Photo By Maj. Bariki Mallya | Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Ploeger passes the unit colors to Col. Michelle Wood during...... read more read more
Army Col. Michelle Wood, who led the 206th RSG over the last two years, completed her tour by relinquishing command to Col. Shad Smith.
A native of Mason, Michigan, Wood holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and has completed a multitude of army courses, including Intermediate Level Education, Anti-terrorism Officer Basic Course and the Counterinsurgency Academy.
“I enlisted when I was 17 years old, but always had the goal of becoming an officer, so I did the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and I just stuck with it,” said Wood, about becoming a senior ranking officer.
Under her leadership, the 206th RSG has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Supply Excellence Award and winning the United States Army Reserve Phillip A. Connelly Award for excellence in food service. They have also stayed busy supported military operations in Poland, Bulgaria and Guatemala over the last two years alone. According to Wood, it is the great soldiers that make it all possible. “The 206th staff built a team that accepts everyone,” said Wood. “Somebody new comes in and they immediately work that person to their strengths not their weaknesses.”
The inbound commander of the 206th RSG and no stranger to leadership roles, Smith most recently served as the commander of the Army Reserve detachment of the Joint Munitions Command, at Rock Island, Illinois. Smith has served on both active duty and the army reserve, at duty locations including the Republic of Korea, Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Hood, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State University and two Masters Degrees from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, and the Army War College. Smith also completed a multitude of army courses, including the Army War College, Command and General Staff College and Advanced Operations Course.
When asked what his priorities will be, during his tenure, Smith said, “We supply the nation with resources, assets and units to go to war, so we have to be ready in all categories of readiness: medical, dental and training. We have to be ready to move out the door. Readiness is our main priority.”
On reviewing the unit he is taking over, Smith said, “I see people starting to gel, talking to each other, working together, and that’s something we can continue to build on. We just need to continue to build on the solid foundation that Col. Wood has built here.”
Asked of his experiences in the army, Smith said, “The army has been really good to me. It will challenge you in ways you never thought you could be challenged. It will offer you things that you never would otherwise have.”
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2017 13:43 |
| Story ID: | 250247 |
| Location: | SPRINGFIELD, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 462 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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