FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The 7th Sustainment Brigade conducted a change of command and change of responsibility ceremony Tuesday morning at 3rd Port, welcoming on board Col. Lawrence A. Kominiak as the new brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Tony Escalona as the new brigade command sergeant major.
Soldiers and leaders of the brigade's six battalions stood shoulder to shoulder at 3rd Port with the brigade's vessels proudly dressed earmarking this time-honored tradition.
The ceremony's reviewing officer, Brig. Gen. Robin B. Akin, Commander, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) commander from, Fort Knox, Ky., stood before leaders and Soldiers, sharing words of pride at the formation before her.
"To Colonel Maskell, and Colonel Kominiak, and the command team families, and to the Soldiers and leaders before me, through numerous missions around the world you all stand at the tip of the spear," said General Akin. "Soldiers from every background, logistics to the signal corps, you all are the subject matter experts on the Army's watercraft, from Joint Logistics Over The Shore, to Operation Unified Response, everything you have done and will do across this brigade is the result of true team players. It's all about love, respect and prayers. I ask that you keep this new command team in your prayers; Soldier's first, mission always, Resolute, Sustaining the Line!"
Colonel Kominiak, incoming commander, comes to the 7th Sustainment Brigade from Army Materiel Command in Alexandria, Va., as the chief of plans and operations.
Command Sergeant Major Escalona, incoming command sergeant major, is a seasoned Resolute Warrior as he joins the command team by way of the brigade's 10th Transportation Battalion where he was the battalion command sergeant major.
The outgoing commander, Colonel Charles F. Maskell, continues on to his next assignment as the deputy commander of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii. The outgoing command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Cedric J. Thomas, continues on to his next assignment as the garrison command sergeant major forFort George G. Meade, Md. Highlights of the ceremony included an 11-gun salute and a traditional military pass in review.