 Good afternoon and welcome to the promotion ceremony in honor of Colonel Shannon Michael Lucas the deputy provost Marshall of the office of the provost Marshall general This ceremony marks the promotion of Colonel Lucas to the rank of Brigadier General The official party for today's ceremony consists of the presiding officer Lieutenant General Ron Clark the senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense and our guest of honor Colonel Shannon Michael Lucas Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the entrance of the official party Remain standing for the playing of the national anthem and the invocation given by Colonel Stephen Bartley Chief of operations and plans division office of the provost Marshall general Please bow your head or follow your own faith tradition Giver of life and Almighty Lord today We come to you with great deep gratitude in our hearts for all the gifts and opportunities to serve provided by you each day Help us always to receive these gifts with open eyes and faithful hearts to follow your will We gather to honor and celebrate Colonel Shannon Lucas as he has promoted to the rank of Brigadier General Let us each remind ourselves today lest we forget that God brought each of us to our places of blessing and prosperity Please sustain Colonel Lucas with an upright heart to shepherd and a skillful hand to guide So that by his actions and with teaching heart your truth and peace may be known We are each entrusted with a task of peacemaking in our homes in our workplaces in our nation in and our world Our Lord we thank you for inspiring us nourishing us and uniting us as a community of peacemakers Continue to grant Colonel Lucas the wisdom that comes through faith and purpose of action and Help us to be your people of peace in all nations of the world. Amen Please be seated Today we are delighted to have several distinguished leaders and special guests in our audience Lieutenant General and Mrs. Ron Clark Major General and Mrs. Dwayne Miller Command Sergeant Major and Mrs. Sean Klosterman Mr. Glenn Kruse Mr. Peter Baber and friends and family of Colonel Lucas that traveled to be here today We also have several guests joining us online from around the world. Thank you all for joining us this afternoon Ladies and gentlemen our host Lieutenant General Ron Clark No, you're far too kind first just want to say thanks what a great opportunity to Recognize not just a tremendous soldier, but an amazing family as we promote Shannon Michael Lucas to the grade of Brigadier General I've known Shannon a long time. We'll talk about that in a minute But first I want to provide another welcome to his family. Thank you all for being here. You honor us with your presence We know how steep the climb is and how rocky the road is so again. Thank you so much Thank you to the team that put this ceremony together because none of these Ceremonies happen on their own so let's give a round of applause for everybody Today we're going to celebrate Shannon Lucas those the people didn't clap or the people who owe you money, I'm sure Tremendous leader of character His family is a family of service If you're not tracking his son Tristan Michael aka snuts Is about to take his own oath To join our formation as a soldier in the United States Army so snuts It said that our success is the recognition of the sacrifice of our families and those around us who care and I would offer that the success that You're going to hear over and over again during this ceremony and that many of you have participated in Along the 28-year journey that Shannon Lucas has spent in uniform know exactly what that is So I thought I'd depart from the pleasantries for a bit to Tell a few stories. Do we have time for a story? You know, I actually asked that question once and somebody said no So time for a story. I'll tell the story of how I met Shannon Lucas At the time I was the chief of staff of US Army Pacific and I was transitioning into the position of commanding general of the 25th infantry division Tropic lightning in US Army, Hawaii, which I would offer the Finest fighting force in the Pacific bar none hands down Tropic lighting so I'm transitioning into the job with my good friend general Chris Cavoli and I noticed that this is the second day of our transition activities but the level of Excitement and tension in the headquarters is a little bit higher than it was the day before People are moving a little faster. There's a little bit more pep in everybody's step There's a little bit of stress in the air and you can kind of feel it if you've been around this business for a while So I'm going to tell a bit of a war story Which is great because there's so many uniformed personnel and so many of our soldiers for life in the room You know that nothing messes up a good war story like a witness So there's at least one witness to this war story that can correct the tale of if it's told wrong But it's at least based in truth. So Shannon Lucas is the provost marshal It's go feel barracks and that morning Shannon coordinated a Raid on the house of an individual on Schofield barracks who was a military dependent That was trying to do a couple of things that are exceptionally illegal. He was trying to corner the market on the drug trade Human trafficking and prostitution in the state of Hawaii All by himself now this individual had been a death row inmate in New Jersey But was released on a technicality and was trying to set up this crime syndicate Right under our noses at Schofield barracks, but Shannon Lucas here in the front row Organized an interagency task force that included the FBI CID the Honolulu police department the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and firearms the Department of Homeland Security are All rushing the gates at Schofield barracks to arrest this individual in a sting operation that had gone on for about five months And that's when I met Shannon Lucas I'm thinking as I'm hearing the story about man this thing went down this morning. They got this guy It's all on Facebook live and the guy responsible is our provost marshal Shannon Lucas I'm thinking that dude is Hawaii 5-0 So I expect Steve McGarrett to come walking in the door and walk Shannon Lucas Like man his eyes are really blue So that's my story and I'm sticking to it That's kind of how it started. So I inherited The last six months of Shannon's time as the provost marshal At Schofield we got to spin together when I was a commanding general fast forward to a couple of years ago when Shannon and I served together at US Army Central where Shannon was my executive officer. So we traveled together We conducted investigations together. In fact, we investigated the defense of Hamid Karzai International Airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan me Shannon and Tim chess three people Conducted the investigation by ourselves and then we assisted the the team we had responsibility for the the pretty arduous task of The loss of the 13 service members at abbey gate we conducted that Investigation as well. So a lot of time traveled a lot of time together I'd offer I spent more time during that year with Shannon than I did with some owner or he did with Edith But again fantastic Unbelievable leader of character that I had the privilege to serve with very closely, but that brings up another problem Because when you spend that much time with somebody they know a lot of dirt on you Which is why it's good be three-star general because we're gonna have that problem today Plus I get to talk first. So they're no rebuttals. Just so you track. All right But the real problem there is it there is because she and I spent so much time together He's been present for at least a dozen promotion ceremonies that I've participated in and I'd offer there at least two people This room that I've promoted maybe three Personally so you can't like use the same stories or you know roll out the same, you know old jokes or whatever So this is new material just so you try So I decided to do something today that Shannon will be very familiar with It's something I will call killer statistics Where there are a number of interesting data points that are associated with our service So the killer stats today are in honor of Shannon Lucas What you may not know is that Shannon Lucas was commissioned into the United States Army as an MP in 1995 that year 4576 second lieutenants were commissioned into the Army from that group of 4576 second lieutenants Only 36 were promoted to general officer Now I'm not a VMI grad so I try not to do math in public but that's 0.007 6% Chance That the second lieutenant standard information the first day in Bullock is going to make it to the seat that you're in right now So that's pretty good eyes Shannon Lucas is one of two of his brother rats from VMI That are general officers the others Larry Burris. So two out of that 4576 We're sworn in that day With Shannon. So again one of two not bad Shannon also is what I would like to describe as He's struck by lightning while riding a unicorn that is also a pegasus Because the chances of Shannon sitting here and being promoted today is He is one of 2% of His cohort of colonels that was considered for promotion. So for his promotion board the board considered a little over 1,700 eligible colonels and Of that group of eligible colonels Shannon along with 34 other officers were selected for Brigadier General 2% So if you think about it Think about the best 100 colonels you've ever served with and pick one and Yourself That's who gets in it's a pretty tight club So again well done Pegasus unicorn struck by lightning well done Shannon Lucas So again that the odds are not not in your favor on this one Let's talk a little bit about the promotion of Brigadier General and and what a one-star Promotion really is It's a pretty small piece of rain When you're wearing it on OCP's at a distance it looks like you're a really old specialist Trust me. It's like what the hell did he do? He did a lot So I'll talk about This star and the journey of the star. I'm holding my hand and the other two that we're gonna use to pin on Shannon for this ceremony this star Has met with royalty and heads of state It's met with POTUS at the Pentagon or POTUS at the White House and It's been personally present for multiple Congressional testimonies on the hill both in the house and the Senate this star has Physically visited every Geographical combatant command North com South com you com Indo pay com and african So this star has traveled To the Indo-Pacific and sat knee-to-knee eyeball-to-eye ball with our competitors from the People's Republic of China It has been in Ukraine. It was in Israel six days after the Hamas attack against the Israeli people It's been the Sub-Saharan Africa Freedom Frontier in Korea. It's been the Indonesia Australia and Papa New Guinea, which is hard to get to This star was with me when we comforted families of our fallen It was with me during celebrations for birthdays and promotions It's even been to Shannon Ireland Just for a fuel stop it's been a night in the governor's mansion of the state of Louisiana and It was physically present on the field during the last two Army Navy games and wins for army So I can't let you have this Now we'll give it to you. I got like six of them the Quote that my mentor used during my promotion of one star that I think is very appropriate for this set this setting is from William Shakespeare It's not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves It's not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves So it's not about the rank. It's about the person It's about your ability to be able to lead others through change It's about your ability to be an exemplar a person that others can look to for inspiration For wisdom and judgment for trust Shannon you possess all those qualities and then some I would offer that as we go forward and Think about what this means Understand that the purpose of wearing stars is to help others And to do good use them for good and then pass them on Because this little dude needs another couple of trips and more TDY and a couple more journeys We're so proud of you. It's great to have your mom here. I Know your dad John is smiling on this ceremony right now Because you understand as we all do that our lives are the receipts of the journeys of our forebears So where we are today? Somebody's already done the hard work the heavy lifted and paid the price and we're standing on their shoulders And I know you feel that way Not just about your family, but about all those you've served with So Think it's time to get on with this What do you think? Let's do it. All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's get on with this motion. Thank you At this time Colonel Lucas and his family will join Lieutenant General Clark for his promotion to Brigadier General As the promotion orders are published Dr. Teresa Duncan command sergeant major retired Who served as Colonel Lucas's battle buddy and brigade command sergeant major were removed his Colonel rank military police branch and unit insignia Then the rank of Brigadier General will be pinned on his army green service uniform jacket by his wife Edith and His daughter Kaylee his garrison cover will be pinned by his son Tristan Michael Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated for the publishing of the orders and the subsequent presentation of the general officer flag belt and pistol Attention to orders The president of the United States has reposed special trust and confidence in the patriotism Valor fidelity and abilities of Shannon Michael Lucas in view of these qualities and his Demonstrated potential for increased responsibility He is therefore Authorized and directed to wear the uniform and one-star insignia of Brigadier General by the authority of the Secretary of Defense The origin of the general officer flag dates to 1887 when officers of the Corps of Engineers were authorized flags on their ships Flags for all general officers were first authorized in August 1903 The style of general officer flag that is being uncased today was adopted in 1947 At this time Dr. Eugene Jackson first sergeant retired Brigadier General Lucas's company first sergeant and representing the non-commissioned officer Corps will now present the general officer flag Brigadier General Lucas would also like to invite Navy Chief Warren officer for retired Frank DeFranco to join them up front for the presentation of the flag The general officer belt was authorized by the Army Chief of Staff in 1943 the buckle design was inspired by the pre-World War one belt worn by all officers in 1957 when the Army changed the color of its belts to black the color of the general officer belt was also changed at this time Sergeant first-class Alicia Lakata Brigadier General Lucas's previous Brigade Brigade driver and the 2020 US Army career counselor of the year currently serving as the first brigade curse first cavalry division senior career counselor represents all soldiers in the Army and she now presented the general officer belt to Brigadier General Lucas under the provisions of title 10 US code Active duty general officers are issued a model m. 17 9 millimeter general officers pistol on a loan basis The loan of the pistol is valid until retirement from active duty at which time the general officer can either purchase or return it At this time Chief Warren officer 5 retired Joel Fitz who finalized his distinguished career as the US Army CIDs command Chief Warren officer and representing all Warren officers and Department of the Army civilians will now present the general officer pistol to Brigadier General Lucas Ladies and gentlemen commiserate with the increased Responsibility associated with promotion in the United States Army It is customary that the recently promoted officer renew their commitment to serve and defend our great nation At this time Lieutenant General Clark will administer the oath of office to Brigadier General Lucas Why we take it and what we take it for we all of us in uniform take an oath To serve the American people which is where we receive our authority by law through the Constitution in the United States The Constitution is a living document and it protects the rights and freedoms of every American So for us to swear That we will support and defend that document It's really an opportunity to reaffirm our pledge as Americans To ensure the government of the people by the people and for the people shall never perish from this or and with that Colonel Lucas if I could ask you to put your left hand on the American flag and raise your right hand and repeat after me I I full name Shannon Michael Lucas having been appointed having been appointed in the Army of the United States in the Army of United States to the grade of Brigadier General to the grade of Brigadier General do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support and defend That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States against all enemies Against all enemies both foreign and domestic both foreign and domestic I will bear true faith now will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same that I take this Obligation freely that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion Or purpose of evasion I will well and faithfully and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties discharge the duties of the office Of the office upon which I'm about to enter upon which I'm about to enter. So help me God. So help me God Congratulations Whoa, okay. I want to say I need some water Okay, I'm going off script real quick because I noticed something at the podium and And So one quick war story before I get begin my formal remarks if I can please feel indulge me So there I was 1995 as a platoon leader at Fort Riley, Kansas I just arrived and was informed within two weeks I was going to be going out in the field and do a two-week exercise And we're going to do some non-standard MP missions and I was called into my battalion commander's office I said hey Lucas is in this isn't VMI. So don't go screw this up, right? So then I decided, you know, we went out. We got ready and Again, I was about two weeks in the platoon Platoon sergeant, you know has everything squared away. He's got all of our Humvees lined up We get ready. He's like platoons ready trucks ready. Let's move out. I said, okay, and I came out And I got in my Humvee And in the front seat were two Kansas yellow telephone books taped together in the front seat of my Humvee There might be two soldiers that are here That had a part in that because one of them is my driver that's sitting back there And the only reason I brought it up is I look there is now a milk carton behind the podium to former St. McClosie and Malry or otherwise known as aka Mouthry You know, I wrote on that telephone book for two weeks in the field and I'm gonna stand on this for the whole speech Okay, good afternoon Lieutenant General mrs. Clark Major General Miller mrs. Miller Also command serge major and mrs. Klosterman mr. Krzai Chief Fitz Thank you. Thank you all for coming fellow commanders Officers nco's that are here soldiers. We've got government Civilians. We've got some retirees and most importantly friends and family I've got brother rats from the class of 1995 Yeah Thanks for coming out And that really as I look around the room, you know Edith and I are most sincerely grateful to be surrounded by such an incredible gathering of people We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for being here today As I know some have traveled a great distance and those that are also dialed in virtually your presence Your presence here in support really make this day that much more special for our family And as we know today's promotion ceremony is a result of a collective group of events That all of you have had a part in which have led to this promotion There are always Outstanding folks behind the scenes and as general Clark pointed out I would really like to offer another round of applause to all the office of the provostal general staff They came together over a holiday period to orchestrate this ceremony and pull it off So let's give them a round of applause. I would also like to thank Colonel Steve Bartley. He is our operations division chief He is an incredible leader. He's the future garrison commander of Fort Leonardwood this summer and he's a friend Thank you for that insightful invocation. Thanks Steve This afternoon I stand before you To say that, you know, I am humbled and honored it sounds like a cliche But it's probably an extreme Understatement of what I'm actually feeling inside. I really stand before you not only as an individual but as a representative of a culmination of collective hard work and Dedication in unwavering teamwork from those that I have served with I am deeply Humbled in honor to have been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and most importantly I really have all of you to thank for helping me reach this milestone in my career To my superior officers that I've served under Lieutenant General Clark Lieutenant General Vareen Lieutenant General Martin major General Miller in the best battle buddies and confidence Confidence and an officer could ask for my first platoon sergeant who couldn't be here He's on day two out of surgery trying to make it home from the hospital Sergeant first-class retired James DeMaroni My company first sergeant that you had the privilege to meet to lower my general officer flag First sergeant. Well, excuse me doctor first sergeant retired Eugene Jackson my battalion CSM retired CSM Chuck Baker and my brigade Commands our major doctor CSM retired Teresa Duncan To all of you collectively Thank you for having faith in me for guiding me and providing me with the opportunities to grow both personally and professionally Your wisdom advice your guidance have shaped me into the leader that I am today Your trust in my abilities has given me the confidence to push myself beyond the limits and to really achieve new heights Major General Miller Sir Thank you for your leadership Your mentorship and your support and friendship over the years You have always been someone I could call for advice and always able in the current position Someone to close the door and openly vent with I Am grateful for your calm demeanor your caring leadership And the knack for asking that best probing question that really always makes all the difference. So thank you, sir Lieutenant General Clark An extra special thanks for taking time out of your extremely Extremely busy schedule to host today's event. I'm I'm honored. I'm very honored Edith and I could not be more blessed to have you and your lovely bride Samona here today to celebrate with us sir Thanks for taking a chance on me as your ex-o even after you met me the way you didn't why now I'm gonna go off script again because there's a look there is another side to the story All of that was pretty good however the interagency got a jump on us and I Got some professional development from the CG at the time, but in the end we got the bad guy. So it was all good And our most Sincere heartfelt thanks to you and Samona most importantly for truly making us feel like family the first time we met As an army couple you to epitomize what the army is all about You are both gracious and generous and demonstrate daily on what servant leaders look like Thank you again For hosting today's ceremony Edith and I also want to sincerely thank all of our siblings All of our extended family members and close friends who sacrificed their time to travel here to share in this special day with us As I look at all of you I cannot think of a time where any of you have failed us You were always there when we needed you and you were always available at our family's most critical life events That is what family and good friends are all about and we know how lucky we are to have you all in our lives To me me my mother-in-law bear with me I'd have to look up, you know And pop all above father-in-law Thanks for all the support over the years Okay, I'm back on track For from the first time I stepped in your house. You really make me feel like family when I was dating Edith to Deej, you know My sister-in-law retired MP. Oh Yeah, thanks for thanks for your service for being there in a time of need and Bring it I think most importantly the extra MP talking to the family discussions because we know Edith hated it Yeah Yeah You know and then there's my brother-in-law Edwin. What can I say about Edwin, but the man can do it all? Five minutes in the talking with this guy. You'll know that you know Edwin. Thanks for your quick wit your unique sense of humor and Most importantly all the attempts you've made to educate me on all things mechanical because I know that's a big task To my lifelong best friends Jeff John Ron and Phil who couldn't make it. Thank you so much Right back here for all you for being here today My gosh, we have been together since first grade. We've been through a lot kind of sir like you're you're your two buddies, right? We've been through it all You know the only thing I will say is I am just glad for our sake there weren't cell phones and there wasn't social media To capture all the shenanigans of back in the day But I can't tell you really how much it means to look out there and see you guys sitting there because you're a huge part of my life So thank you The same holds true for my brother rats from VMI You know you you all definitely know how I feel and the special bond that we share Especially my three roommates of all four years that are here today Eric baby Eric former infantry ranger who? Paul the Rage and Cajun From Louisiana and Dave the fine gentleman from Richmond. Yes All right Thanks for all you have done for me except one The time that y'all thought it was funny to hog-tie me shove me in my laundry bag and hang me up on the barracks wall That one not so much and I fit in it quite well of course You know in the military promotions are not achieved alone They are just they're really just way too many to thank so I'm going to sincerely say this To all my colleagues and subordinates both past past and present Thank you for your unwavering support All your loyalty and all your hard work Without your dedication and commitment none of this would have been possible I am blessed to be part of such a remarkable team, and I am truly humbled To lead and serve alongside each and every one of you Throughout my career. I have witnessed the selfless service of our men and women in uniform Who have put their lives on the line without hesitation? They epitomize bravery honor and sacrifice and Their willingness to go above and beyond and their duties has inspired me to do the same And I am eternally grateful for the exceptional team that I've served with over the years and that now surrounds me It is their unwavering commitment that has inspired me, and I do solely accept this promotion on their behalf Speaking of promotions. Wow This one is something that I quite frankly never imagined would ever happen nor ever thought about Never thought about this You know, I just looked at it this way. I wanted to serve my nation I loved what I was doing and I poured my heart and soul in every job the army gave me That's how I kind of looked at it throughout my career so far But as I look back on my childhood years a team was always something that I really belong to So I guess it was really no surprise when I decided to attend the Virginia Military Institute and ultimately Contract into the best team the Army team. I Was not a military brat, but I grew up very patriotic family who was grounded in good faith I was a son of two high school teachers a mother that traveled home-to-home daily Instructing students who were either terminally ill Injured had social behavior disorders were pregnant that prevented them all from attending in-class instruction Back in those days Schools did not allow or have programs to address these student challenges So my mom stepped up and filled that gap in addition to being a public school Teacher my dad was also a Catholic high school football coach in northeast Ohio and someone who actually coached LeBron James His last year of football And we won a couple state championships while my dad was a coach there I basically grew up in a locker room You know in the value of growing up in a locker room is I learned all of these invaluable and complex skill sets such as water boy ball boy Equipment manager carpet cleaner weight room cleaner upper I spent evenings sitting on cold high school bleachers scouting upcoming opponents with my dad and All the while I had the opportunity to learn all these colorful locker room expressions When not in a locker room my brother and I were participating in sports basically all year round All I wanted in life was to be a football player You know at my great size and then have my dad as my coach. That was it. That was you know That was a goal for me. Well, I was able to achieve that goal and both my brother and I played on a state championship football team together And guess who our coach was it was our dad So that was awesome. What a great team on a side note. My mom was a little more of the realist, okay? She pushed me into the sport of wrestling You know she guilted me into wrestle so I started in fourth grade and wrestled 14 years And finally gave up the sport when I graduated from college now I think my mom regretted this Guidance she gave me not long after I started this sport because my mom Suddenly became my in-home wrestling test dummy So I could often be found to come home from wrestling practice and say hey mom, you know grab her look This is a hip toss, you know and try to chuck her to the ground But you know that's what moms are for right You know all of this coupled with having a bigger brother who could pound on me at any moments notice So I guess I built a lot of resiliency But also I was faster than my brother so I could get away from him whenever I needed to that was my only saving grace But to my brother Kohli and his wonderful wife Mandy. Thank you for being here You've been there most all of my career You've been supportive on the home front and all the deployments and the care packages in your church involvement I can't thank you enough and have you here obviously means the world as family is everything So I love you. Thank you and all right Okay, here comes the hard ones now None of this would be Possible without the undying support of my family who has been by my side through thick and thin Your unwavering support and sacrifices Cannot even begin to be measured We're adequately expressed in words. There's no way and I thank each of you for the sacrifices that you have yet to make To my daughter Kaylee and my son Tristan Michael Thanks for your understanding Thanks for your sacrifice Your flexibility and for being the best kids a father could ask for you have grown into such beautiful young adults with wonderful marriages you have both grown into such Beautiful adults that are character-based and highly independent Quite simply You are my greatest achievement to date. I'm looking this way. I could not be more proud of each of you As you continue the family tradition of service to others Kaylee is a fourth-grade teacher in the Houston area Shaping and molding young lives and then as general Clark indicated Snuts is looking to enlist here in the real near future and he's going to ship out probably in February to serve as nation So you're definitely carrying on that Lucas tradition of service to others Each of you inspired me and drove me to achieve. I love you unconditionally Monica a father couldn't ask for a more loving and supportive spouse to his daughter and quite frankly a pretty fun person to be around but You have one fatal flaw No, you are a Cowboys fan No But I still love you anyway and to Ashley the love and support that you demonstrate to Snuts is so noticeable And I am so excited for you as you enter into the Sacred Army spouse ranks here in the near future I love you and I thank you mostly. Hey, I'm gonna say it because I'm a granddaddy now, right? Not to mention the beautiful granddaughter. You gave us little Lily and I'll by the way a second one on the way. So hey All right to the boss to household six my Edith my everything There is zero doubt in my mind that you Honey are the primary reason I'm staying here today You have literally been there every step of the way Your support is endless and you have flawlessly commanded the home front You can always be counted on to lend a listening ear To give me a swift kick in the ass when I need it Oh Provide sound sound counsel and you have this knack of simplifying these complex problems that I bring home and make them sound very easy in their solutions You are and have always been the one constant. I know I can count on You are the army's you are an army spouse. You're tough as nails. You roll with the punches You never whine. You never complain and it's all and you're always ready for the next adventure The service that you have given our nation and the impact you've had on soldiers and family members is really too big to count For all these reasons that is why you're my rock. You're my fuel my guiding light as we say always in forever I made it through in closing I I Seriously, I assume the responsibilities of Brigadier General. I am keenly aware of the magnitude of this role The trust that has been placed in me is one that I do not take lightly I Understand the immense weight that it does carry and I promised up hold the highest standards as I lead with integrity humility and compassion I Will strive to continue to lead by example and inspire those around me And make a positive impact on the lives of those that we do serve I am humbled to walk in the footsteps of countless soldiers who have come before me Whose lives and legacies have paved the way for our great nation security and our prosperity. I Am grateful for their sacrifices in their unwavering commitment to preserving our freedom We've got a lot in uniform here today, but I know there's also a lot that have served as well So if you don't mind standing up if you if you've raised that right hand to serve your nation, please stand up If you're in civilian clothes How about a round of applause for these folks? alright Once again sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I Want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of you You're in wavering support and belief in me made this promotion possible, and I am forever grateful I'm excited and ready to embrace the responsibilities. They come and I'm honored to serve alongside all of you Thank you. May God bless America and all those that defend her remember freedom is not free and this will defend thank you Ladies and gentlemen, please stay standing for the benediction and the playing of the army song May the Lord provide guidance to Brigadier General Lucas as he continues to walk forward in a manner worthy to the calling To which he's been called Please shine light upon him as he sets out to do best for his soldiers for our army and for our country May he and his family be blessed in future assignments until we all meet again May God hold you all in the palm of his hand. Amen We're the army and proudly proclaim First to fight for the right and to build the nation's might and the army goes rolling Out of all we have done fighting till the battle's won and the army Oh Breeder general Lucas and his family are honored by your attendance this afternoon and they will remain up front for congratulatory comments The Lucas family is hosting a reception in the foyer immediately following ladies and gentlemen. This concludes today's ceremony