Command of Fort Greely Garrison recently changed hands.
Lt. Col. Chris William Chronis assumed command of Fort Greely during a ceremony June 24. He took over leadership of the garrison from Lt. Col. Gregory McClinton.
McClinton is heading to Arlington, Va., for his new assignment as the executive officer to Maj. Gen. John A. Macdonald, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command and commander of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.
The ceremony was presided over by Col. Howard J. Killian, deputy director, Installation Management Command - Pacific, who passed the unit colors to Chronis.
Chronis, a native of Vancouver, Wash., came to Fort Greely from Fort Richardson in Anchorage, where he served as a Paratrooper and as the Chief of Current Operations and Aviation, Early Entry Command Post (Airborne) for the U.S. Army, Alaska.
"It's a great privilege to be the Garrison Commander for Fort Greely and an honor to serve the U.S. Army and this great nation," said Chronis.
An avid hunter and fisherman, Chronis is excited to be in Delta Junction, Alaska, and considers the local community a critical part of the Fort Greely team.
The new commander said some of his goals for Fort Greely include improving the installation for the Soldiers, Families and Civilian workers.
"I want to leave this job and installation better than I found it," said Chronis. "We have critical and enduring missions here and I'm proud to be able to serve my country at Fort Greely, Alaska."
Chronis attended Central Washington University and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation branch in 1991 through the ROTC program.
Since graduating from flight school in 1992, he served in a variety of Air Cavalry and Attack Aviation assignments throughout the United States, South Korea, and Iraq.
He has earned the Senior Aviator Badge and Parachutist Badge.
He is qualified to pilot the AH-64D Longbow Apache Attack Helicopter, the AH-64A Apache Attack Helicopter, the OH-58 Kiowa, and the UH-1 Huey.
Chronis' awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, two awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, four awards of the Army Commendation Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Republic of Korea Defense Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal (Hurricane Katrina), two awards of the Overseas Service Medal, and a Meritorious Unit Citation for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Social Sharing