Magnificent 7th receives new commander

Photo By Cpl. Andrew Thorburn | Col. Austin E. Renforth, the incoming commanding officer of 7th Marine Regiment, accepts the unit’s battle colors from Col. Randall P. Newman, the outgoing commander, symbolically taking command of the ‘Magnificent 7th’ during a change of command ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, March 17.  

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

03.17.2011

Story by Lance Cpl. Andrew Thorburn 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – The winds of change swept across the Combat Center’s Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, March 17, as Col. Austin E. Renforth, took command of 7th Marine Regiment from Col. Randall P. Newman, the outgoing commanding officer of the regiment.

Renforth comes to the unit after serving as the branch chief, special plans branch in the J-5 for the North American Aerospace Defense Colorado Springs, Colo.

His previous assignments include 2nd Light Armored Recon Battalion commanding officer, Regimental Combat Team 1 operations officer, and Maritime Special Purpose Force commander for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

As he spoke to the Marines, sailors and special guests at the ceremony he gave, his impression of the Magnificent 7th.

“To me, this is the premier regiment of the Marine Corps,” Renforth said. “To be a part of it is truly special.

“Certainly there is nothing to add [to the unit],” he said, “I just want to continue the success that has already been set forth. There were great commanders before me, there will be great ones after me.”

Newman, a native of Economy, Ind., is heading to the Marine Air Ground Task Force Staff Training Program at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., but he said he will always keep a special place in his heart for the Marines of the Magnificent 7th. He ended by turning the attention back to the unit itself.

“I don’t want to go, but I am proud to be able to present the men today,” he said. “What I offer to you, the men behind me, is truly the Magnificent 7th. Men who came into our Corps not wondering if they were gonna fight, but absolutely sure they were going to fight. I’d ask you for a standing ovation for the men that got everything done.”

• Date Taken: 03.17.2011
• Date Posted: 03.25.2011 13:04
• Story ID: 67729
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US