FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Col. T.J. Jamison, the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade commander, relinquished command to Col. Michael Musiol during a ceremony on Fort Bragg, Dec. 13.
Jamison has commanded the Pegasus Brigade since August 2010, and led the brigade through their most recent deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from September 2011 to September 2012.
“This brigade is outstanding. I am honored not just to have commanded these paratroopers but to have been a part of this unit,” Jamison said. “These soldiers flew more hours during this rotation than any other aviation brigade in this fight and I am proud of the job they have done.”
Throughout the year-long deployment, the 82nd CAB flew more than 170,000 hours, killed more than 1,000 insurgents, and completed more than 2,500 medevac missions. The brigade was one of the most technologically-advanced and robust aviation task forces ever fielded to the war in Afghanistan, boasting nearly 200 helicopters.
Musiol must now transform the brigade to support the U.S. global response force, reshaping a conventional unit to a rapidly-deployable aviation asset, capable of responding to a wide variety of humanitarian and combat missions around the world with little notice.
“It is an honor to be here and I am excited for the future of the brigade,” Musiol said.
“Readiness through solid training and preparation for combat operations and humanitarian responses are a must and I am confident our Troopers will exceed the standards as we move forward over the next few years,” said Musiol.
Musiol was commissioned into the Aviation Branch in 1990 upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Musiol was the Battalion Commander of 1st Battalion (Attack), 3rd Aviation Regiment from September 2008 through January 2011.
He deployed with Task Force Viper in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in eastern Afghanistan from November 2009 to November 2010. He is a recent graduate of the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.