Photo By Ethan Steinquest | Karen Bell receives a bouquet of flowers as her husband, Col. Jeremy D. Bell, outgoing...... read more read more
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Hundreds gathered in Wilson Theater to welcome Col. Andrew Q. Jordan as he assumed command of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Campbell from Col. Jeremy D. Bell June 28 during a change of command ceremony.
From Soldiers and Families to Department of the Army civilians and community partners, attendees showed their support for the incoming and outgoing garrison commanders as they look to the installation’s future.
“We are truly blessed with the opportunity to return and serve alongside the best team that the Army has to offer,” said Jordan, who has previously served at Fort Campbell in 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). “We look forward to serving the Soldiers, Families, Army professionals and the communities of the greater Fort Campbell area to make this a great place to live and work.”
Jordan enlisted in 1995 and served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard while attending Oklahoma State University.
He was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate in 1998 and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before eventually reporting to 5th SFG.
“Our history with this world-class installation and the communities that make it our home began 17 years ago,” Jordan said. “Our Family, like many others, weathered some of the darkest days of the Global War on Terror here at Fort Campbell. And the team and the community that surrounded us provided care, comfort and a home for our Family, for which we are forever grateful.”
During his time at Fort Campbell, Jordan distinguished himself as the battalion executive officer for 1st Battalion, 5th SFG, and the commander of 5th SFG’s Group Support Company, among other leadership positions. He drew on those leadership skills to command U.S. Army Garrison-Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, from 2016-2018.
Jordan also served with Special Operations Command Central, or SOCCENT, as the chief of staff for the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Iraq and in his most recent assignment as SOCCENT Director of Strategy, Plans and Analysis.
“Colonel Andrew Jordan is a proven leader,” said Brenda Lee McCullough, director, U.S. Army Installation Management Command Directorate-Readiness. “He is ideally suited to the Fort Campbell team as they support the priorities and requirements set by Maj. Gen. JP McGee and the IMCOM priorities set by Lt. Gen. Douglas Gabram.”
Jordan plans to work alongside the installation’s civilian workforce to build on recent successes, from improving on-post housing and eliminating World War II buildings to innovating training systems and investing in infrastructure.
Bell oversaw significant progress in those areas after taking command in 2019 while simultaneously responding to multiple crisis events. He credits the garrison’s workforce for making it possible to move forward under conditions ranging from the Army’s housing crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After two years in this command, I can say with 100% certainty that what makes Fort Campbell special is the garrison workforce,” he said. “They’re recognized worldwide for what they do, they drive change IMCOM-wide, they have the best practices that all try to emulate, they push the limits of what’s possible, they innovate and they’re professionals who come to work each and every day to serve others.”
Bell’s next assignment will take him to the Pentagon to work for the G-3/5/7, which is responsible for planning, coordinating, synchronizing and executing pre- and post-mobilization training and validation of the Army’s Reserve Component forces in the U.S.
That move marks the latest step in Bell’s career, which began when he was commissioned as an armor officer from the United States Military Academy in 1997. His initial assignment brought him to Fort Stewart, Georgia, as an armor and mortar platoon leader in 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment.
Bell then served on two separate occasions with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado, in a variety of leadership positions, deploying four times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, once in support of Operation Joint Guardian and on several occasions to Africa.
After his assignments at Fort Carson, Bell worked on the Joint Staff’s Deputy Directorate for Special Operations and Counterterrorism as an operations officer and executive assistant. He later commanded 1st Battalion, 5th SFG, at Fort Campbell from 2015-2017, and served as the executive officer to the commanding general, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Operations Center of Excellence), Fort Bragg.
“He has trained through many years and lots of experience to deal with diverse sets of people and multiple different tribes in Iraq and Afghanistan,” McGee said. “I think when he came here, his expertise working with different tribes really came to the forefront ... he really showed himself to be an agile and adaptive leader who was able to take this post and not just handle crises, but really take it to a much higher level.”
Despite coming into the job with extensive leadership experience, Bell said commanding the garrison provided plenty of opportunities for personal growth.
“I’ve learned so much from my workforce – they’ve changed me, and I’ll never see the world the same way,” he said. “It reminds me of a quote by Vince Lombardi. In essence, he said ‘the measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.’ If that’s the measure of a garrison, then we stand among giants today ... it’s been my honor to serve this installation and our community these last two years.”
Jordan aims to stand behind the garrison’s workforce and provide a steady hand as they work to push the installation even further over the next two years.
“For the team of Army professionals who make up Fort Campbell, I dedicate myself to you,” he said. “[You have] my total support and my commitment to making this a great place to come to work and to accomplish our mission ... we look forward to serving this community, the Soldiers, the Families and the team.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2021 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 400256 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL , KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 890 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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