Email   Print   Share By Capt. Monika Comeaux, 13th ESC Public Affairs

Facebook Digg Delicious July 5, 2012 | News

Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters (left) deputy commander of support operations, hands the unit colors for Regional Support Command-South to Col. Christopher Reed (left center), incoming commander, as Col. Richard “Flip” Wilson, (center right) outgoing commander and Sgt. Maj. Timothy Alston, senior-enlisted adviser, stand in the diamond formation with them. Capt. Monika Comeaux, 13th ESC Public Affairs

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Regional Support Command-South greeted a new commander in a change of command ceremony June 26 at the Kandahar Air Base NATO Sports Hall.

Incoming commander U.S. Army Col. Christopher Reed replaced outgoing commander U.S. Army Col. Richard “Flip” Wilson, who will take over the chief of staff position for Fort Irwin and the National Training Center in Calif.

The Deputy Commander of Support Operations, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters Jr., was the reviewing officer for the ceremony. He commended the outgoing commander.

Playing with the phrase, “What you see is what you get,” LeMasters said what someone sees when looking at Wilson is, “an officer who gave it all, who developed a team of professionals.”

What someone gets from Wilson and his team are “results,” LeMasters said, crediting the past year’s accomplishments to the disciplined attitude and teamwork Wilson demonstrated during his command.

Wilson credited his success to his co-workers and to fellow NATO troops.

“The support from our troop-contributing nations has been critical to enabling institutional training and professional development,” he said. He also credited his fellow regional support commanders, saying they “all have made this combat rotation truly a memorable one, service which I will treasure.”

Wilson explained that an informal relationship at Kandahar Airfield has brought a “unique synergy like in no other region.” He said not only did he serve “Shohna ba Shohna” (Shoulder to Shoulder) with his Afghan counterparts, but also with all other major commands on the installation.

Reed thanked the outgoing commander and his team for bringing him on board and getting him prepared for his new role.

He said as a new guy, he would keep his remarks short about the great things he wants to do, “because you don’t know anything, and the smartest guy in the unit just walked off the field.”

However, Reed did share his motif for taking this command.

“I asked to return to Afghanistan because I have seen first-hand, the bravery of the Afghan Soldiers, police and people,” Reed said. “As a Soldier, I serve the United States of America, but I pledge to you, that I also serve Afghanistan.”

RSC-South is comprised of over 440 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, coalition partners and civilian employees operating across the four provinces of Kandahar, Zabol, Dai Kohndi, and Ooruzgan.” RSC-South provides oversight of five regional police academies and one regional military training center and during the past year has trained and equipped more than 3,600 police recruits and 2,800 army recruits. RSC-South and their Afghan counterparts have accomplished many exceptional objectives.

NTM-A is a coalition of 37 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014.