Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Col. Richard Harrison (left), the incoming commander for 69th Air Defense Artillery...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas – There is a well-known quote that states: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
Col. Brian Gibson said his positive first impression of 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade formed after learning about the unit’s “incredible” lineage and history nearly 23 years ago when he was assigned to the unit as a lieutenant.
After completing assignments outside of the brigade, he returned to 69th ADA Bde. in 2008, serving as a battalion commander and then as the deputy commanding officer.
He departed the brigade once more, but returned again to take command in 2013.
Two years later, he relinquished command of 69th ADA Bde. to Col. Richard Harrison during a Change of Command ceremony on Sadowski Field, here, June 3.
When Gibson first took command of the Lightning Brigade, as 69th ADA Bde. is commonly known, the unit was deployed overseas, so his short-term goal was making sure they finished out the mission safe and strong, he said.
“Long-term, I tried to establish a teamwork environment and a family environment where folks have the ability to … accomplish incredible things and folks are proud about what they’ve done,” Gibson added.
As he prepared to leave the unit that made its first impression on him so many years ago, Gibson said he had a simple hope for Harrison’s first impression.
“I hope that he finds an organization that’s open to (him) and his family first, secondly an organization that’s proud of what they do both here being stationed on Fort Hood, and the impact they make to the nation, and lastly, an organization that accomplishes any mission with excellence,” Gibson explained.
For Harrison, the brigade’s shoulder sleeve insignia gave him his first impression of the brigade.
According to the Institute of Heraldry, the patch is described as a red rectangular shield arched at the sides, two inches in width and three inches in height overall, with two yellow, five-pointed stars each charged with a black disk, one at bottom right with comet tail arcing toward upper left and one in upper left with comet tail arcing toward bottom right.
The symbolism is described as the comets alluding to flight trajectory and swiftness, the black discs suggesting cannon balls with the comets placed in a defensive posture referring to the unit’s mission.
“It makes you think that this organization is really about business and really about standards,” said Harrison. “It’s about hitting the scene with a positive impact.”
After serving in positions at the Department of Defense and Army levels and deploying numerous times, Harrison said the one thing he really wants to bring to the brigade is an energy and a passion, he said.
“I want folks to be excited about coming to work and being part of this team,” he said. “I think the most important thing a leader can do is model the behavior that he or she wants their Soldiers to emulate, so I want to be that leader.”
One of the ways Harrison said leaders can test their relationship with their Soldiers is the “mall test.”
If a leader is in the mall and one of his or her Soldiers is also there and actively avoids the leader, he or she failed the mall test, explained Harrison. However, if that Soldier is comfortable enough to go over and introduce that leader to his or her family, the leader passed the mall test.
“I want to live my life where I pass the mall test,” Harrison said.
Once his time in command ends, Harrison said he hopes the first impression the next commander has of the brigade is that it is the Soldiers who deserve accolades for the brigade’s accomplishments.
“The day I walk out of command, I want (the incoming commander) to know that they are taking over a command that’s trained, that’s ready to deploy fight and win on the battlefield,” he said. “It was not me - it was the Soldiers in that formation who did that.”
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2015 11:18 |
| Story ID: | 165838 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 193 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Harrison assumes command of 69th ADA, by Kimberly Hackbarth, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
