Photo By Staff Sgt. Bradley Cooney | Maj. Gregory Farr, of Choctaw, Oklahoma, speaks to his unit for the first time as the...... read more read more
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NORMAN, Okla. - Members of the Oklahoma National Guard and family joined together during a time-honored change of command ceremony to celebrate new leadership for one of the state's premier units in Norman, Oklahoma on Saturday.
Maj. Gregory T. Farr, of Choctaw, Oklahoma, relieved Lt. Col. Scott M. Houck, of Norman, Oklahoma, as commanding officer of the Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team.
“This team; you can’t find a better group of guys to work with," said Houck as he bid farewell and recalled his three years as CST commander. “This unit is very valuable to the citizens of Oklahoma and the nation."
The WMD-CST is a full-time Active Guard-Reserve asset consisting of both Army and Air Force personnel. They work closely with local authorities in order to provide assistance during events such as terrorist incidents and natural disasters.
“Our mission is when first responders run into a disaster that overwhelms their existing capabilities, we come in and augment them with greater capability to help them respond to that incident," said Farr.
The unit also conducts pre-event screening for large events such as the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and the Superbowl.
“We will go in prior to events and clear the stadium of chemical and biological hazards before thousands of people show up for the event," said Farr.
Having worked alongside four of the past five commanders of the CST, Farr is prepared and eager to take on his new position.
“I’m really excited about opportunity and challenges that lie ahead of us.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2016 16:25 |
| Story ID: | 200790 |
| Location: | NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | CHOCTAW, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 162 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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