Cpt. Sandifer assumes command of Fort Irwin garrison headquarters company

At a May 18 ceremony on the lawn of the Fort Irwin garrison headquarters, Cpt. J. Kenneth Sandifer took command of Fort Irwin's Headquarters and Headquarters Company from Cpt. Frank J. Lenart III. Lenart served as HHC commander since Feb. 2014 and leaves Fort Irwin for his next duty assignment in Germany.

Sandifer, the new garrison company commander, previously served on Fort Irwin with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment as a plans officer for the past 16 months.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Fort Irwin garrison commander Col. Jon Braga thanked Lenart for his leadership.

"His leadership was truly a command team, with First Sergeant (Jeffrey) Jackson and together, along with the great soldiers at HHC, they truly made a difference. They increased the readiness of the company, solidified the culture and the resiliency of the command, through continued Strong Bonds retreats, physical training, and earning the first-ever safety streamers for the company."

Braga noted that before becoming an officer, Lenart had enlisted in the Army as a medic. "He started off trying to help people….[While] he changed his MOS, changed his rank, changed his branch, changed his duty location, he continued to help people in his command, perhaps more that this community actually realizes."

Among Lenart's accomplishments, Braga said that Lenart and his team organized Fort Irwin's first-ever Mud Run, "enjoyed by over 700 runners, from on and off-base, and some saying it was the funnest race ever. Lenart and Soldiers from the garrison company also volunteered to help with the Army's Survivor Outreach Services office in Barstow that serves over 600 Gold Star families in southern California.

"I really think Frank and Jeff's (now retired First Sergeant Jeffrey Jackson) crowning jewel, for those who haven't had the chance to experience it, was something that happened last November. It was called Day of Gratitude, where we hosted over 130 of our Gold Star family members here at Fort Irwin, 27 of whom received for the first time ever, their Gold Star banner. It was just a reminder that we will not forget as an Army, we will not forget as a nation. It was a moving day that continued to help to heal those families in their lifelong journey. Hopefully, someday, this will become an Army-wide, best practice."

"This past month, Frank and his team were instrumental in our Veterans 50th Anniversary commemoration," Braga said. "For some of the vets that came, and we had some that came from Kansas City, Maine, Virginia, Arizona--all over. For some of them, it was the first event they had ever been to since Vietnam. Several came up to me. They said this wasn't just a great event, this was the best day of my life. The best day of someone's life, you made it happen. I want to thank you for that."

"Some commanders are absolutely fantastic at their job. But they miss one important quality. And that's balance. While he's been a successful company commander, he (Lenart) was even more a successful family man, husband, and father. Frank and Aleisha (Lenart's wife) has seen their family grow here. Frank knows certainly how to keep everything in focus and in balance with his family. And that's what I'm most proud about for the Leinart family.

In closing, Braga said that Cpt. Sandifer, like Lenart, also began his Army career as an enlisted Soldier, as an intelligence analyst for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, before serving at Fort Hood as an armored officer and as a plans officer with the 11th Armored Regiment at Fort Irwin.

In his farewell address, Lenart thanked Fort Irwin provost marshal, Lt. Col. Graham Swenson, and provost sergeant major, Sgt. Maj. Danny Knell, for helping him understand what MP's do. He also thanked his company's NCOs for "helping to change the culture in the company. "Thanks to the great team I had here, I was able to accomplish this."

Cpt. Sandifer, Fort Irwin's new company commander, was born near Liverpool, England and grew up near Houston, Texas. He graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in human resources management. After working in the transportation industry and as an elementary school teacher, he enlisted in the Army in 2004. He served as a paratrooper with 2nd infantry Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deploying to Iraq in 2007-2008. After being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant Armor Officer in June 2009, Sandifer served in various assignments with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, including deployment to Basrah in 2011.