 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Brigadier General Daniel Dent, the Washington Army National Guard commanding general Welcome to the 96th troop command change of command ceremony between Colonel Jack Michalo and Colonel Kristen Durda This ceremony will include cannon fire with the potential to be felt and heard We are honored to have a number of distinguished guests in attendance Brigadier General Brennan, Command Sergeant Major Ecclestone, Command Sergeant Major Honeycutt, Chief Warrant 5 Gordon, Brigadier General Welch, Brigadier General Dutcher, Brigadier General Smith, and all other distinguished guests. Thank you for attending today's ceremony Present on the floor today are units from the 96th troop command from left to right. They are the 303rd Cavalry Regiment 741st Ordnance Battalion the 133rd Washington Army National Guard band a color guard comprised of soldiers from 133rd Headquarters and headquarters detachment 96 troop command the 144th digital liaison detachment and the 420th chemical battalion The commander of troops for today's ceremony is Lieutenant Colonel Eric C Operations officer for the 96th troop command the command bugler is first sergeant Richard little The adjutant for today's ceremony is Chief Warrant 3 Mikey Brown Sound attention Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the invocation Today's official party is Brigadier General Dent, Colonel Michalo and Colonel Durda Today's invocation will be given by Chaplain Forchee the 96th troop command Good afternoon. Pray in your tradition as I pray in mine Creator of the universe We recognize your thank you for giving us life and this great nation, which we continue to preserve and protect We lift up to you Colonel Michalo We thank you for his leadership and ask that you would bless his continued service and his family especially a certain child with their schoolwork as Colonel Durda assumes command Lord We ask for her that you would provide all that she needs to lead well with wisdom and courage boldness and humility Help her to understand this multi-tool of a Some disaster strike our state help her to provide leadership to bring calm and stability as we did with the pandemic Bless her love of Jesus be with you all Amen Please be seated At this time on behalf of the soldiers and families of the 96th troop command flowers will be presented to Colonel Michalo's wife Mrs. Tonya Michalo and mother Ruth Michalo by Sergeant first-class Lagrande Staff Sergeant Wigley will present gifts to his niece Kathleen Klein The red roses presented represent the color of the heart it is an appropriate consideration With the loving concern that she has shown for our soldiers and their families for more than a year Tonya, you will always have a special place in our hearts Her roses are in full bloom symbolizing the beauty and the fulfillment of her time here with us a Gift is being presented to the new FRG lead lieutenant colonel Christian Durda by Sergeant first-class Lagrande To welcome him back to the unit The gift symbolizes the relationship between the families and the soldiers Sergeant first-class Lagrande will also present flowers to Colonel Durda's mother Linda Benjamin Staff Sergeant Wigley will present gifts to Dominic Amelia and Max the million Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the singing of our national anthem by Sergeant Shear. Oh Say can you see what's so prayer whose broad stripes and bright star? Please be seated dating back to the medieval times Soldiers often carried stabs or standards into battle that unified them as a unit throughout military Unit colors have marked our position of the commander on the battlefield and served as a Rallying point while attacking or rallying on the battlefield Attacking or the sound at the forward edge of the battle the and loyalty of its soldiers the colors are is there also are the colors They're also commands are your major is the keeper and concerns of the soldiers The passing of the colors from command sergeant major Salon to Colonel Michala Signifies his last act of allegiance Act of allegiance to that commander The passing of the colors from Colonel Michala to Brigadier General Dent Signifies that the unit is never without officer leadership The passing of the colors from the senior commander Brigadier General Dent to the incoming commander Colonel Durda Signifies the passing of his trust and the responsibility for the unit and its soldiers Assumption of command by authority of AR 600-20 paragraph 2-5 Delta the undersigned assumes command of 96 troop command Whiskey 79er Alpha Fox To joint base Lewis McCord Washington effective 06 May 2023 signed Kristen L. Durda Colonel LG Washington Army National Guard commanding The passing of the colors from Colonel Durda to command sergeant major Sanlin Signifies the confidence that the commander places in the non-commissioned officer corps and is the command sergeant major's first act of allegiance to his new commander Please stand as Brigadier General Dent will now present an award to Colonel Michala for his credible service to the soldiers and families of the 96 troop command Attention to orders Department of the Army has awarded the Legion of Merit to Colonel Jack M. Michala for exceptionally Meritorious service while serving as the commander for the 96 troop command from 8 January 2022 through 5 May 2023 Colonel Jack M. Michala's leadership was critical to the success of the organization with positive impacts throughout the region and world He selflessly shared his professional expertise and strategic vision as an inspiration to all with whom he served Colonel M. Michala's contributions and exemplary performance are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit Upon himself the Washington Army National Guard and the United States Army Signed John A. Jensen Lieutenant General USA director Army National Guard Please be seated First Lieutenant Matsuzawa will now present a ceremonial shell casing to Colonel Michala Command Sergeant Major Sanlin will now present a gift from the soldiers of the 96th troop command to Colonel Michala All right before I do that I have to give Gift to commander from myself Last year seems like you've been here for about a year, sir. So on your new job as a chief of staff I want to give you a journal keep track of all the Good things you do and maybe some of that Pages there might be a note from me saying I miss you Soldiers and visitors Shawl and I made a trip last year down to you Matilla, Oregon and Rogue River Well But the one that stuck out was the organ trip Because from here to you Matilla was what four hours five hours from you Matilla Rogue River was six and a half hours and then from Rogue River back up here was another five and a half hours and in that time We think these billbearer seeds 20 bags I tried to keep up and I couldn't taste for about a month From the soldiers the 96th troop command I Ladies and gentlemen the commanding general Brigadier General Dent. All right. Well. Good afternoon everybody General Green General Welsh General Dutcher General Smith Chief Lawson I Got a pause right there to have three general officers from the international garden and their chief Present in an army MSE change of command ceremony is pretty cool And it speaks to the reach and the jointness of the 96th troop command Thanks for being here Command Chief Gordon Guardian 7 Rainier 7 fellow commanders distinguished guests and alumni Soldiers friends and family Thank you for being here to witness a great army tradition the changing of command between two great Army officers It's my honor To spend the last day of Jack Michalo's command in the presence of these great soldiers Of course first I want to provide a special thanks to the Michalo family For the support that you've given Jack during what's always a tough and challenging time in command The recognition that you're going to see in here today would have never been possible Without your sacrifice and support we all owe you a great round of applause I'm proud to be here with the 96th troop command a Unit with a long-standing tradition of great leaders that have infused all those principles into this outfit They still live by him today Units with the heart of Command Sergeant Major West the vision and drive of a Greg Allen And the work ethic of a Dan Hagelman The 96th troop command our most diverse major subordinate command with strategic and influential reach as Evidence by its leadership in the homeland response force mission One of only a few in this nation a joint mission with consequence That makes them stand ready every day for a tough event in the homeland. I sleep better every night Knowing that this outfit is leading that mission Of course the foundation is right here on this drill for these units the 420th chemical battalion Serving with distinction throughout this state every day The road warriors of the 1041st the foundation of the 792nd The community connection made by their engineers and of course the combat tested 506 who finds themselves preparing once again for deployment the 144th Connects armies every day The EOD Proving in combat into the homeland Horace to serve with selfless service and a uniquely talented expertise And of course there's a casquat an Organization that has fought through a gauntlet of a five-year training period the rivals any maneuver unit we've had in the state They're on the doorstep of xctc JRTC next year and then again another deployment this organization understands the big six They promote strength and they win the value proposition every day It's because these soldiers in these units they believe You see they genuinely believe that they are part of something bigger than themselves That the character climate and behaviors of this outfit in this profession means something and they value it They value it in large part because of the leadership That they get from Colonel Jack Michelle commands our major Sandlin To all the soldiers here. I thank you for the unwavering support that you provided to Excelsior six and seven Jack I thank you For the guiding hand that you placed over this formation while you've been in command You see Jackson old soldier in all the right ways He understands soldier first tough as nails Lives leads and serves in accordance with the army values steadfast in maintaining standards a Discipline that you probably learned from his old red leg days with general granted Jack I'm a better leader I'm a better human For the time that we've spent in command together You have served and led well my friend and on behalf the adjunct general the serge major and I were proud of you And we thank you for what you've done here and we're all very excited to see what Colonel Michelle is going to do as the next Washington Army National Guard chief of staff Now we can draw inspiration on a day a tough day like this Knowing that an officer like Kristen Durda is taking the reins We welcome Kristen team Durda back to command exactly where she belongs an officer that's proven Decorated both in combat and garrison. She's masterfully led the J3 enterprise during a tough time improving its reach jointness credibility relevance More importantly, we know that Kristen is an officer It's a soldier-centric commander, and there's no doubt Kristen that you're gonna do what you always do You're gonna improve the fox and you're gonna increase the strength and power of the Excelsior team Not all the soldiers here today The serge major and I thank you We thank you for making the decision Away from all the other things you could be doing with your life to stand together with our guard right now in this formation We thank you for your sacrifice. We need you now more than ever The sergeant serge major and I are proud of all of you. I want you to keep me in soldier first Solder first Ladies and gentlemen the outgoing commander Colonel Michalo General officers command sergeant major senior leaders soldiers family friends and alumni See a couple former 96 troop command commanders over there Colonel McMahon Colonel Allen, and I think Colonel McChefrey too. I might not know. Okay. Well In today you were okay, so thank you for being here One of the toughest things to do in this organization is to follow General Dent when he speaks because that is like his superpower. It is not my superpower My wife will tell you I have no superpowers, sir. Thank you for that support and your kind words Much appreciated today as I relinquish command of troop command and the 10th homeland response force I am very thankful. Okay, thankful for the opportunity to command such a diverse Brigade and thankful for everyone that helped us be successful for the last 16 months Need to say thanks to my family I would not be serving or have made it this far without the love and support of my family my wife Tanya my kids Brittany Ethan and Max my mom Ruth and My niece Kathleen who's actually doing a internship for Medcom right now. So it's a family family business for us, but They're the best Thanks for your love and support the sacrifices that you make so that I can still serve. I love you all I need to say a thanks to Major General Dockery Brigadier General Dent Brigadier General Brennan For putting your faith and confidence in me and providing me the opportunity to command the troop command and the hearth This has truly been one of the highlights of my career, and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity Need to thank my command teams for taking care of our soldiers and balancing the dual federal and domestic mission The troop command and hearth perform You did a tremendous job, and I am forever grateful for your efforts To the audience I would direct you to the troop command social media sites There's no way I could do justice to everything. They've done over the last 16 months any accolades I could try to articulate It's just this is not going to hit the mark of all the great things they do on a daily basis I need it. I need to thank the agr and her full-time staff. I can't thank you all enough for your hard work and dedication Any success we had is largely due to your daily efforts to plan and resource training exercises and engagements for the troop command and the hearth. I Need to thank my two XO's Lieutenant colonels DERDA and muhitch. Thanks for keeping me organized and on task Which I know is a difficult job. Okay. I have ADD Thank you Keeping me organized and on task and the joint staff working together as a team to get the job done I need to thank our air guard partners Colonel's Riley and McGovern Lieutenant's Colonel colonels Wensel and pants and the rest of the air guard team I thoroughly enjoyed working with you all on the hearth mission I appreciate and applaud your efforts to sustain the highly skilled airman task with her responsibilities Need to thank our regional partners Oregon, Alaska and Idaho and the hearth LNOs in those states Colonel Brewster and his team In the dce at femur region 10 Thanks for welcoming the hearth as we re-engage regionally after covet had us all internally focused It was an honor to meet with you and collaborate on regional issues plan and conduct joint exercises develop relationships and enhance prepared and preparedness efforts in femur region 10 I need to thank my fellow msc commanders and the joint force headquarters staff We wouldn't have been successful at troop command in the hearth without your cooperation support and understanding I need to thank my battle buddy It's our major sandlin the staunch advocate for the brigade our mission and the soldiers and airmen In the troop command and the hearth I probably learned where I don't know where he's at. Where's he at? I probably learned more from you than you learned from me except You know now you can eat dill pickle sunflower seeds and it doesn't chew up the inside of your mouth Okay Thanks again for your friendship And mostly wise counsel Most of all I want to thank the soldiers of troop command for busting their butts every day to execute training and achieve mission success Which is why you don't see them behind the the guidance here because they're out doing what they should be doing, which is training It has been an honor to serve with all of you And thanks to the ceremony planners chief crews Sergeant jackson and the rest of the team that coordinated this event today. You all did a fantastic job Thank you serge steele for being the mc And I always got to say thanks to the band you always add a touch of class to all the ceremonies And thank you for representing troop command in the washington army national guard through your many performances And thanks to serge shear It's the second time today. I heard you sing the national anthem and it's beautiful every time And I have to say thanks to the red light red leg mafia for the cannon salute. That was unexpected and much appreciated Action front special thanks to whoever in the troop command staff Approved it since it put sar major sandlin in a high hovery yesterday. He was pretty mad And his face was redder than his his mustache Colonel dirta congratulations on command not the first time we passed colors around I do believe we did it once or twice in ocs I'm excited to see how where you take the troop command in the hearth in the coming years You're inheriting a tremendous team and I know you will they will support you as well as they supported me Together you will do a remarkable job In closing. Thank you all again for your support over the last 18 months troop command in the hearth could not have succeeded without you Always ready excelsior Ladies and gentlemen, colonel dirta commander of the 96 troop command Thank you general grinnon general welsh general dutcher general smith Chief gordon sergeant major ecclestone sergeant major henne cut And command chief as well as past 96 troop command commanders past hearth commanders. I know one's on Virtually attending my emergency management teammates joint staff Distinguished guests friends and family for taking time to attend today's ceremony It's important to me that I also formally thank My large contingent that I brought today and that's my family I would like to welcome my sister carolin her husband mike and her granddaughter luna my mom and walt My dad and pam and my husband of course and the kiddos As well as my mother and father-in-law who were attending virtually along with my brothers in law and sisters in law and my godparents Thank you for taking the time to attend today's ceremony It means a lot to me as I entered into brigade command because I couldn't have got here without all of your love and support And helping take care of our family I also want to thank the army band the color guard the emcee our commander of troops And all of the staff that put together today's great ceremony As well as chief crews and her team for helping put the refreshments together for me Thank you general dent and general grinnon For your confidence in me and for selecting me for this command I'm truly honored humbled and excited to be your next 96 troop command commander As well as assume the 10th homeland response force mission For those that may not know I started my enlisted and officer career here in the 96 troop command nearly 28 years ago It looked vastly different from the organization that it is today and it's been a couple of decades since I was last here The thing in in support of federal and state missions 96 troop command has some important lineage as the first brigade to send troops To iraq in support of oaf one as well as provide a joint task force for the largest state response Throughout the pandemic the small but mighty headquarters and diverse battalions and units with distinctly different missions is what makes troop command Such a great brigade tag counts the 96 troop command for the homeland response force And to be the joint task force for state missions It is an honor and a privilege to lead such a distinguished organization with such critical missions Carl Michalo, thank you for handing over such a great brigade I received the trist freeze from the units and I was delighted to hear the direction that they were heading supporting the national defense strategy As well as multi-domain operations You've made a significant impact in the short time that you have been in command and the brigade is better for it Your legacy is the seedstone that I get to harvest I have big shoes to fill but I intend to build on the foundation that you've left behind I also want to say congratulations on your next assignment as the washington army national guard chief of staff Not many get the privilege to serve in such an esteemed position within this organization. So congratulations Tanya and ruth Thank you for sharing your husband and son with this great organization I have no doubt that he put in some late nights and traveled often Without your sacrifice, I would not be as fortunate as I am to come in such a fine brigade Thank you for your loving support during his command To the members of 96 troop command. I am so thrilled to be home again I have a lot to learn from you and I'm excited to continue the integration of the tent homeland response force We have a lot to look forward to as we prepare for 303rds exit exit c and ctc rotation 506 then peace deployment 1041st msf mission and the herf seat inspection just to name a few things I feel fortunate to have some of the strongest staff And commanders in the state who make these tasks look effortless 96 troop command you are the keystone of the washington army national guard and I am proud to be your commander Last but most important, I want to thank my husband christian and children Dominic, emilia and maxemillion For showing for allowing me to put the guard first At times everyone always assumes that because christian serves We understand the demands of command Which makes it easier, but I'm here to dispel that myth Managing two military careers just means the burden is more challenging and often it falls to our children and parents Dominic emilia and max, I know it's not always easy, but thank you for pulling together as team dirta And supporting each other During our absences Christian, thank you for all that you do to support the children and me I'm so grateful for the sacrifices you make and the grace you provide me I could not assume command without team dirta's generous love support and understanding You guys are my world And I love you very much 96 troop command I look forward to serving with each and every one of you and continuing this great work of this very distinguished brigade Excelsior always ready soldier first Please stand for the playing of the army song Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our ceremony. Thank you all for your attendance