FORT EUSTIS, Va. - The 53rd Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade conducted a change of command ceremony the morning of Feb. 28 at Fort Eustis’ Anderson Field House to officially welcome Lt. Col. Stephen W. Ledbetter as battalion commander, and to bid a heartfelt farewell to outgoing commander, Lt. Col. Corey A. New.
Col. Steve M. Cherry, commander, 7th Sust. Bde. (Provisional), and ceremony reviewing officer, addressed the crowd of soldiers, leaders, distinguished guests, and family members sharing the numerous successes of the battalion to include their recent deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in support of Operation New Dawn where they coordinated and executed the redeployment and reposturing of forces out of Iraq.
Ledbetter, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn., received his commission into the Transportation Corps in December of 1993. Most recently he served as the chief of operations, 528th Sust. Bde. (Special Operations) (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
New, a native of Rumford, Maine, attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course in 1991 upon his commissioning, and later transferred to the Transportation Corps in 1993. He is scheduled to attend command and staff college.