Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Littlejohn | Col. Peter A. Lehning and his wife, Col. Lisa A. Lehning, along with their children,...... read more read more
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EL PASO, Texas - The soldiers of 31st Combat Support Hospital said farewell to their commanding officer and welcomed a new colonel during a change of command, in conjunction with a retirement ceremony on Memorial Field here July 1.
Col. Peter A. Lehning relinquished responsibility of command to Col. George M. Kyle.
Lehning, along with his wife, Col. Lisa A. Lehning, deputy commander of patient services at William Beaumont Army Medical Center here, is retiring after more than 25 years of service in the Army. Kyle comes to the 31st CSH from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Col. Allan J. Darden, commander of 1st Medical Brigade, provided opening remarks and introduced the outgoing commander of 31st CSH. Lehning said he is excited for what the future brings for him and his family and welcomed Kyle, the incoming commander, to the unit with open arms.
Kyle brings over 20 years of experience to the 31st CSH, having assignments in Germany, Maryland and multiple deployments including Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Iraqi Freedom.
A joint retirement ceremony for the colonels Lehning immediately followed the change or command ceremony. Col. Michael S. Heimall, commander of WBAMC, spoke on behalf of the Lehnings’ retirement and shared funny stories about working with Col. Lisa Lehning.
The playful banter the Lehnings’ shared during their speeches was infectious to the audience and showed the love that they have for one another and the Army.
Col. Lisa Lehning choked up twice during her speech, playfully blaming her tears on allergies. At the end of her speech, she recited a quote from Nina Simone’s, “Feeling Good” and the crowd gave a standing ovation.
“It's a new dawn. It's a new day,” Col. Lisa Lehning said. “It's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2015 15:50 |
| Story ID: | 170376 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 632 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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