24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Change of Command Ceremony

Photo By Gunnery Sgt. David J. Drafton | Col. Ryan S. Rideout receives the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit colors from Col. Scott F. Benedict during a change of command ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Sept. 3, 2015. Passing of the colors is a tradition that signifies the moment in which one commander takes over for another. Benedict assumed command of the MEU in 2013 and commanded the unit during the first iteration of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force--Crisis Response and the MEU's 2015 deployment to U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by GySgt. David J. Drafton)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

09.03.2015

Story by Gunnery Sgt. David J. Drafton 

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.- Colonel Scott F. Benedict relinquished command of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Col. Ryan S. Rideout during a change of command ceremony aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 3, 2015.

Benedict took command of the MEU in March 2013 and commanded the first full iteration of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response in Moron, Spain, from June 2013 to January 2014. Under his command, SPMAGTF-Crisis Response assisted in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from South Sudan.

The 24th MEU composited last May for pre-deployment training and deployed to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation from December 2014 to July 2015. The MEU planned for a number of contingencies during the deployment and supported two evacuations of U.S. diplomats and military personnel from Yemen at the request of the Department of State. They also took part in several Theater Security Cooperation exercises with allied nations, including Israel, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, and Greece. At one point, there were as many as 1,250 MEU Marines and Sailors spread across five countries conducting exercises, engagements, and other small-unit level training. The MEU was also the first East Coast MEU to deploy with a Special Operations Forces Liaison Element, which served to coordinate actions between the MEU and Special Operations Command.

The 24th MEU is one of seven MEUs that serves as a sea-based, expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting a variety of missions from humanitarian assistance to full-scale combat. The 24th MEU is scheduled to deploy again in 2017.

Rideout comes to the 24th MEU from Joint Interagency Task Force-South where he served as the Director for Operations and as the Marine Corps Element Commander. Other assignments include: the Commanding Officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 467; Wing Current Operations Officer; and the Director of Aviation Training Systems for the Second Marine Air Wing in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

For more information on the 24th MEU, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/24thMEU/
https://www.youtube.com/user/24thmeuUSMC/
http://www.24thmeu.marines.mil/

• Date Taken: 09.03.2015
• Date Posted: 09.03.2015 17:27
• Story ID: 175220
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US