Photo By Damien Salas | Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and Headquarters Command Battalion leaders salute...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The United States Army Headquarters Command Battalion welcomed its new leadership team, Commander Lt. Col. Johnathon Kupka and Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta Mack, and bid farewell to its former leaders, Lt. Col. Mark Biehl and Sgt. Maj. Alex Pratt, during a change of command and change of responsibility ceremony June 19.
After two years of leadership and service, Biehl and Pratt relinquished command to Kupka and Mack in Conmy Hall on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall during a ceremony attended by members of the JBM-HH community, the battalion, family and friends.
Joint Base Commander Col. Mike Henderson welcomed Kupka and Mack to the joint base and voiced his confidence in their abilities.
“I know these two leaders are ready for the challenges ahead and will seize every opportunity to serve the great Soldiers and families that comprise Headquarters Command Battalion,” he said.
Born in Bakersfield, California, and raised in Aberdeen, Washington, Kupka received his commission in 1997 through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Pacific Lutheran College in Tacoma, Washington. He served in the infantry and as a Special Forces officer at Fort Lewis, Washington. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University and master’s degrees from Georgetown University and the U.S. Army School of Military Studies, as well as a doctor of philosophy degree in political science from the University of Kansas.
Kupka thanked Henderson and said he was well aware of the “awesome responsibility” he was undertaking.
“I do not take this charge lightly,” he said. “I will not let you, the battalion or the United States Army down.”
He also thanked his parents for raising him and helping form him into the man he is today.
“Since 1975, they have instilled in me values that have guided me along the way, values that are commensurate to our Army values,” Kupka said.
He assured Biehl and Pratt that they were leaving the battalion in the right hands.
"I fully recognize and admire the great leadership vision you and Command Sgt. Maj. Pratt have displayed to lead this enormous battalion," he said. "I know full well that I have very big shoes to fill and hope that you will look back in a few years and feel the same pride you feel today."
Finally, he addressed the many Soldiers now under his command.
“I know full well the challenges you face and also recognize the great accomplishments you have achieved,” Kupka said. “Our country depends on you to stand Army strong every day. It is essential for the survival of this great nation.”
Mack enlisted in 1992 and has served as the first sergeant of the 17th Military Police Detachment in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and the operations sergeant major and command sergeant major for the 385th Military Police Battalion in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College and is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
Mack also thanked his parents, and promised Kupka that he would always be there for him.
He said he had two additional standing orders for the battalion: to make a positive influence in somebody’s life every day in accordance with the Army values and to always have fun.
“I’m here by your side, steadfast and unwavering,” he said. “I will grind the axe down to the handle, until the smell of burning wood fills the air. I will always have your back, and you can always count on me.”
Henderson thanked Biehl and Pratt for their hard work and dedicated leadership during their time on base and voiced his utmost confidence in the battalion’s new leaders.
“When I first met Mark and Command Sgt. Maj. Pratt almost a year ago, I was impressed by their calm approach and shared understanding of the environment associated with the Headquarters Command Battalion,” Henderson said. “I knew immediately we were in good hands.”
With 52 agencies and more than 6,000 Soldiers, Headquarters Command Battalion could be difficult to wrangle at times, Henderson said. But Biehl and Pratt always rose to the occasion.
“Command of this battalion is not glamorous,” Henderson said. “But if you were to ask any staff section in the Pentagon, I would wager that all would say the leadership of these two Soldiers has been indispensable.”
Biehl expressed his gratitude to his staff, Soldiers and friends for what he said seemed like a very fast tenure as commander.
“I’m pretty sure that was the fastest 28 months in the history of the universe,” he said to laughs from the audience.
He thanked Henderson and former JBM-HH commander retired Col. Fern O. Sumpter for their hands-off approach to letting him do his job.
“Thank you for letting me command,” he said. “Your faith, trust and confidence in me and in CSM Pratt made for a very comfortable experience.”
And he thanked Pratt, his “battle buddy,” for two years of hard work, good advice and friendship.
“Running this beast of a battalion would not be possible without your leadership, wisdom and guidance,” Biehl said.
And Pratt agreed.
“This battalion is like no other in the United States Army; not to mention the largest, and I’m proud to have been selected to serve as command sergeant major,” he said. “The Army got it right when they selected Col. Biehl and me.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2015 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 168103 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US |
| Hometown: | ABERDEEN, WA, US |
| Hometown: | BAKERSFIELD, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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