FORT HOOD, Texas — On the morning of Jan. 25, the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade held a change of responsibility ceremony at the Phantom Warrior Center, bidding farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Tedd J. Pritchard and welcoming Sgt. Maj. Jesse Santos, who will be taking over acting as the brigade command sergeant major.
When Pritchard became the command sergeant major of 69th ADA, he found himself, along with only about a dozen other Soldiers, at Fort Hood. In addition to having a huge deficit of man-power, the brigade also had no equipment and no offices to work out of, Pritchard said.
The tiny brigade that arrived at Fort Hood in the summer of 2008 has grown to around 2,000 Soldiers.
"This is a bitter-sweet moment," said Pritchard. "I am proud to have been part of this great brigade," he added.
One of Pritchard's life-long goals is to become a commandant, and now he has been given the chance at the NCO Academy, said Col. James Jenkins, the commander of 69th ADA.
Pritchard is a great leader and a great mentor, and he shows this every day with his perseverance and his will to better any Soldier—no matter his or her rank. He is willing to give advice to anyone who comes to his door; especially those who strive to be leaders or noncommissioned officers, Jenkins added.
Pritchard faithfully and loyally led the brigade, and "we are better people and better Soldiers because of him," said Lt. Col. Ron Leininger, the chaplain of the 69th ADA Brigade.
A Soldier should always try to make his or her unit a better place to be, Pritchard said. He tried to accomplish this in 69th ADA by always working together as a team, he added.
Pritchard is happy to be able to say that "the brigade represents with pride, honor, and dignity on Fort Hood."
69th ADA's success wouldn't be possible without the Soldiers, the supporting Families, and, of course, a great leader.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2010 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 44569 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 360 |
| Downloads: | 204 |
This work, 69th ADA says farewell to great CSM, by SGT Maria Kappell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
