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MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The Combat Center will host its change of command ceremony Jan. 11, here, on Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field at 2 p.m.
Brig. Gen. George W. Smith, Jr., will relinquish command to Maj. Gen. David H. Berger, after serving as the Commanding General since July of 2011.
During his time as the Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Smith oversaw pivotal changes and modernizations in both the training and installation missions and capabilities of the Combat Center. The Combat Center received the Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award in 2012, making it the first installation in the Marine Corps to receive that distinction three years in a row. His leadership was integral in extensive construction and modernization efforts aboard the installation, including the construction and renovation of five barracks buildings, construction of a new family housing neighborhood and the renovation of recreational and family centers that support Combat Center families and staff.
During the installation's 60th year of service to the Marine Corps, Brig. Gen. Smith guided the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command through a transition from the Enhanced Mojave Viper pre-deployment training exercise to a new program focused on 21st century combined-arms warfare. This shift in training will ensure the Marine Corps meets operational demands as we transition from combat operations in Afghanistan to a state of readiness as the nation's expeditionary crisis response force. Brig. Gen. Smith will next serve as Deputy Commander, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) for Security Force Assistance and will deploy to Afghanistan in late January.
Brig. Gen. Smith will turn over responsibility for the 28,000 person installation to Maj. Gen. Berger, who last served as the Commanding General of 1st Marine Division (Forward) in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Berger was responsible for the day-to-day ground combat operations across Afghanistan's Helmand Province. During his time as MAGTFTC, MCAGCC Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Berger will lead the command into a period of continued infrastructure growth, through an ongoing initiative to acquire additional lands to support 21st Century live-fire training requirements and a DoD-led effort to leverage renewable energy while continuing to serve as responsible stewards of the environment. As the Marine Corps transitions to a new chapter in our support to national security challenges, the Combat Center will remain front and center in ensuring the Marine Corps remains our nation's expeditionary force-in-readiness.
Media requesting to attend the ceremony are asked to RSVP no later than noon on Jan. 10. To RSVP, email Capt. Nick Mannweiler at nicholas.mannweiler@usmc.mil, or call the Public Affairs Office at 760-830-6213. Coordinating instructions will be provided at that time. Photos, video and information from the event will be available on the command's social media pages or by request.
| Date Taken: | 12.27.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2012 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 99759 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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