Photo By John Switzer | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Lt. Col. Douglas L. Morton prepares to release the Soldiers of...... read more read more
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The 4th Engineer Battalion welcomed incoming commander Lt. Col. Douglas L. Morton and bid farewell to outgoing commander Lt. Col. Jason A. Meier during a ceremony held at Founders Field June 22, 2024.
The change of command is a ceremony esteemed with tradition where the outgoing commander symbolically relinquishes command and authority by passing the unit’s colors to the presiding officer, who then passes them to the incoming commander, thus beginning a new era of leadership.
Morton is a native of Cincinnati and his assignments include duty as a sapper platoon, maintenance platoon leader, company executive officer and company commander. His most recent assignment was the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters G-33 engagement operations chief.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the 36th Engineer Brigade team and all the teams here on Fort Carson,” said Morton. “To all my new teammates, I look forward to serving with you while we continue the Vanguard Battalion’s incredible 140-year legacy of being the engineer force of choice. It is going to be challenging, fulfilling and a whole lot of fun.”
Col. Aaron Cox, commander, 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Cavazos, Texas, presided over the ceremony and shared with the audience how, during multiple deployments around the world, Meier led his battalion through the transition for the future while setting the standard for maintenance that garnered the battalion the Department of the Army Award for Excellence.
“Exceptional units don’t exist without exceptional leaders; Jason Meier is that leader. Jason came in with a clear vision and passion to be a Soldier and exacting high standards,” said Cox.
Meier, who will be retiring from the Army, thanked his senior leaders and the Soldiers of the 4th Eng. Bn. for their dedication and determination that empowers the Vanguard Team to be willing and able.
“As my tenure comes to a close, I’m filled with confidence and optimism that the future of the battalion is in good hands under the leadership of Doug Morton,” said Meier.
The 4th Eng. Bn. is one of the oldest and most decorated engineer battalion in the United States Army. The battalion’s history can be traced back to Dec. 31, 1861, when a company of miners, sappers and pontoniers was formed in Washington, D.C. It was constituted as the Battalion of Engineers on July 28, 1866. The battalion participated in 10 campaigns during the Civil War, including Petersburg and Appomattox. Since then, unit designations have changed many times as predecessors of the 4th Eng. Bn. served in the war with Spain, the Philippine Insurrection, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The nickname “Vanguard of the 4th Infantry Division” comes from the period of the Vietnam War, where the 4th Eng. Bn. secured and constructed a base camp in preparation for the arrival of the 4th Inf. Div.
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2024 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 475050 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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