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CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah — Lt. Col. Kal T. Larsen assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment during a ceremony at Tarbet Field Aug. 22, succeeding Lt. Col. Shane N. Christiansen. Lt. Col. Jeremy C. Williams, commander of the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, officiated the change of command. The ceremony included the traditional passing of the battalion colors from Christiansen to Williams and then to Larsen, who received his first salute as commander. Immediately following the change of command, Sgt. Maj. Shalee L. Peck assumed responsibility as the battalion's command sergeant major. Peck accepted the battalion colors from Larsen, symbolizing his assumption of responsibility as the unit's senior enlisted leader. It is his first assignment as a battalion command sergeant major. "What makes this battalion different is the people and their ability to do things differently — not taking the easy way, but the best way," Christiansen said. Under Christiansen, the battalion traveled to southern Morocco to train alongside Moroccan artillery forces building on Utah's State Partnership Program with the Kingdom of Morocco. Christiansen will continue serving the Utah National Guard as its director of resource management. "I'm glad to be back with the battalion where I've spent most of my career," Larsen said. "I'm ready to take on the challenges ahead and grateful for the trust leadership has placed in me with this opportunity." Larsen returns to the 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment from the 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, where he deployed to the Horn of Africa. As the new commander, he will prepare the battalion for an upcoming deployment and a rotation at the National Training Center. Peck previously served as the battalion's operations sergeant major and has spent much of his career with the 1-145th. "This battalion has been my home for a long time, this is my family. We have some difficult missions coming up and my job is to make sure every soldier in it is ready for whatever comes next," Peck said. Headquartered in Spanish Fork, the 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment, known as "Big Red," falls under the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, "America's Thunder." The battalion traces its lineage to Utah field artillery units raised in 1854 and today fields the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2026 15:27 |
| Story ID: | 574123 |
| Location: | UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment Change of Command and Assumption of Responsibility, by Keith Garner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
