FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 17, 2015) -- U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory Soldiers and civilians welcomed Col. Richard G. Malish as their new commander as he assumed command of the unit from Col. John A. Smyrski III during a ceremony at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum July 8.
Maj. Gen. Brian C. Lein, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command commanding general, presided over the ceremony to welcome Malish and thank Smyrski for leading a team that helps protect Soldiers through research and development.
"John has transformed this command with personal oversight of realigning the workforce with the five core competencies of this lab," said Lein. "The science behind protecting Soldiers must remain a requirement for our nation and our Army, and nowhere is this more evident than the work being done here at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory," adding that he believes Malish is the right man to keep those requirements relevant and progressive.
"Rich and (his wife), Kate Malish are the right team to take this command forward," said the commanding general. "I know you're going to be phenomenal for this organization."
Malish said he is committed to continuing with and building on USAARL's success.
"I will do my best to ensure the ongoing contributions of this famous lab," said Malish. "I will support its Soldiers, families, civilians, my new neighbors here at Fort Rucker and my new neighbors here at USAMRMC to overcome anything that may be blocking our collective progress. As a commander of USAARL, I will not only support high-quality, relevant research, but I will ensure that the marriage of learning and leadership will not be separated on my watch."
Malish returns to Fort Rucker after nearly 20 years, and brings with him a wealth of experience having served in numerous leadership positions, including battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; brigade surgeon for the 173rd Airborne Brigade; chief of cardiology testing for Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; deputy commander for clinical services at Winn Army Community Hospital in Fort Stewart, Georgia; to his most recent assignment as the commander of Army Health Clinic Southern Command in Doral, Florida.
He has also served in multiple deployments to Iraq and Honduras, and promised to use his experience in the field and on the home front to ensure his time in command is successful.
In order to do that, Smyrski said that Malish must take advantage of USAARL's most valuable assets -- its people.
"This (command) is truly a labor of love, and it's the journey, not the destination," said the outgoing commander. "(The Soldiers and civilians of USAARL) are the reason that (this organization) is relevant to Army medicine and Army Aviation. My hope is that you will challenge Colonel Malish, just as you did me. I'm confident that you will continue to excel in all that you do."
Having served as the commander for the past three years, Smyrski said when he first took command, he was apprehensive and intimidated by the task at hand, but he believes that Malish is up for the job.
"Rich is a proven leader who will surely take USAARL to the next level of excellence," continued Smyrski. "He is a combat veteran who understands and appreciates the operational needs of the combat Soldier. I'm confident that he will ensure complete success of the USAARL mission as we continue to support the Army."
It's because of the team's dedication that the research laboratory has been recognized with numerous awards over the years, including, most recently, receiving the Army Star for Safety Occupational Health Award.
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