Photo By Kelly Morris | Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, president and commanding general, Army University and...... read more read more
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The U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career College welcomed its new commandant, Col. Anthony E. Freude, and bid farewell to outgoing leader Col. Kevin E. McHugh, in a ceremony at Fort Rucker, Ala., July 28.
Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, president and commanding general, Army University and Carlisle Barracks, Pa., welcomed leaders and guests, and thanked families for their support.
“When the (unit) colors passed from Col. McHugh to Col. Freude, you watched the command of this college, all of its authority and every ounce of its responsibility, pass with them,” Bredenkamp said. “The Army changes commanders deliberately, subtly, and with total confidence in the next set of hands.”
“Kevin, you handed this command over stronger than you found it, and that’s really the whole test of command,” he said.
To the Freude family, he said, “This college and this community take care of their own. You don’t join the Warrant Officer Career College. It adopts you,” he said.
He noted the WOCC touches the entire Army.
“There’s not a formation, a flight line, a motor pool, a network, or a targeting cell in our Army that runs without the technical expertise that this college educates,” he said. “When something absolutely has to work, a commander looks for a warrant officer. The standard that this college sets becomes the standard the whole Army leans on. The motto is ‘Strength in Knowledge’. They mean it, and they deliver it each and every day,” noting that warrant officers have the unique ability to stay in one craft for their entire Army careers.
He charged Freude to lead well.
“Anthony, my charge to you is simple. Keep the standard. Keep the momentum. Take care of the people who make this place run. And ask me when I can help out,” he said.
He wished McHugh and his family well as he retires.
Freude enlisted in 1998 in the Ohio Army National Guard as a cavalry scout. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science from Kent State University in 2002 and was commissioned as an Aviation Officer through Kent State ROTC, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
His initial assignment was with 2-2 Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade in Seoul, Republic of Korea, where he served as a Flight and III/V Platoon Leader. He served as the Avionics Platoon Leader with Company B, 603d Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd CAB, deploying to Iraq. He then commanded Company D, 4-3 Assault Helicopter Battalion in 2008, and Company C, 4-3 AHB, with a deployment to Afghanistan.
He served as Incentive Pay Branch Chief at U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Ky.; commanded Company B, 209th ASB, 25th CAB, Hawaii; and Operations Officer (S3) for Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. He commanded Aviation Company, Task Force Sinai, Multinational Force and Observers in Egypt. He later contributed to the Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team, US Army Futures Command, at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., as the G-3 Plans/Requirements Officer and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Integration Lead. He served as the Commander for 122nd ASB, 82nd CAB, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., and served as the Platforms Branch Chief for Force Development–Aviation, Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 at the Pentagon, Washington D.C. Previously, he was the Assistant Program Manager and Aviation Program Manager for the Office of the Program Manager – Saudi Arabian National Guard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is a rated aviator in the UH-60A/L/M Black Hawk helicopter.
Freude holds master’s degrees for Applied Aviation Safety from Florida Institute of Technology and National Security Strategy from National Defense University’s National War College. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Aviation Captains Career Course, Aviation Officer Basic Course, UH-60M Maintenance Test Pilot Course, and Aviation Maintenance Managers Course.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with five Oak Leaf Clusters) and Air Medal.
Freude thanked Bredenkamp for the opportunity and attendees for being part of the change of command at the same venue where he graduated from flight school 22 years ago.
“It’s a great honor to be able to come back here now to give my experience, my knowledge, to help grow and enhance the student population as they continue their academic education,” he said.
He thanked the McHugh family for the “fantastic transition” they provided and wished them well in their retirement.
McHugh thanked leaders and family members, commended the WOCC workforce, and said he relinquishes command with gratitude, pride and confidence in the Freude team.
“I am proud to hand you the colors I have so dearly held close. It has been the privilege of my career to serve as commandant of the United States Army Warrant Officer Career College,” he said.
He asked God's blessing on our Soldiers, families, and the country.
The Warrant Officer Career College acts as executive agent for warrant officer education. All warrant officers begin their careers by attending the Warrant Officer Candidate School. The 1st Warrant Officer Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Company are organizational elements of the Warrant Officer Career College.
The 1st Warrant Officer Company trains Warrant Officer Candidates to assume the duties and responsibilities of warrant officers. Training is conducted in a rigorous, high-stress environment where candidates are challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally. Candidates receive formal instruction in leadership, Army doctrine and tactics, drill and ceremonies, wear and appearance of military uniforms, military history and professional ethics.
The Army warrant officer is a technical expert, combat leader, trainer, and advisor. Through assignment experience, training and education, the warrant officer administers, manages, maintains, operates and integrates Army systems and equipment across unified land operations.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2026 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 570995 |
| Location: | ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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