Familiar face returns as commander

Photo By Spc. Prentis Grayson | Lt. Col. Sean Gavan, 1st Squadron of 151st Cavalry, presents Col. Kirk Van Pelt, outgoing commander of 39th IBCT, a gift from the soliders of the squadron during a change of command ceremony on May 19, 2012 at Camp Robinson, North Little Rock, Ark.  

AR, UNITED STATES

05.19.2012

Story by Spc. Prentis Grayson 

39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

CAMP ROBINSON MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ark.--Col. Kirk E. Van Pelt, the outgoing commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, relinquished his command to the incoming Commander Col. John “Mickey” Stewart. The change-of-command ceremony, held at Camp Robinson, May 19, 2012, personified one of the oldest and most cherished U.S. Army traditions, where the guidon, a unit’s banner affixed to a spear, is passed from the outgoing commander, Col. Van Pelt to the incoming commander, Col. Stewart and then returned to the unit’s most senior enlisted person, Command Sgt. Maj.Rick Megoloff, 39th IBCT Command Sergeant Major.

Col. Stewart will take command of the Arkansas National Guard’s largest subordinate unit, which comprised of more than 4,200 troops. The 39th IBCT is headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., with various armories around the state. Stewart is very familiar with the brigade.

Col. Stewart was born in Fordyce, and graduated from Fordyce High School. Stewart joined the Arkansas National Guard in 1982 as a private in Camden's Detachment 1 Company B, 3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment of the 39th Infantry Brigade. Stewart graduated from the Arkansas Military Academy's Officer Candidate School Class 29 in 1986 and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry.

In 1989, Stewart was hired into the Active Guard and Reserve workforce as the training officer for the 3rd Battalion 153rd Infantry. While on staff, he held numerous staff duties including personnel officer, assistant operations officer, logistics officer and battalion administrative officer.

In 1994, he was assigned as the commander of the 3-153's Company A, to begin an intensive train up for a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation. Upon completing Infantry Officer's Advanced Course and the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, he was assigned to the 233rd Regional Training Institute as the RTI training officer and Officer Candidate School instructor.

In 2001, Stewart was assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade as the brigade training Officer and as the brigade plans officer. Colonel Stewart was later assigned as the brigade S3-air for the Operation Iraqi Freedom II Mobilization train up and later was made the brigade operations officer. He served as the brigade operations officer for 11 months in Iraq while the brigade was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division. During this time he was responsible for full spectrum combat operations with 775 square kilometers of battle space in Baghdad.

Stewart took command of brigade's 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment May 1, 2007 and led his battalion to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2008-09. During this time he was responsible for command and control of five convoy security companies in western Iraq.

On June 1, 2009, Col. Stewart was assigned as the 39th Brigade executive officer and full-time administrative officer tasked with the brigade's RESET operations. On August 1, 2010, he assumed his current duty positions as both the deputy chief of staff, operations and the plans, operations and training officer for Arkansas.

Col. Stewart is a graduate of Command and General Staff College and has many awards including Bronze Star 2nd Award, Meritorious Service Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He also holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Liberal Arts.

The 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, “The Bowie Team,” is an Army National Guard unit based in Little Rock, Ark., which is comprised of over 2,500 troops from around the state. The brigade traces its lineage as far back as 1917 during World War I and in recent years deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Date Taken: 05.19.2012
• Date Posted: 05.20.2012 00:02
• Story ID: 88688
• Location: AR, US