The ceremony was officiated by Maj. Gen. Flem B. “Donnie” Walker, commanding general of the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater).
“Although we bid farewell to a great command team, we are happy to welcome another great one to the ‘big show’; Brigadier General Sylvester Cannon and Command Sergeant Major Kevin Griffin, along with the soldiers of 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command,” Maj. Gen. Walker stated.
Maj. Gen. Walker continued, “As we transfer this OCP mission to the 135th ESC, from the great state of Alabama, I remain confident they will continue to provide world-class sustainment support across the CENTCOM area of operations. I know the 135th will work tirelessly to ensure the members of the coalition remain your top priority and are well taken care of.”
The 316th ESC colors were slowly cased, followed by the unfurling of the 135th ESC’s colors. This act signifies the transfer of authority from the 316th ESC to the 135th ESC.
Before heading home, soldiers of the 316th ESC assisted the soldiers of the 135th ESC in their preparation to take on the mission. This consisted of long hours of left seat-right seat training and oversight.
Brig. Gen. Sylvester Cannon thanked Brig. Gen. Harter for a seamless transition and assured Maj. Gen. Walker that the 135th ESC is up to the task of taking on the mission of the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater).
“I want to thank Brigadier General Bob Harter for leading a tremendous transition between the 316th and 135th. Bob, you and your team have set us up for success and we are prepared to sustain the victory,” said Brig. Gen. Cannon.
Brig. Gen. Cannon continues, “I want to thank the soldiers of the 135th ESC for all of the hard work you have done to get to this point. We have already come a long way together, but we have a lot more work to do. Now it is our turn to sustain the freedom.”
The 135th ESC is located in Birmingham, Alabama and consists of approximately 250 Soldiers. This is their third deployment to the CENTCOM AOR as a sustainment command. The ESC is known for their motto of “Sustaining Freedom”.