35th ID Transfers Authority of Task Force Mission to 28th ID

Photo By Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler | (left to right) Maj. Gen. Mark McCormack and Command Sgt. Maj. Randall Pritts, commanding general and command sergeant major, respectively, of the 28th Infantry Division, uncase the colors of the 28th ID during the Task Force Spartan transfer of authority on Nov. 20, 2022. The 28th ID took over the mission from the 35th ID (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler)  

KUWAIT

11.20.2022

Story by Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler 

Task Force Spartan

The 35th Infantry Division cased their colors and transferred command of the Task Force Spartan mission to the 28th Infantry Division during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait on Nov. 20, 2022.

“Maj. Gen. [William B.] Blaylock II and Command Sgt. Maj. [Steven] Stuenkel, your team performed magnificently during a difficult nine-month deployment,” Lt. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commanding general of U.S. Army Central, told the 35th’s leadership.

The Soldiers of the 35th ID were challenged during their tenure as lead for Task Force Spartan. The 35th emphasized supporting and continuing partner engagements and theater security cooperation initiatives as they supported the execution of multiple bilateral exercises spanning the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Supporting exercises and building partners was one of many tasks that the Soldiers of the 35th ID focused on, said Blaylock, commanding general of the 35th ID, during his speech.

“I want to thank all of those that worked with us,” said Blaylock. “We are better together. We bult relationships that made us truly more powerful than we were before. We demonstrated this by providing support to our subordinate units.”

It was with the help of Army Central, and the other commands, that Soldiers of the 35th ID and Task Force Spartan succeed, said Blaylock.
The transfer of authority ceremony is a military tradition that represents the handoff of responsibility from one command to another in order to maintain continuity on the battlefield. Every command in the U.S. Army is represented by a distinctive flag known as “colors”. The casing and uncasing of colors during the ceremony derives from military tradition that originated centuries ago so Soldiers on the battlefield could recognize and follow their unit’s colors into battle.

For the Task Force Spartan transfer of the authority, Blaylock and Stuenkel, command sergeant major for the 35th ID, cased their colors as a sign that they are relinquishing authority of the mission. Maj. Gen. Mark McCormack and Command Sgt. Maj. Randall Pritts, commanding general and command sergeant major, respectively, of the 28th Infantry Division, uncased their colors as they accepted authority and control of the mission.

For the 35th ID and 28th ID the ceremony was a scene similar to 2018 when the two divisions previously had a transfer of authority of the Task Force Spartan mission.

“As noted in our lineage, the 35th and 28th are forever linked with our shared history in World War I and World War II. But our most recent history in Operation Spartan Shield will always be our most notable commonality because of the shared teamwork, assistance, collaboration, and a shared desire to succeed that both organizations use as a cornerstone to cooperation,” said McCormack during his speech after the uncasing of the 28th ID’s colors.

With the transfer of authority to the 28th ID, McCormack noted that it is time for the Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers to go to work.

“The time has come to move from train to execution,” said McCormack. “Plans to action; intent into execution. And determination into accomplishment. It’s time to ‘roll on.’”

• Date Taken: 11.20.2022
• Date Posted: 11.21.2022 11:08
• Story ID: 433625
• Location: KW