more read more
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company, welcomes Capt. George Flythe, the incoming company commander during a change of ceremony at the Gerald A. Rudisill Readiness Center here, May 3, 2015.
The ceremony began with the passing of the colors (unit flag); which is enriched deeply in the heritage and history of the unit. The colors are the commander’s symbol of authority, representing responsibility to the organization; wherever the commander is there the colors are present.
Sgt. 1st Class Keith Mitchell, the 130th MEB acting first sergeant stood in a diamond formation with the custodian of the colors, passing the colors to Maj. Keith Sanders, the outgoing commander, for the last time.
Sanders then passed the colors to Col. Luke Burnett, the 130th MEB commander, thereby relinquishing his responsibilities and authority. Burnett passed the colors to Capt. George Flythe, the incoming company commander, charging him with the same responsibility and authority, upon which Flythe passed the colors back to his first sergeant for safe keeping.
Burnett thanked Sanders for his outstanding command and welcomed Flythe into the fold by giving him a vivid picture of what to expect as an HHC commander.
“I had the good fortune to command two companies in my career and one of them was an HHC, so I know the pain and suffering that you have had,” said Burnett. “This is a different level. This is extenuating pain and suffering because pretty much everybody in the company outranks you, so wrangling all those cats is very difficult.”
“It’s a tough job, but you wouldn’t be ‘in the position’ if we didn’t have total faith and confidence in you,” Burnett continued.
Sanders defined what he considered successful moments of his command and gave the Soldiers of the brigade a little insight on the confidence he has in their new commander.
“It’s been a great opportunity to be able to represent this company for the past 18 months,” said Sanders. “People define success in many ways. The way I define success was every time I had the opportunity to stand in front of the formation and promote somebody, pin an award, recognize ‘a Soldier’ for something or read about the outstanding efforts this company puts forth in multiple media complexes…that’s success to me. Not that I had ‘much’ to do with it, but just to say I was a part of it.”
“I have good news and bad news,” said Sanders. “The good news is Captain Flythe is an outstanding officer plus he is an engineer so he will be a perfect fit for this job and I know he will do well here. I expect you to give him as much support as you gave me over the past 18 months. The bad news is you all are stuck with me. I will be making the transition back over to the fire cell.”
Sanders also made a play on the responsibilities of his military occupation in the fire cell where he will continue to work after his command. Fire Support is responsible for indirect fire in support of the maneuver commander. This includes using artillery, mortars assets and communicating battlefield intelligence of enemy locations, strength, and activities to command."
Flythe thanked Burnett for entrusting him with the responsibility of the brigade command and assured Burnett and Sanders that he would do everything in his ability to make sure that the brigade accomplishes its mission during his command.
“Major Sanders you have provided me with a great example of an outstanding military leader who truly cares for the Soldiers,” said Flythe. “I know you have taken the brigade to new heights and I am going to try to continue that trend.”
“To the Soldiers of HHC, I really look forward to working with each and every one of you; helping you achieve your goals in your military career,” Flythe continued. “I want to make sure that you are engaged and that you feel like you are part of the team. With that said, there is still work to be done to close out the day and remain as our motto states, ‘Ever Dependable’.”
After the ceremony, Staff Sgt. Roy Richardson, a130th MEB platoon sergeant, spoke about what made Sanders stand out as a leader and what he expects from Flythe.
“Major Sanders was a very fair and knowledgeable commander,” said Richardson. “He always led by example. When I spoke with him, I could tell he was genuinely interested and that he cared. After listening to Captain Flythe’s speech, I think he will be there for the Soldiers in the same regard.”
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2015 11:01 |
| Story ID: | 163020 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 397 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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