“The West Point Society of Singapore (WPSOS) spent a wonderful evening visiting with the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore at his residence on July 9.  Ambassador Wagar also joined WPSOS as a distinguished guest at their Founder’s Day celebration this year.  In attendance were the following:

• Clement Lee (’92) – the first Singaporean to graduate from West Point
• Fred Tan (’94) – the senior Singaporean graduate on active duty – and Mrs. Christina Tan
• Cadet Stephanie Koo (’15) – Cadet Koo is performing a summer AIAD in Singapore at Raffles Institution
• Shaun Chia (’08) and Ms. Anna Tan
• Scott Baggett (’90)
• Chee Leung Yew (’00) and Mrs. Amelia Yew
• Grace Park (’94) and Mr. Cole Sirucek
• Mun Poh Fan (’06) and Mrs. Kareen Fan
• Matthew Halferty (’93)
• Alex Wang (’05) and Mrs. Kristy Lau
• Chris Lo (’95)
• Ray Jefferson (’88)

Ray Jefferson and Chris Lo jointly serve WPSOS as the Society’s president and vice-president, respectively.

Patina Solutions is expanding its international capabilities with the appointment of Rick White ’84 as National Practice Director – India Solutions. 

In this role, White will be responsible for growing Patina Solutions' India Solutions service offerings in the U.S. and India. He will help companies expand their markets and address their strategic, operational and management needs in conjunction with the seasoned international practitioners in the Patina Nation – the company’s portfolio of professionals with 25+ years of experience each. 

This is an expanded role for White, who joined Patina Solutions in early 2013 as a Senior Advisor on International Business Strategies and Government Policy. He was previously the Founder and President of Indus Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm that focused on building strategic business strategies for companies entering or expanding in India and other international markets.  

White has experience working in both the private and government sector. He had three assignments at the U.S. Embassy, his last position being Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché. In addition to aerospace and defense companies, White has worked with manufacturing, energy and transportation companies to develop effective international business strategies in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 

White is a member of the Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is on the International Business Committee of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Nationally, he serves on the U.S.-India Business Council’s Defense Executive Committee and is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. White earned his master's degree in Asian Studies from the University of Texas – Austin and his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  In addition, he holds master’s degrees from the University of Madras in India and the U.S. Army War College.

Christopher N. Johnson ’89, a shareholder in the Miami office of GrayRobinson, P.A., was recently re-appointed to the Executive Council of The International Law Section (ILS) of the Florida Bar through 2017. The ILS is a forum to share knowledge, experience, and best practices that may improve the administration and application of the statutes and regulations of international law, and generally enhance the proficiency of practitioners.

Johnson’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration, real estate litigation, creditors' rights, antitrust, insurance law, health law and aviation law. He represents clients at trial and on appeal in both state and federal courts and in arbitration. Johnson is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and in the U.S. district courts for the Middle, Southern and Northern districts of Florida.

Thanks to you and 2,062 other graduates, Army beat Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard in our first-everAll Academy Challenge! Congratulations! Your participation was critical to this success─helping us reach a participation rate of 4.35 percent. Graduates also helped raise more than $650,000 in ten days, which will support Margin of Excellence programs for cadets as well as traditions that serve the Long Gray Line. Thank you for once again rising to the challenge and demonstrating the power of the Long Gray Line. 

This past week at the annual banquet president William Stone passed the Union County Rotary leadership gavel to Dr. Patricia Barnes. Dr Barnes grew up near Flemington, New Jersey. In 1978 she attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where she graduated in 1982 with a degree in engineering. Subsequently she attended the Air Defense Artillery School at Ft. Bliss, Texas en route to airborne school followed by flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Upon Graduation she was sent to Stuttgart, Germany as a UH-1H helicopter pilot where she was also tasked with translating French and German as the S2 Intelligence Officer for her battalion.

Upon her return to the United States Dr. Barnes was assigned to Fort Rucker as a helicopter instructor pilot, teaching both US students and EURO/NATO students advanced maneuvers. She has achieved her commercial helicopter pilots license and private pilot’s license for fixed wing aircraft.

Dr. Barnes then applied to veterinary school at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University, graduating in 1993. She then moved to Blairsville where she worked with a veterinarian for a year before setting up a hospital in 1994. The Union County Veterinary Hospital has since grown to be a 6800 square foot facility treating animals with surgery, dentistry, internal medicine and basic wellness.

Dr. Barnes will follow in the footsteps of William Stone who has led the Rotary Club for the past year. The Rotary Club has had a year of outstanding accomplishments under Mr. Stone’s leadership. This past year’s accomplishments include support and contributions to a long list of projects and organizations including two local Boy Scout troops, the local Girl Scout troop, an adult literacy program, scholarship provision to UCHS, Woody Gap and Young Harris College students, support of the Young Harris College Baseball Team, North Georgia Technical School’s Rotaract Club, The Towns Union Reading Program (TULIP) as well as support for the Georgia Rotary Student Program including sponsoring an exchange student from Scandinavia, sponsorship of 4 students to Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). The club also supports the Rotary Foundation which carries out service projects all over the world.

The Rotary Club of Union County meets each Thursday at noon in the community room at Cadence Bank in Blairsville.

Republic of South Korea Awards Four U.S. Veterans its Nation’s Highest Military Award: The Order of Military Merit, Taeguk

-- Awards Presented in Seoul on Anniversary of Korean War Armistice; Veterans Include 97-Year-Old General Edward Rowny --

Washington D.C. – The office of former Ambassador Lt. Gen. Edward L. Rowny announced that South Korea Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, in a commemorative ceremony in Seoul last evening, awarded General Rowny the Order of Military Merit, Taeguk, South Korea’s highest military award. The award was presented for “outstanding and meritorious services rendered to the Republic of Korea during the Korean War with great sacrifice and commitment.” The announcement was made on the anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, signed 61 years ago on July 27, 1953. More than 35,000 Americans lost their lives in the Korean War. Rowny, age 97, is the oldest recipient to ever receive Korea’s highest military honor, whose previous recipients include Generals MacArthur, Twining, Lemnitzer and Westmoreland. Rowny was joined in Seoul by two fellow American veterans receiving the Order of Military Merit, Taeguk: Sergeant First Class (ret.) Ronald E. Rosser, age 84, and Mr. (former Staff Sgt.) Hiroshi H. Miyamura, age 88. A fourth award recipient, Sgt. (ret.) Einar H. Ingman, age 84, was represented by his daughter. Rosser, Miyamura and Ingman are also each U.S. Medal of Honor recipients, while Gen. Rowny is a recipient of the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal and four Silver Stars (America’s third highest award for valor), in addition to numerous other awards received among this illustrious group of United States veterans.

“The years have advanced but the bravery of these men remains timeless,” said U.S. Army historian, retired Army Captain Monika Stoy, who assisted the Korean Ministry for Patriots and Veterans Affairs in arrangements with the U.S. veterans for the award presentation. General Rowny traveled from Washington D.C., Rosser from Ohio, Miyamura from New Mexico, while Ingman is from Wisconsin. Collectively, the veterans represent a cross-section of America’s finest.

Click here for photo: http://www.mediafire.com/view/u7dh34suce04w0m/Award%20Ceremony%20Seoul%20July%2027%2C%202014

Military dignitaries present at the ceremony included the Commander of United Nations Command/United States Forces Korea, General Curtis Scaparotti, as well as many veterans from among UN forces that fought in the Korean War.

Anne Kazel-Wilcox, who co-authored a book with Rowny that included his experiences in the Korean War, described some actions that led to the award: “General Rowny helped plan the Inchon Invasion to recapture Seoul following the North’s invasion, which turned the tide of war, and which is one of the crowning achievements of his career. He is prouder still of a major battle during which his troops captured a critical hill—by Bloody and Heartbreak Ridges—without Allied troops suffering a single casualty despite hundreds of enemy deaths.” Rowny also orchestrated the rescue of scores of stranded U.S. Marines in another significant Korean War battle. General Rowny (then a lieutenant colonel breveted to brigadier general) also served as General MacArthur’s official spokesman during the Korean War.

Kazel-Wilcox, together with PJ Wilcox, helped Gen. Rowny document some of these Korean War experiences in West Point ’41: The Class That Went To War and Shaped America (co-authored by the Wilcoxs and Gen. Rowny). Smokey Joe & The General, by Gen. Rowny, elaborates on the experiences further. Both books were recently published.

Scenes in the books include Rowny spearheading the rescue of stranded Marines in the Chosin Reservoir, an elevated lake set amid a forbidding mountain landscape. The rescue involved a C-119 cargo plane boldly, but precariously, dropping portable bridge sections to span a precipitous chasm so Marines could cross it to safety and transport casualties. Rowny also helped orchestrate “Operation Christmas Cargo” on Dec. 24, 1950—the rescue of nearly 100,000 North Korean civilians fleeing advancing death squads. They were evacuated aboard U.S. supply ships, tucked into every nook possible, and transported to safer territory south.

Gen. Rowny (USMA 1941) served as an advisor to five Presidents and was the Chief Negotiator for nuclear disarmament with the Soviets under President Reagan. He was also chief negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and Joint Chiefs of Staff Representative to SALT II talks. Reagan awarded Rowny the Presidential Citizen's Medal for being one of the “principal architects of America’s policy of ‘Peace through Strength’.” Previously, he headed the Army team that introduced the concept of armed helicopters to the military, beginning with Vietnam. He is a veteran of WW II, the Korean War and Vietnam.

About West Point ’41 and Smokey Joe & The General
West Point ’41: The Class That Went To War and Shaped America was written in collaboration with surviving members of the West Point class of 1941. It includes first-hand accounts of officers catapulted directly into the teeth of battle and high commands. The book follows ’41 officers through WWII and two more wars —Korea and Vietnam, as well as the Cold War — and through eras of peacetime military innovation that helped shape America. The book is available from University Press of New England, www.upne.com, and www.amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/West-Point-41-Shaped-America/dp/1611684692

Smokey & Joe & The General, is an autobiography/biography following young West Point graduate Rowny on a remarkable life journey under the guidance and inspiration of eccentric but brilliant General John E. Wood, considered the best trainer in the Army. The book includes extensive accounts of Rowny in the Korean War. http://www.amazon.com/Smokey-Joe-General-Edward-Rowny/dp/149353842X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406469597&sr=1-1&keywords=smokey+joe+%26+the+General&dpPl=1

Visit www.unsealedbooks.com for more on the authors.

July 25, 2014 will live forever in the minds of those in the Class of 2017. This is the day on which they ended their existence as cadet privates and got promoted to cadet corporals. “Today marks a transition for you,” LTG Robert Caslen ’75, Superintendent, told the yearlings who were assembled by company on the Camp Bucker Parade Field for the Cadet Field Training (CFT) Award Ceremony and Flag Presentation. “Today you become a team leader in the Corps of Cadets and go from one being led to one who will lead.” The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Task Force Parten, the nearly three weeks of military training the now yearlings accomplished during CFT, which was named for 1LT Tyler Parten ’07, who was killed in 2009 during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. During the ceremony, 1LT Parten’s sister, Anna, addressed the Class of 2017 and challenged them to live up to the motto chosen for CFT this year: “Forging your destiny—living the legacy.” Referring to their academic year duty to help an assigned plebe adjust to military life, she said, “Each one of you is now in the remarkable position to transform the lives of young men and women into leaders.”

Six members from the Class of 1967, which is 2017’s 50-Year Affiliation Class, were also at the ceremony and presented CDT Kristi Carrigan ’17, Class President, with 2017’s Class Flag. Going forward, this flag will be used at all class events and remain on display in Herbert Alumni Center’s Great Hall. An integral part of the 50-Year Affiliation Program, the presentation of the Class Flag strengthens the bonds between the classes and reinforces the ideals of West Point and the values of the Army. One bond they now share is the CFT experience. “Coming back to Buckner brings back a lot of memories,” said Dr. Tom Parr ’67, the Class 50-Year Affiliation Chair. “One thing I never realized is how pretty the scenery is around here.” While undergoing their military training—fire support, marksmanship, urban operations, land navigation, reconnaissance, small unit leadership development and Army PT—it is unlikely that the Class of 2017 had much time for scenery, but memories were certainly made. “I’ll never forget waking up to rain one night at 0230 and seeing my buddy placing his poncho on my stuff,” said CDT Avery Littlejohn ’17, who was awarded the Superintendent’s Plaque as the best overall cadet in CFT based on recommendations from his chain of command. CDT Brevin Irvin, who received CFT’s Sean Knott Memorial Award for displaying loyalty and selflessness to his Ranger buddy, said, “It’s events like these that create lasting friendships.”

Years from now, should the members of the Class of 2017 want to relive their CFT experiences (or try to remember the scenery of Camp Buckner), all they will need to do is look upon the Class Flag given to them by the Class of 1967 and the events of July 2014 will come alive again in their minds.

Naturally friendly oral care brand hello has expanded its executive and management teams with several highly experienced and talented leaders to foster continued innovation and growth.

In recognition of hello's incredible retail sell-in results, John Ende ’92 has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Sales as the company prepares to expand its sales force in its second year in-market. A West Point graduate and veteran of Mentholatum, Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. Army, John is the leader responsible for hello's impressive and expansive retail presence. John's determination and innate friendliness will continue to play a prominent role in the ongoing expansion of the brand domestically and internationally.

“As the company transitions from year one into year two, the new and expanded leadership team will continue to establish hello as the brand that finally makes personal care more, well, personal,” said hello's founder and CEO, Craig Dubitsky.  “We're growing like crazy, and this passionate and extremely experienced team has the goods to deliver on the scale of the opportunity before us.”

Photo: Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa ’80, OSB, a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, was recently appointed director of the congregation's development office.

(CLYDE, Mo.) Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa, OSB has been named director of development for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri. Sister Nancy Rose grew up in Richmondtown on Staten Island and graduated from Susan Wagner High School. She was a member of the first class that admitted women to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated with a degree in general engineering in 1980.

Sister Nancy Rose later earned a master’s of business administration degree from Golden Gate University. After she completed her commitment to active duty, she spent several years in the banking and finance industry, including working in St. Louis from 1992 until her entrance into the monastery in 2006. She retired from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2008.

She made her first monastic profession with the Benedictine Sisters in 2009 and her final monastic profession in 2013. She has worked in the correspondence department for many years, helping with annual mailings and answering prayer requests, and assisting with donor relations in the development office.

She will continue her work in correspondence while managing the development office. As director, she will coordinate donor relations, consult with investment professionals and oversee charitable giving for all of the congregation’s monastic communities across the country.

“I am deeply honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility of inviting all people to share in our ministry of prayer for the world,” Sister Nancy Rose said. “We welcome everyone to bring us their prayer intentions or experience our Benedictine hospitality at our monasteries in Clyde or Tucson, Arizona.”

The Senate confirmed Robert McDonald ’75 to head the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday, one day after congressional leaders cobbled together a $17 billion funding bill to help reform the agency and expand care.

Mr. McDonald takes over as VA secretary after little debate or opposition and a 97-0 confirmation vote on the Senate floor. Last week, he faced a friendly hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs where he fielded few questions and was lauded by many on the panel.

Mr. McDonald, 61 years old, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. He left the Army as a captain before beginning a 33-year career at Procter & Gamble Co., culminating in the role of CEO, which he held from 2009 to 2013.

“As a veteran himself and a proud member of a military family, Bob is deeply committed to serving our veterans and their families," said President Barack Obama in a statement. "And as an executive with decades of private-sector experience, he is uniquely equipped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to help change the way the VA does business.”

John G. Powers ’88 has been selected as an Upstate New York Super Lawyer for 2014. Mr. Powers is a partner in the Litigation Practice of the Syracuse, NY-based law firm of Hancock Estabrook, LLP, which is currently celebrating its 125th Anniversary. He litigates complex commercial lawsuits in federal and state court, as well as before administrative tribunals and arbitration panels. Mr. Powers represents a wide range of clients including manufacturers, general contractors, municipalities, publicly and privately-held corporations of all types, lenders, and small businesses. He is experienced in product liability litigation, construction litigation, intellectual property and trade secret litigation, and complex contractual and intra-corporate disputes. Mr. Powers is admitted to practice in New York. Prior to becoming an attorney, he served for five years on active duty in the United States Army as an Infantry Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Operations Officer.

In his new role as Chief Operating Officer, Dr. William H. Roof ’76 will be responsible for the sales, customer service, information technology and enterprise wireless departments of the Company and will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Nelson Ludlow, Ph.D.

Dr. Roof has more than 30 years of engineering experience in the civilian and military sectors. Since leaving the Company in 2011, he served as Chief Technology Officer at TechFlow, Inc., where he managed a new division of the company providing a broad range of engineering services to Fort Huachuca in Arizona and a variety of other government agencies. Prior to his earlier tenure at the Company, from 2004 to 2009 he was Vice President of Research and Development at IntelliDOT Corporation, a healthcare information technology/patient safety product development company. He also served as a Captain in the United States Navy (Naval Intelligence), specializing in force protection and counterterrorism as a credentialed federal agent of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Dr. Roof is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

His earlier civilian employment positions include Vice President, Research and Development at Cardinal Health, Program Manager at Lear Siegler and Senior Systems Engineer at Litton Industries. He holds a B.S. degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy, an M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and a Ph.D. in software engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Read More

“Grads in the West Point Society of Singapore have been setting up AIAD opportunities for cadets in SE Asia for the past three years.  This summer, two cadets did AIADs in Vietnam with Banyan Tree Group.  The cadets worked with Banyan Tree’s corporate social responsibility operations and were based out of Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc District in Thua Thien Hue Province.  This was the second year that Banyan Tree hosted cadets for AIADs.  Tremendous support for the AIAD was provided by Banyan Tree’s Area General Manager, Mr. Desmond Acheson, and the Group HR Director, Mr. Timothy Cheong.  Banyan Tree’s Chairman, Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, served as a senior mentor last year at the McDonald Cadet Leadership Conference.

Bryan Simon, USMA Class of 1997, is the recipient of the 2014 Warren D. Bowman, MD award presented at the Wilderness Medical Society's annual meeting in Jackson Hole, WY. This prestigious international honor was awarded for his contributions in services to wilderness medicine and to the Wilderness Medical Society.

After leaving the service, Bryan co-founded Vertical Medicine Resources, a medical guiding and consulting team dedicated to providing training and support for climbing and mountaineering expeditions around the world. In addition to his work with Vertical Medicine Resources, Bryan is also the climbing medicine columnist for Wilderness Medicine magazine and was recently named to the editorial board of the journal Nursing.

ATLANTA, Aug. 18, 2014 – Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, LLC is pleased to announce the inclusion of all four of the firm’s named partners among Best Lawyers in America for 2015. Robert D. Boyd ’73, John L. Collar, Jr., Richard M. Nolen and Jonathan J. Tuggle are recognized by the guide as leading lawyers in the area of family law. One of the oldest and most distinguished legal directories, Best Lawyers conducts peer-review surveys to compile its annual list of top attorneys across several practice areas.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers in America has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because its research is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in the guide is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers in America “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Class of 1967 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference

Approximately 350 West Point leaders of all stripes returned to the Academy from August 13 to August 16 for the Class of 1967 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference, and there was something for everyone on the agenda. The conference formally opened with remarks from LTG (R) Larry Jordan ’68, Chairman of the West Point Association of Graduates Board of Directors. Jordan discussed the state of the Association and outlined some of his goals as chairman, which included strengthening the relevance of WPAOG, supporting the Academy’s diversity initiatives and drafting WPAOG’s next strategic plan. “We need to think about organizational and succession planning, or building our bench of future leaders and advisors,” Jordon said. He then gave four orders to the assembled leaders: “learn, meet, share and enjoy.” Read More.

Excelitas Technologies Corp., a global photonics industry leader today announced the appointment of General Barry McCaffrey, retired Four-Star General, to the company’s board of directors. In this role, General McCaffrey will provide Excelitas with strategic counsel as the company enters its next phase of growth.

“I am pleased to join Excelitas’ board of directors and look forward to working with the executive team,” stated General McCaffrey. “Having served in the United States Army in multiple tours of duty, I have a deep appreciation for Excelitas’ 50 plus years of support and leadership in mission-critical programs through their technology expertise.”

General McCaffrey attended Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, and graduated from West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree. He earned a master's degree in American Government from American University and attended the Harvard University National Security Program as well as the Business School Executive Education Program.

In 2007, he was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame at the US Army Infantry Center, Ft. Benning, GA. In May 2010, he was honored as a Distinguished Graduate by the West Point Association of Graduates at the United States Military Academy. Read More

Lewis Rice is proud to announce Frank B. Janoski has been named to the 2015 Best Lawyers in America® annual list. Best Lawyers in America® compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. Mr. Janoski has appeared in Best Lawyers every year since 2008. He is recognized for his work in intellectual property litigation and patent, trademark and copyright law.

Mr. Janoski focuses his Lewis Rice practice on intellectual property and commercial litigation. He has served as the lead trial attorney in many complex intellectual property litigation cases as well as in trademark, copyright and related issues before U.S. District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals. He is also licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Janoski regularly writes and speaks on topics regarding intellectual property, and has been a guest lecturer at Saint Louis University and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on such topics. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the West Point Association of Graduates as well as its Audit Committee and as Chairman of its Board’s Governance Committee.

Ms. Kohler's experience spans the financial services, defense and nonprofit sectors. Prior to entering the talent management profession, Kate worked as an executive in the financial services industry, most recently at the PenFed Foundation, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization working to meet the unmet financial needs of active duty, veterans and their families. As Chief Operations Officer and Corporate Senior Vice President, she led the foundation's executive management in partnership with PenFed Credit Union, a $16 billion financial services organization.

Previously, Kate served in business development roles in Institutional Business Development and Fund Marketing at Morgan Creek Capital Management, LLC and in Private Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley.
Kate is a U.S. Army veteran, with command experience at the platoon and company level in Kuwait, Bosnia and South Korea, culminating in the leadership of more than 200 United States and South Korean soldiers as a company commander.

She holds a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. She earned a bachelor of science degree from The United States Military Academy at West Point. Originally from Towanda, Pennsylvania, Kate resides in Arlington, Virginia with her family.

FORT A. P. HILL, Va. — COL. William J. Coffin ’88 took command of the Virginia National Guard's Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from COL. John M. Epperly ’89, the 116th's commander since June 2012, at a change of command ceremony Aug. 2, 2014, at Fort A. P. Hill, Va. BG. Blake C. Ortner, the Virginia National Guard Land Component Commander, was the senior officer in the ceremony and passed the 116th's unit colors from Epperly to Coffin to signify the change of command of the unit...

Ortner described Coffin as the “right officer at the right time to continue to make a difference” and said “I can't think of a better officer to assume command from COL. Epperly. I am confident he will lead the Stonewall Brigade on to even greater things.”...

Over the past two years of Epperly's command, the brigade has been recognized as being in the top five BCTs across the Army National Guard nationally. In addition to honing combat readiness, the brigade has responded to several emergency missions for the Commonwealth of Virginia ranging from hurricanes like Super Storm Sandy to local floods and winter storms.

The 116th Infantry Regiment has been called into service during World War I, World War II, the Balkans and in Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. The 116th was first organized Nov. 3, 1741, as the Augusta County Regiment of the Virginia Militia. The brigade traces its lineage directly from the Augusta County Regiment served under George Washington in the French and Indian War as part of the Virginia Regiment. Elements of the brigade also served during the Revolutionary War and fought in the War of 1812. The regiment also served in the Army of the Shenandoah under BG. Thomas J. Jackson, Jackson and his men earned the title “Stonewall” at the battle of First Manassas.

“As I look at our brigade colors today and see the battle streamers our generation put there, I see all of you In those colorful silk battle streamers, there's a little piece of immortality for all of us who were there in those faraway lands together,” Epperly said. “We are forever linked to all who came before us from 1741 to now and into the future.” Read More