Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Chanelcherie DeMello | Retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Randy Hart is presented a flower lei by Cadet Melissa...... read more read more
HONOLULU – The 63rd Brigade Support Battalion cased its colors at an inactivation ceremony that took place at Fort Shafter Flats, Honolulu, Aug. 06, 2017, bringing to a close six years of mission support to the 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 9th Mission Support Command.
Lt. Col. Peter Gleason and Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Roberts, 63rd BSB command team, along with Col. Samuel Membrere, commander of the 303rd MEB, partook in the furling of the battalion colors before it was cased and marched of the field.
Contingent on the needs of the Army, its mission, and its organizational force structure, a unit can be activated and inactivated an unlimited number of times. One might say the “Casing of the Colors” is certainly not an uncommon practice, however, it is a time-honored, Army tradition held to commemorate the unit and its history before it is inactivated.
And the 63rd BSB had plenty to memorialize over.
First constituted in 1943, the 63rd, known then as the 63rd Quartermaster Company activated March of 1943. The unit served under the 63rd Infantry Division until its selection into the Organized Reserve Corps in 1952. In February 2009, the unit was renamed as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 63rd BSB, and was ordered to activate September 2011 in Las Vegas, Nev.
As members of the official party and the guest speaker presented their speeches, it was clear that the 63rd BSB significantly achieved mission success.
“Your creativity to think forward, ‘Pahu Imua’, enhanced and enabled the execution of challenging missions,” said Membrere. “You set the bar higher every time you executed a mission”.
Since its activation in 2011, the 63rd BSB immediately transformed its five personnel unit into over 100 Soldiers in just its first year, which Membrere called “a sign of great leadership.” The unit participated in and excelled during Warrior Exercise 13-008, Combat Support Training Exercise 14-007, Command Post Exercise Imua Dawn 2015 and 2016, and Yamasakura 71.
“63rd BSB was there to strengthen the bilateral relationship and demonstrated our support to our mutual defense with Japan,” said Membrere.
In 2015, the 63rd BSB won the Department of the Army, Philip A. Connelly food service award and the Army Supply Excellence Award.
“Not only are you competent professional Soldiers and Army Civilians, but a cohesive team who always supported our higher headquarters, the 303rd and 650th Regional Support Group,” said Gleason. “I thought your greatest strength was your responsiveness and your ability to anticipate what I needed as a commander.”
Stepping up to a monumental task, the 63rd BSB hosted the memorialization ceremony of the George W. Dunaway, U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sloan, Nev.
“No other unit could have done better in ensuring the legacy of our past is honored, said Membrere.
Membrere, who was also the reviewing officer over the ceremony said that the inactivation of the 63rd BSB was ordered in support of the Army Reserve mission redesign that will have combat service support battalions sustain the brigade’s mission as the BSB did, in a more battle-service approach.
“Change is one of those things in life that we resist, but is critical to any successful organization,” said retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Randy Hart, guest speaker at the ceremony. “Our Army is no exception. We must change due to strategic decisions and a dynamic world. Our Army is in constant change in an effort to meet challenges in the world and improvements needed in order to continue to lead the world with the best and most effective Army in the world.”
As the first commander of the 303rd MEB, Hart said that one of the greatest pleasures of his 38 years in uniform was activating the 303rd MEB and the 63rd BSB.
Today may have marked the official inactivation of the unit, but for other units it’s an opportunity to gain the hundreds of professional and proficient Soldiers, Civilians, and Families that were assigned to the 63rd BSB.
“Soldiers are what makes a unit, not a guidon or things in the unit,” said Hart. “All the accolades are due to the accomplishments of an excellent leadership team that built a high performing unit with a focus on Soldiers and their mission.”
In accordance with its permanent order, the 63rd BSB’s effective inactivation date is Sep. 15, 2017.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2017 14:01 |
| Story ID: | 244822 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 276 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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