Photo By Paul Lagasse | Maj. Gen. Paula C. Lodi, right, incoming commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical...... read more read more
FORT DETRICK, Md. – The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command hosted a Change of Command and Change of Responsibility ceremony at Fort Detrick, Maryland, on July 10. During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Edward H. Bailey transferred commanding leadership of both MRDC and Fort Detrick to Maj. Gen. Paula C. Lodi and Command Sgt. Maj. Kyle S. Brunell released responsibility to Command Sgt. Maj. Michael D. Dills II.
Lt. Gen. Ross Coffman, Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Futures Command, presided over the ceremony. Speaking to Lodi and Dills, he likened the change of command to the first day of school.
“I know you get that feeling like, ‘All right, I can't wait to get in there,’” Coffman said. “You know there's going to be homework, but the people here are going to make it worth it.”
Speaking to MRDC as a whole, Coffman noted the uniqueness of its global mission.
“You focus on performance and treatment to protect, treat and optimize the health and performance of our women and men,” said Coffman. “If that's not the most noble mission statement you've ever heard, we can't be friends. Because that means taking care of our most important asset – our Soldiers. That's what MRDC does.”
Lodi previously served as the commanding general of the 18th Medical Command, where she led the Army’s medical readiness throughout the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of operations. A native of Franklin, Massachusetts, Lodi commissioned into the Medical Service Corps as a Distinguished Military Graduate of Rutgers University’s ROTC program. She has served in a wide range of operational and command positions during her distinguished career, including command of the 15th Sustainment Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 14th Combat Support Hospital, 44th Medical Brigade and Regional Health Command-Atlantic. She also served as Chief of the Leader Training Center at the AMEDD Center & School, Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations for the Office of the Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command and deputy commanding general for support for MEDCOM.
“It is an honor to begin this new assignment where I assume three very important roles,” said Lodi. “First and foremost, as the senior commander for Fort Detrick, there is nothing more important than being entrusted with an installation where our people and our families live, work and represent the Army as part of a community. As commanding general of MRDC, our work as part of Army Futures Command is crucial and I am grateful for the opportunity to leverage the Army's primary innovation and acquisition headquarters to ensure military medical equities are integrated and keep pace with both transformation and innovation. And as the deputy assistant director for research and engineering under the Defense Health Agency, I am committed to ensuring the transition continues smoothly and that the DHA transition achieves the intended synergy and collaboration that keeps medical R&D relevant to all the fighting forces.”
Lodi said that in preparing to assume command of MRDC, she was reminded of something that Thomas Jefferson had written in 1789.
“He said, ‘Liberty is the great parent of science and of virtue, and that a nation will be great in both, always in proportion as it is free,’” said Lodi. “To the men and women of the Medical Research and Development Command, Fort Detrick, and our joint and interagency partners, thank you for dedicating your expertise and focus to protect project and sustain our forces as well as a future that preserves both liberty and freedoms.”
During his assignment at MRDC, Bailey oversaw the completion of the command’s integration transition from the U.S. Army Futures Command to the Defense Health Agency, a major milestone in the evolution of MRDC’s ability to provide best-in-class medical research and development capability across the entire DOD medical enterprise. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the Uniformed Services University, Bailey’s previous general officer assignments include serving as deputy commander and commander of the 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) in Hawaii, commanding general of Medical Readiness Command-Pacific and Command Surgeon, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Liberty.
“MRDC is really all about shared experiences and people coming together to solve very large problems,” said Bailey. “It's really about science and enhancing medicine. This campus has brought together a lot of entities that can work together to get after common problems that we all have. To the colleagues and staff at MRDC and DHA, it has been an absolute privilege to work here. It's been too short, but I really appreciate the opportunity to work alongside experts and professionals.”
Dills’ previous assignment was as the Command Sergeant Major of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick. A native of Waynesville, North Carolina, he has served as an Advanced Trauma Life Support Noncommissioned Officer, Senior Line Medic, Squad Leader, Aid Station NCO In Charge, Medical Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant and Chief Medical NCO for the First Infantry Division. He also served as a Senior Medical Observer Coach/Trainer and as the Army Medicine Board NCOIC. He has earned the Combat Medical Badge, the Expert Field Medical Badge, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.
“I have watched this unit achieve and succeed for the last two years as the Fort Detrick garrison CSM, and today I consider myself truly blessed to be counted in your number,” said Dills. “Maj. Gen. Lodi, thank you so much for the trust and the confidence that you've invested in me to serve as your teammate and as your advisor and for the opportunity to help you guide this fantastic organization.”
Prior to serving as MRDC’s Command Sergeant Major, Brunell served as the Command Sergeant Major for Regional Health Command-Europe. Trained as an optical laboratory specialist, Brunell was a student at the Sergeants Major Academy and served as 1st Sgt. at Kenner Army Health Clinic, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, and C Company, 1-214th Aviation Regiment, Landstuhl, Germany and Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan. His degrees include an associate's degree from Hudson Valley Community College, a bachelor's degree in Business Administration-Management from Saint Leo University and a master's degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso. Brunell's next assignment will be as Command Sergeant Major for the 68th Theater Medical Command in Sembach, Germany.
“Medical Research and Development Command is truly a unique assignment in many ways,” said Brunell. “The mission, the structure, the funding and the manning are all unique in Army medicine. And except for the Institute of Surgical Research, which has a world-class burn center, we don't deliver health care like a military treatment facility. We don't deploy as an organization like a medical brigade. But we do save lives on the battlefield every day, delivering the Army of 2030 and designing the Army of 2040.”
Over 300 people attended the ceremony in the Fort Detrick auditorium and online via Teams.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2024 09:44 |
| Story ID: | 475916 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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