Volunteer Brigade Change of Responsibility

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Amy King | Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Marks, outgoing senior enlisted advisor and command sergeant major, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, passes the brigade colors to Col. Anthony Fournier, commander, 48th IBCT, Georgia Army National Guard, during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center in Macon, Ga., July 18, 2020.  

MACON, GA, UNITED STATES

07.18.2020

Story by Sgt. Jordan Trent 

48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

MACON READINESS CENTER, Macon, Ga. July 18, 2020 – Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Paul assumed responsibility of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Marks during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center in Macon, Ga., July 18, 2020.
Colonel Anthony Fournier, Commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, oversaw and officiated the transfer of responsibility.
“Both of these men on stage [Marks and Paul] are the epitome of what an IBCT CSM should be,” said Fournier. “Both have combat experience working with foreign armies and infantry tactics at all levels. They’re experts at the tools of the infantry which are getting more and more complex, especially weapons. These are the guys you want on your side of a fight, building teams, mentoring Soldiers and passing on their vast experience to the next generation.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Paul, the incoming Command Sgt. Maj. of the 48th Brigade, previously served in the 82nd Airborne Division and entered the Georgia Army National Guard in 2004. His most recent assignment was as the Command Sgt. Maj. of 1st Battalion, 54th Security Forces Assistance Brigade.
“Thank you for your [Marks] for your five years of service to the brigade and I’m going to strive to continue your efforts to make it the best IBCT in the Army,” said Paul. “To the Soldiers of the 48th Brigade, I relish the opportunity to serve you.”
Marks served as the Brigade Command Sergeant’s Major for five years including multiple hurricane responses, Joint Readiness Training Center and Exportable Combat Training Center rotations, and a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Support in 2019.
“As I reflect upon the last five years of my tenure in this brigade, what I will remember most is the phenomenal leadership team that led our Soldiers through multiple crucible events that ultimately changed the organization’s perception of the 48th Infantry Brigade and Georgia Army National Guard amongst the toughest critics in the U.S. military,” said Marks. “I could speak about quantifiable matrixes and statistics achieved over the five years, but that would be forgotten as soon as I uttered them. Soldiers don’t remember numbers and statistics. They remember people and they remember paradigm changes. From my perspective, I was privileged to witness this paradigm shift first-hand.”
Marks received the Legion of Merit and, in his remarks, recognized the leaders that served alongside him, under him and those that mentored him during his career.
“The definition of leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation to accomplish the mission, and improve the organization,” said Marks. “Everyone always gets the first part right because that’s the easy part. All of us in here, leaders, we accomplish our missions and we complete our tasks. The hard part is improving the organization. So I ask you, what are you doing to improve your organization today? I challenge you to go forth, improve the organization and leave it better than you found it. God bless America, God bless the 48th Infantry Brigade and the Georgia National Guard. Volunteer 7, out.”

• Date Taken: 07.18.2020
• Date Posted: 07.18.2020 16:44
• Story ID: 374173
• Location: MACON, GA, US