FORT HOOD, Texas - Command of the 166th Aviation Brigade’s 1st Battalion, 291st Aviation, changed hands July 11 during a ceremony on Cameron Field at First Army Division West headquarters here.
Lt. Col. Eric Puls became the 6th "Punisher" commander, assuming command from Lt. Col. Robert Donnelly, who moved on to become executive officer for the commanding general at U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), in San Antonio, Texas.
Puls, with 24 years of service, from Bangor, Maine, arrived at Division West after serving as operations officer at the Center for Army Lessons Learned, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Puls takes responsibility of training National Guard and Army Reserve aviation units during their pre-mobilization and post-mobilization training in support of upcoming deployments.
Change of command ceremonies have been carried out for centuries. It is a military tradition steeped in heraldry and its purpose is to emphasize the continuity of leadership and unit identity despite changes in authority.