FORT CARSON, Colo. - The Raider Brigade said goodbye to Command Sgt. Maj. Edison M. Rebuck, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, as he relinquished responsibility to Command Sgt. Maj. Richard L. Ayala Jr. during a ceremony at the Special Events Center on Fort Carson, March 4.
Col. David Hodne, commander, 1st SBCT, 4th Infantry Division, presided over the event as Rebuck passed the sword of the noncommissioned officer on to Ayala.
Hodne said about Rebuck, "In the Stryker community and the Army, you have left your mark on cohorts of future leaders. Here at Fort Carson, you have redefined the 4th Infantry Division with this proud formation."
Rebuck assumed responsibility as the Raider brigade senior enlisted adviser in September 2012. He helped guide the unit through its most recent deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield from February 2013 to November 2013, and he guided the brigade in its transformation from an Armor Brigade to a Stryker Brigade.
"Certainly being in this brigade as Raider 7 has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and the highlight of my military career," said Rebuck who will continue as a brigade command sergeant major at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
While the outgoing command sergeant major fondly remembers his time with the Raider brigade, the incoming leader has much to look forward to.
Hodne said about Ayala, "As we prepare to enter company and higher level collective training in the coming weeks, ultimately validating this brigade at our rotation to the National Training Center in September, I am certain you will be invaluable to building what will become the Stryker formation of choice for our Army."
Ayala will carry on that tradition of leadership, guiding the 1st SBCT as they continue training to deploy worldwide.
Ayala said to the formation, "To the leaders and Soldiers of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, I want you all to know that I am truly invested in you and your families. It may sound cliché, but you are the future of our nation. You will be called to fight the wars of our future and to be the moral compass of our nation's society."
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