Photo By Spc. Prentis Grayson | Members of the 39th IBCT bowed their heads as the invocation is given during the 2nd...... read more read more
SEARCY, Ark.- The “Gunslinger” Battalion or 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, of 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, welcomed Lt. Col. Todd Spafford as their new commander, May, 20, 2012. In the tradition of military ceremony, Lt. Col. Jon Stubbs, the outgoing commander, relinquished command of the battalion with the passing of the battalion’s Colors to Col. John “Mickey” Stewart, commander of the 39th Brigade. Symbolizing his trust and confidence in Spafford as the incoming commander, Stewart then passed the colors to his hands. Lt. Col. Spafford assumes command of the Gunslinger Battalion, May 20, 2012.
Spafford replaced outgoing commander Stubbs. He took over a battalion that has subordinate units in Wynne, Walnut Ridge, Rector, Batesville, Augusta, Forrest City, Brinkley, and Newport with an attached Forward Support Company in Cabot.
Spafford graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in 1986 and attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He joined the Arkansas Army National Guard in 1985, spending his first three years as an enlisted soldier in Company C, 38th Aviation. Spafford graduated from the Arkansas Military Academy's Officer Candidate School Class 31 in 1988 and commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade's 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry.
Spafford served as a rifle platoon leader, mortar platoon leader, recon platoon leader, and company executive officer while assigned to the 2-153. He served as an Instructor at OCS prior to being assigned to the 39th's 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry, where he served as the battalion personnel officer (S1) and commander of the 1-153's Company D. During his tenure in command of Company D, Spafford led his unit on deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Stabilization Force 9, attached to 3rd Squadron, 7th United States Cavalry. During the deployment, Spafford's company was responsible for the largest area of operations containing the most weapon storage sites of all U.S. forces.
Spafford has served in numerous staff positions to include operations officer (S3) for the 39th's 1st Squadron, 151st Cavalry Regiment; 39th Brigade plans officer, 39th Brigade chief of operations (deployed), 39th Brigade operations officer (S3) and most recently, the 39th Brigade's executive officer.
During his tenure as the brigade executive officer, Spafford led the brigade staff through a vigorous train-up for a possible Operation Enduring Freedom mobilization. The training included a National Training Center rotation at Fort Irwin, Calif., and a NATO-led multi-national exercise in Bydgoszcz, Poland, prior to cancellation of the brigade's Afghanistan rotation. Lt. Col. Spafford served on deployments in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War), Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spafford is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms Services Staff School and the Command and General Staff College.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (3rd Award), Army Commendation Medal (7th Award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Southwest Asia Service Medal with 3 bronze stars, Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with campaign star, Meritorious Unit Citation, the Air Assault badge and various other federal and state decorations.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2012 23:07 |
| Story ID: | 88708 |
| Location: | SEARCY, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 344 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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