Photo By Spc. Hedil Hernandez | 1st Lt. Amri Hernández, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored...... read more read more
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Sgt. Tara Fajardo-Arteaga, 113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, Poland – After serving as the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company “Hoplites,” 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division for one year, Capt. José Pernía relinquished command to Capt. Alexander Ragnoli during a change of command ceremony at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, April 4, 2022.
Pernía, a Jackson, Tenn. native, was commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Army after completing the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at the University of Memphis in 2013. He previously had a nine-month rotation with the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Riley, Kan., where he served as chief of operations, sustainment officer, and company commander during Atlantic Resolve I in Bulgaria and Romania. During the last 12 months, Pernía served as commander of the HHC “Hoplites” while deployed to Poland.
After thanking God, his family, and various military leaders who have helped him along the way, he addressed his Soldiers. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside you. Know that any merit, any accomplishment that I have to my name, any, is because of you,” he said. “Your strength, determination, pride, love for each other, and belief in your cause continue to amaze me.”
Pernía will serve as the aide-de-camp for the Mission Command Center of Excellence director, Brig. Gen. Charles J. Masaracchia, at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Kenneth Selby, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, thanked Capt. Pernía for his dedication and commitment. “Your meticulous attention to detail, energetic determination, and dedication to making the battalion a more efficient enterprise have been inspiring,” said Selby. “I’ve also greatly enjoyed watching you develop your young Soldiers. José, you are a lead from the front kind of officer, and I’ve enjoyed watching you command your organization.”
Selby welcomed Capt. Ragnoli to his new role. “Alex, you know the drill; I know that you will care for these young men and woman as you would your own,” said Selby. “You are now assuming the third field grade officer role in the battalion, and you are charged with becoming an organizational problem solver.”
Capt. Ragnoli, incoming commander and a Niceville, Fla. native, was commissioned as an armor officer in the United States Army after completing the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at the University of West Florida. He previously had a nine-month rotation in Korea, where he served as a platoon leader and executive officer of a tank company. He has served the past 365 days as commander of Alpha Company with the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment and will now command the Headquarters and Headquarters Company “Hoplites.”
“Hoplites and first sergeant, I’m looking forward to working with you all,” said Ragnioli. “You are what helps support the line companies to enable the battalion to destroy the enemy. No one should take their job lightly, and I challenge you to master your craft to help build a more ready and lethal battalion.”
The 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment is a United States Army unit under the 1st Infantry Division, comprised of tankers, maintenance, logistics, and administrative Soldiers, based in Fort Riley, Kansas.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2022 12:50 |
| Story ID: | 418765 |
| Location: | DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, PL |
| Hometown: | JACKSON, TENNESSEE, US |
| Hometown: | NICEVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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