Lt. Col. Leroy B. Butler relinquished command of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division to Lt. Col. Richard H. “Hardy” Robinson III during a change of command ceremony on June 1, 2018 on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.
Butler has been in command of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division since 2016 and deployed with the battalion multiple times around the Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s been an honor and a humbling experience to serve in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in Japan,” said Butler, a native of Goose Creek, South Carolina. “Being forward-deployed in the Pacific has been a great opportunity.”
The ceremony consisted of the passing of the unit guidon to the new commanding officer. This symbolizes the change of command from the off-going commanding officer to the on-coming battalion commander.
Following the ceremonial exchange, Butler addressed his battalion one last time.
“I want the Marines to continue striving to be the best person they can possibly be, develop and become good small unit leaders and do the best they can,” he said. “That way they can become extremely efficient and capable of supporting the United States Pacific Command.”
Robinson, who was previously serving as the operations officer for the 1st Marine Corps Recruiting District, is looking forward to working with his new Marines.
“I have a great bunch of Marines, and they’re teaching me a lot of stuff already,” said Robinson, a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico. “I’m excited to be a part of the foundation Lt. Col. Butler has laid and to stand shoulder to shoulder with these Marines and move forward.”
Butler is going to the Advanced Strategic Leadership Seminar in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for a year and will then proceed to teach the advanced leadership program.
“I would like to thank the families, Marines, Sailors and all the personnel of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment,” said Butler. “It has been my honor to serve them during this assignment; I’m thankful for the opportunity and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”