FORT RILEY, Kan. – With the passing of the colors, Lt. Col. Donovan D. Ollar, the commander of the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, assumed command from Lt. Col. Eric T. Moore during a Change of Command ceremony at King Field House Oct. 26.
Moore took command of the ‘Wolverine’ battalion in July of 2008 and deployed with the unit to the Salah ad-Din province, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2009 to June 2010. Upon passing command to Ollar, Moore will move on to Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
“If I could summarize how I feel right now, I would say that I felt like a quarterback walking off the football field, looking at back at his championship team,” said Moore during the ceremony. “I commanded an outstanding battalion with outstanding Soldiers. I took them to combat, and I brought everyone home safely … and after that, what else can I ask for?”
As the new commander of the Wolverine battalion, Ollar says he looks forward to leading the battalion and being a part of the Dragon brigade.
“Sue and I are honored and humbled to now join the Wolverine battalion and the ‘Dragon’ brigade,” said Ollar. “Eric and Alicia thank you for your warm reception … Sue and I have a lot of work to do to fill your shoes, but I pledge to the soldiers and their families that I’ll do my best to serve them.”