WIESBADEN, Germany -- U.S. Army Europe welcomed its new deputy commanding general, Maj. Gen. William K. Gayler, and senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Sheryl D. Lyon, during a welcome ceremony at Clay Kaserne's Freedom Field May 29.
"I asked the Army for these two people," said Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, Army Europe commanding general, during his opening remarks.
Calling it a historical day, Hodges marked the occasion by placing the Army Europe patch on his new senior leaders.
Gayler joins Army Europe from U.S. Army Human Resources Command where he served as director of the personnel management directorate. During his time at HRC, Gayler oversaw the consolidation and reorganization of the command management branch and the launch of a cyber branch.
"Today's world is complex and challenges are everywhere. But this is not unique to this time in history. We have always faced security challenges and we will overcome these challenges the same as we have in the past: together," Gayler said during his remarks.
Gayler's new role is dual-hatted, as he will also serve as the commanding general of U.S. Army NATO.
"I knew that we needed a skilled aviator as our deputy commanding general so it was an easy choice. Part of us making our 30,000 look and feel like 300,000 … comes from being able to cover from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea without a lot of resources and I think Maj. Gen. Gayler is exactly the right person to help us do that," Hodges said.
The event also included Lyon's assumption of responsibility as the Army Europe command sergeant major.
"I couldn't be more excited to be here and assuming this position," Lyon said, following the flag passing. "What a great day! And what a great organization to become a part of."
Lyon comes to Army Europe after her previous assignment as senior enlisted leader for U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command Global Strike.
"(Lyon) was probably one of the easiest choices I've ever made," Hodges said. "Not because the others weren't good … but I knew that Sgt. Maj. Cheryl Lyon was exactly the right person for us. Because when you look at U.S. Army Europe, who we are and all the stuff that we do, I thought it was time to get someone who has a set of experiences that was different than what I have."
Lyon will also serve as the U.S. Army NATO command sergeant major.
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