‘TF Warhawg’ changes leadership

Lt. Col. William D. Stewart assumes command of 1st Battalion, 360th Infantry Regiment, July 10 at Milam Youth Center. Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert L. Baker, 1st Bn., 360th Inf. Regt.

Staff Sgt. Robert L. Baker,
1st Bn., 360th Inf. Regt.:

The 1st Battalion, 360th Infantry Regiment, “Task Force Warhawg,” conducted a change of command ceremony at the Milam Youth Center here July 10.

The ceremony, alive with military tradition, formalized Lt. Col. William D. Stewart, the former deputy brigade commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, taking command from Lt. Col. William H. Dunbar, with battalion Soldiers, friends and family members watching.

Col. Eric O. Schacht, 5th Armored Brigade commander, presided over the ceremony and spoke to the formation about their accomplishments and expressed his pleasure in the professional way the battalion has performed under the leadership of Dunbar.

The TF Warhawg’s mission is training active and reserve-component servicemembers from all service branches in essential skills including mounted wheeled gunnery, short-range marksmanship, team live-fire, close-quarters combat, urban operations, and crew-served and individual weapons qualification. These essential tasks hone the skills of joint warfighters before they deploy to combat zones.

During the last two years, Soldiers of the battalion have trained and validated 30,000 joint warfighters in area security operations, individual and crew-served weapons qualification, gunnery operations, and buddy team and base defense live-fire exercises, said Schacht.

Schacht expressed his confidence in the abilities of Stewart as he takes command.

“Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, I believe your most recent assignment at the Joint Multinational Training Command has developed a flexible mindset and ability to find unique solutions that I am sure will propel this unit on that continued path of success,” said Schacht.

Lt. Col. William D. Stewart, left, incoming commander of 1st Battalion, 360th Infantry Regiment, receives the battalion colors from Col. Eric O. Schacht, commander of 5th Armored Brigade, right, while Lt. Col. William H. Dunbar, outgoing commander, center, and Sgt. Maj. Riley Woodworth, battalion sergeant major, left, watches during the battalion’s July 10 change of command ceremony at Milam Youth Center. Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert L. Baker, 1st Bn., 360th Inf. Regt.

Dunbar thanked the brigade leadership for supporting him and giving him the opportunity to serve. He also thanked his family for their support, the battalion senior leadership and finally those he believes should be bestowed the most credit – the noncommissioned officers and officers of the unit.

“The Warhawgs come to work every day ready to train hundreds of joint warfighters in the skills necessary to survive and succeed in combat,” Dunbar said. “They bear the heavy memory of comrades dead or wounded and of near-misses too numerous to count. They know that nothing will get you killed faster than complacency. They drill that into deploying Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen while conducting some of the most professional instruction that can be found in our Army today.”

Stewart, incoming commander, spoke about taking command, the professionalism of the battalion’s NCOs and the road ahead.

“The mark of a good organization is one that executes routine tasks – routinely,” said Stewart. “The mark of a great organization is one that doesn’t miss a beat when the leadership changes out. After spending only a short time with the Warhawgs, it is very clear to me that this battalion will continue to excel and achieve mission success.”

Although the faces of Task Force Warhawg have changed, the mission to train joint warfighters to experience realistic and relevant combat scenarios in a learning environment continues. The unit’s 95-year history, which started in August 1917 when preparing servicemembers for conflicts worldwide, shows why this battalion of the 5th Armored Brigade and First Army is recognized as being among the premier trainers in the Army.

Short URL: http://fbmonitor.com/?p=14667