Photo By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Atkinson | Soldiers and Airmen of Joint Task Force 136 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade) bid a fond...... read more read more
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Soldiers and Airmen of Joint Task Force 136 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade) bid a fond farewell to outgoing commander Col. Lee. D. Schnell, and welcomed Col. Scott Mac Leod and his family during the JTF-136 (MEB) change of command ceremony here at the Round Rock Armed Forces Reserve Center on Saturday, June 20.
“High operational tempo and an unconventional mission make the brigade a unique challenge and opportunity,” said Brig. Gen. Patrick Hamilton, commander for the Texas Military Forces’ Domestic Operations Task Force, the parent organization for JTF-136 (MEB). “The things that you do as a command are not like most other units, and the last month and a half is great testament to that- you've deployed multiple times responding to flooding and tropical storms at a moment's notice, with vehicles and crews ready to go save lives in Texas.”
The Texas National Guard outfit, known as the “Minuteman Brigade,” is the custodian of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Region VI Homeland Response Force mission, supporting local, state, and federal assets throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
For Schnell, the early days of the HRF mission brought valuable lessons regarding new ideas and developing the brigade's unique dual mission- traditional combat operations and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosive incident response mission, supported by the organization's CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package. Fielding this new equipment and learning new skill sets brought the unit into less-familiar disaster response territory, and it continues to develop and maintain partnerships with agencies all over the region and country.
“I've come to embrace and become passionate about the CBRNE enterprise, from the Civil Support Team to CERFP to the HRF,” said Schnell. “It helped me understand the versatility, utility, and quite frankly, what the National Guard is all about. They demonstrated they could do both their combat mission as well as the mission assigned to them for civil support and they could do it to standard. The National Guard is not only interchangeable with our Army wartime mission, but ready to respond and save lives and support our civilian partners.“
Schnell expressed gratitude and pride for his Guardsmen as he relinquished command to Mac Leod.
“Leading this organization has been the most rewarding and humbling assignment in my career,” he said. “The Soldiers and Airmen before you are the best of the best. They're trained and they're ready to answer the call and mitigate suffering.”
During the ceremony, Hamilton spoke confidently of the new brigade commander. “You are getting one of the finest officers I've had the privilege to serve with, and the brigade has transitioned seamlessly from one great commander to another.”
Mac Leod expressed gratitude to his wife, Amy, for her support and dedication throughout his career, and his daughters, Faith and Grace, for bringing joy into his life, then turned his focus to the men and women of his new command.
“I'm humbled and honored to become your commander,” he said. “Texas has a reputation of having the very best HRF and CERFP, and this is a testament to your hard work.”
“We must never forget that to those whom much has been given, much is expected,” he said. “It won't be easy, maintaining high standards never is, but I join you in this commitment to be ready. I promise I will use every bit of my experience and education to ensure we are ready.”
Mac Leod closed by reaffirming the brigade's mission. “On most days, most people throughout U.S., Texas and FEMA region 6, won't be thinking about us,” he said “but we have a solemn obligation to be ready.”
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2015 21:55 |
| Story ID: | 167590 |
| Location: | ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 262 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Minuteman Brigade welcomes new commander, by SSG Jennifer Atkinson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
