Photo By Sgt. William Hill | Col. Ivan Denton, commander of Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, gives...... read more read more
Edinburgh, Ind. — Col. Ivan Denton, former commander of the 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, assumed command of Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center from outgoing commander, Col. Todd Townsend during a change of command ceremony March 12.
The adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, Maj. Gen R. Martin Umbarger, spoke to the crowd filled with soldiers and civilians, inspiring heart-felt departing words about Townsend and his career during the ceremony.
“We picked an aviator; I say that because some people were kind of shocked,” said Umbarger. “Todd Townsend in 1978 started as a private and went to [officer candidate school] and he has been our senior aviator for many-many years and has been my senior aviator. We knew his heart, we knew his leadership skills, we knew his mannerisms, and we picked the athlete not the position. We picked the guy that we felt possessed all qualities for the past three years and two months,” said Umbarger.
During the ceremony, Townsend expressed his gratitude for Camp Atterbury‟s achievements and the dedication of its employees.
“We totaled up the number here and over the past three years 254,000 great Americans who passed through the doors Atterbury and Muscatatuck who have trained in some kind of capacity. Almost a quarter of a million people and I think that speaks to the great service that you all provide to them to allow them to defend our great county,” Townsend said.
His departing words were paraphrased by Peyton Manning, the former quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
“To paraphrase Peyton Manning from last week who departed the Colts, he said. "I have been blessed to be a member of the Indianapolis Colts and thank you from the bottom of my heart and I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback‟ and to tell you folks that rings true for me too, Thank you so much,” said Townsend.
But as a great commander moves on to further his career; he is replaced with an equally qualified commander according to Umbarger.
“We are saying goodbye to a good soldier and saying hello to a good soldier,” said Umbarger during his closing remarks.
Col. Denton enlisted infantryman in the Indiana Army National Guard in 1982. He graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., and received his commission as an infantry officer in 1986. He then served four years on active duty and during that time he
Headquarters Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center
Edinburgh, Ind., 46124-5000 deployed to in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, served in Operation Just Cause with the 75th Ranger Regiment, as an airborne ranger and jumped into Panama earning his combat infantryman‟s badge.
He rejoined the Indiana National Guard in 1990 and since has deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was one of the first reserve component infantry battalion to be forwardly deployed into combat theater since the Korean War and roughly eight years later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn and was among the last soldiers to leave Iraq.
Denton gave thanks to his family and all that supported him throughout his military career during the ceremony.
“For the Atterbury team I wanted to thank you,” He said. “Needless to say, everyone knows I trained here and I love this place obviously I do not know as much as I would like too but I am getting to know more about it and I will get around to see all of you.”
In closing, Denton ended the ceremony by thanking all the people who made the ceremony happen, and all the support from Camp Atterbury.
“Thank you for coming it really means a lot to the entire post that we have so many friends and family,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2012 23:26 |
| Story ID: | 85137 |
| Location: | EDINBURGH, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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