ST. PAUL, Minn. - After over two years in command of the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, Col. Gregory A. Thingvold handed the guidon and responsibility to Col. Shawn P. Manke during a change of command ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility in St. Paul, Minnesota, Aug. 22, 2015.
“It’s very humbling today to be at this point,” Thingvold said during his speech at the ceremony. The 34th CAB is going to be left in great hands.
Thingvold retired after 32 years of service July 15. He will miss the camaraderie, he said. It is great knowing you’re a part of something bigger than yourself.
He served as the 34th CAB commander since 2013 and recently returned from a deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Kuwait and Operation Inherent Resolve. He deployed to Iraq as the 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion commander in 2007-08.
It is rare to deploy once, let alone twice, as a commander, Thingvold said. The troops he led set the standard and make the complex look easy.
Manke was the State Army Aviation Officer prior to becoming the 34th CAB commander. He has been in aviation since he commissioned to second lieutenant in 1991. He previously deployed with Thingvold as the 2-147th AHB executive officer to Iraq in 2007-2008.
“I’m extremely humbled and grateful to have this opportunity to lead this outstanding organization,” Manke said. “I am committed and I am all in.”