Photo By Terrance Bell | Lt. Col. Amelia H. Schulz, incoming commander, 266th Quartermaster Battalion, receives...... read more read more
FORT LEE, Va. (May 21, 2020) -- Lt. Col. Amelia H. Schulz – a thrice-deployed former ordnance officer – is the new commander of the Dragon Brigade’s 266th Quartermaster Battalion.
She took the reins of the “Providers” from Lt. Col. Clarisse T. Scott during a change of command ceremony May 12. Col. Jason P. Affolder, 23rd QM Brigade commander, officiated the passing of the unit colors.
Brig. Gen. Douglas McBride, QM General, and members of his leadership team were among the limited number of guests who attended the event, wearing face masks and adhering to coronavirus social distancing policies.
Schulz, a native of Enterprise, Ala., comes to Fort Lee from the Pentagon where she served as a politico-military planner and branch chief for Technology, Security and Foreign Disclosure, Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J5. In brief remarks, she thanked Affolder and said she looked forward to meeting the team.
“I’m humbled by the trust and confidence you’ve given me,” she acknowledged. “The Providers are a great team and Steve (her husband) and I really look forward to meeting all of you.”
Schulz thanked Scott for her support during the transition and her leadership over the past two years.
“Clarisse … I can only hope to adeptly follow in your professional footsteps,” said the mother of two daughters.
Scott said her faith in God served as the foundation for her accomplishments as battalion commander.
“Today, I give him all the praises for the success I’ve achieved as commander of the 266th QM Battalion,” she said.
Confident of her legacy, Scott avoided listing achievements in favor of expounding on those who supported her along the way. She pointed out the accomplishments of the battalion need no highlighting because hearing the name Providers is enough said.
Her next statement, offered in jest, was directed at the QM General: “Brig. Gen. McBride, that’s me boasting with my chest out. I figured you’d like that because you said I didn’t do it enough.”
Prior to the ceremony, McBride had awarded Scott the Meritorious Service Medal among other honors. He said the mother of two boys can be described as a selfless leader and humble professional who goes about business in a “quietly tenacious” way.
“She gets the mission completed to a very high standard, and she doesn’t care who gets credit,” he said. “That’s the epitome of who we need going forward.”
During the change of command, Scott credited McBride for “pushing her to beyond” what she thought was her limit. “You believed I could do it, and you always encouraged me to keep growing and to keep fighting. My mission is complete, and I hope you can see I have dominated my battlespace.”
Scott also thanked Col. Gregory Townsend, the former brigade commander who died last April from injuries he sustained while helping a stranded motorist.
“He was a man of few words, and I never really knew what he thought of me; however, he allowed me the space and latitude to command my battalion,” she said.
Affolder has been a “breath of fresh air,” in her words, since he took charge of the brigade and implemented immediate strides as a supporting voice.
“You brought a different perspective and a kinder, gentler leadership style. … I also thank you for allowing me to lead my battalion and listening to us as your senior command team,” she said.
Scott went on to thank her staff who provided various measures of support during her time as commander. Among those of whom she made special mention were Robert Elder, who worked in the battalion S-3 shop supporting the culmination field training exercise, and Command Sgt. Maj. Micheal Lambert, her senior enlisted adviser.
“Thank you for your wise counsel and keeping us aware of the pulse of the battalion,” she said of Elder, a former Soldier who she called “our forever first sergeant.”
Lambert, who Scott called her “Army husband” and the only man she could text at night without angering her husband, was indispensable.
“His best ideas came at night,” she said. “Although we got off to a rocky start, we did what mature professionals do: we had a hard conversation and everything has been great. Together we have built a team and a family. … In you, I have gained a forever friend and an extension of Team Scott. Thank you for being my advisor and battle buddy.”
Perhaps Scott saved her choicest words for husband Patrick, a former military man himself.
“It’s because of you that I’m the leader I am today,” she said. “I always listened when you talked about what you wished you had in a leader when you were a Soldier. I gave all those things to those with whom I served.”
Scott, a native of Elliott, S.C., was commissioned at Fort Lee in 2000 as a quartermaster officer. Her previous positions include commanding the 111th QM Co. here and serving as the concepts development officer for CASCOM.
Scott’s next assignment will take her to the Pentagon.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2020 15:02 |
| Story ID: | 370563 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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