FORT BELVOIR, Va. (June7) -- A new leader will oversee Wounded Warrior's healing in Fort Belvoir facilities.
Lt. Col. Renee Joseph assumed interim command of the Warrior Transition Battalion from Lt. Col. Angel Mesa during a change of command ceremony in Specker Field House June 1.
Joseph's goals include providing the best care for recovering Soldiers and finishing the battalion's integration with garrison and tenant organizations.
"The battalion has not even been stood up for even a year yet, so that integration piece needs to be completed," Joseph said. "I'm excited for the challenge."
Joseph will command a team full of Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and contractors performing duties in social work and physical therapy, among other areas designed to assist healing warriors.
"Short of sustained combat, I think this may be the most complex environment at the battalion level and below that I've ever personally observed," said Col. James Inman, Warrior Transition Brigade commander. "It's an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable environment but it's also an extraordinarily challenging and time intensive environment."
Inman called Joseph an absolutely fantastic Soldier ready to assume command from Mesa.
Inman also advised Joseph to take charge from day one.
"He always told me, 'Renee you got to lead from the front, you got to walk in and take control of the situation,'" said Joseph who will observe the organization first and then gradually implement small changes when necessary. "Change is difficult for an individual, so I want to make sure the change is good and it's not just a shock."
Joseph, who is also the current Warrior Transition Brigade executive officer, will remain the battalion's interim commander until a new commander arrives in late July or early August.
Mesa assumed command of the battalion in September 2011 with the goal of creating a comfortable environment for Soldiers to heal and move onto to their life's next chapter, whether in the military or as a civilian, a goal Mesa believes he successfully completed.
He expressed gratitude to the leadership in the Military District of Washington and Fort Belvoir and the health care services dedicated to the battalion.
"I wish that Angel wasn't leaving," Inman said. "He's made a very important stamp on this command."
During his remarks, Mesa quoted an excerpt from a November 2011 PARADE Magazine article written by former secretary of state, Colin Powell. Powell's article encouraged American citizens to recognize deceased and living military members. The excerpt Mesa quoted mentioned the current generations of Soldiers fighting on the front line in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Powell said when these Soldiers return home they'll need American citizens to fight for them as they recover from battle.
"There's no doubt that the fight has begun," said Mesa, who believes Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and contractors have commenced helping Warrior Transition Battalion Soldiers heal. "They are on the front lines, receiving calls in the middle of the night and weekends, to meet Soldiers in the emergency room, pick up Family members at the airport and deescalate a frustrated Soldier. They are the ones that receive the call when a Soldier is thinking about suicide. They rise to the occasion on a daily basis to fight for our nation's most precious resource: the wounded, ill and injured Soldiers."
Social Sharing