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Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and soldiers from the 101st welcomed Col. Phillip J. Kiniery, deputy commanding officer-operation, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Col. Kenneth C. Cole, deputy commanding officer-support, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), to the division with an Honor Eagle Ceremony at Fort Campbell, Ky., August 22, 2023.
The division honored the two new deputy commanding officers with a ceremonial gun salute while the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Band played. Afterward Sylvia gave an address, speaking highly of Kiniery and Cole, both of whom he has served with before.
“The role of deputy commander is malleable; it conforms to the skills and experiences of the officer,” Sylvia said during his address. “It is also an extremely rewarding experience, engaging with leaders inside and outside the division to assess our most challenging problem
sets and leveraging their deep experience and the weight of the division staff to assist in fashioning not only our future, but our culture.”
Cole served as chief of staff for the 18th Airborne Corps prior to coming to Fort Campbell. Shortly after arriving at Fort Campbell, he joined the division in the field for Operation Lethal Eagle III, a division-wide field training exercise.
“Ken and his family moved to Fort Campbell from Fort Liberty less than a month ago – and in true fashion he met the Division in the field for Operation Lethal Eagle three only four days after arriving at the installation,” Sylvia said. “He’s spent more time in the Fort Campbell training areas than he has in his own house.”
Kiniery, who served with Sylvia in Iraq in 2006, joined the division after serving most recently as the executive officer to the chief of staff.
“Phil’s career has been nothing short of impressive commanding in the 82nd Airborne at the company, battalion, and brigade echelons and serving his field grade time here at Fort Campbell in Bastogne,” Sylvia said. “Throughout, Phil exemplified what it means to be a warfighter and a skilled senior leader.”
Following the ceremony, those in attendance proceeded into McAuliffe Hall, the division headquarters building, for a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the 101st Airborne’s activation at Camp Claiborne, La., August 16, 1942.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2023 12:29 |
| Story ID: | 451981 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 994 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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