'Tradition Of Excellence' Passed On To New Commander

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Outstanding leadership, traditional ceremony and family relationships took center stage on Thursday as the flags of a four-star, two-star and one-star general officer symbolized the changing of command at the Aviation and Missile Command.

Gen. Dennis Via, commander of the Army Materiel Command, led the ceremonial passing of the AMCOM guidon as Maj. Gen. James Richardson relinquished command to incoming commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Gabram. Richardson is moving on to become the director of the Army Quadrennial Defense Review Office in the Pentagon.

"Today's ceremony represents more than a change of responsibility," Via said. "It symbolizes a rich heritage that reaffirms the authority vested by the Army in our commanders. As one leaves and another takes command, the history, traditions and achievements of this command pass with them."

Via spoke of the achievements Richardson accomplished during his 21 months at AMCOM, including his expansion of the AMCOM 101 program where brigade commanders are shown how the organization supports their aviation and air defense units, establishing AMCOM's ready response deployment program, establishing multi-million dollar public/private partnerships at AMCOM depots that will save the Army $500 million over 20 years, supporting and growing AMCOM's foreign military sales program to 60 percent of all Army foreign military sales, ensuring sustainment and reliability as part of the acquisition process, and developing a plan for AMCOM out to 2025.

But, above all, under Richardson's command, "AMCOM became laser focused on Soldiers and unit readiness," Via said.

One of the great privileges of serving as AMCOM commander, Richardson said, has been "serving alongside great aviators and missile leaders, exceptional leaders taking the aviation and missile enterprise on a transformational journey."

Richardson wanted to come to AMCOM in June 2014 because, as an aviation commander, he spent most of his career as a customer of AMCOM and wanted to give back to the organization that gave so much to his aviator Soldiers. He also wanted the opportunity to serve on a winning team focused on sustainment and readiness. During his time at AMCOM, Richardson developed its mission statement: "… Enable sustainable readiness at the point of the need."

Although AMCOM loses a leader that has made a lasting difference to the command, Via said Richardson is needed at the Pentagon, and that the work Richardson does will be "lasting and enduring, and have an immediate impact on our Army."

And, as in is well known throughout the Army, "as one great leader departs the Army allows another to arrive and take his place," Via added.

The military careers of both Richardson and Gabram -- along with Richardson's wife, Maj. Gen. Laura Richardson -- have often followed each other and at times have paralleled during the past 30 years.

"I want to thank Maj. Gen. Jim Richardson for his service to our country, his mentorship, and his guidance and friendship over the years," Gabram told military and community leaders, and AMCOM employees that packed the Bob Jones Auditorium for the ceremony.

"It sure makes it easier to take a job like this from a real friend you trust. I have served with him through some challenging times both in peace and combat. So, when I say 'trust,' I mean I trust him with my life. So, this transition has been first class in every aspect."

Gabram comes to AMCOM from his assignment as the deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, with the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. As an Army aviator, his career has included deployments as an Apache company commander with the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Ky., in 1991 during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm; as commander of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Texas, to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009-10; as the division chief of staff for the Combined Joint Task Force 1 in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011-12; and as deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, in Afghanistan OEF in 2013-2015.

Throughout his career, AMCOM has sustained the aviation equipment that his aviator Soldiers have relied on.

"The AMCOM team represents one major spoke of the aviation and missile enterprise, and the collaboration needed to support the Army is a constant," Gabram said. "I will do my very best in sustaining the outstanding relationships that Maj. Gen. Richardson has built with Fort Rucker (Ala.); Fort Sill (Okla.); the Program Executive Offices for Aviation, and Missiles and Space; the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center; the Army Contracting Command-Redstone; industry partners and the field."

Gabram said he shares Richardson's passion for Soldiers, a passion that he will also bring to AMCOM. The organization will continue to support Soldiers every day through its two depots, field maintenance sites, calibration support elements, installation maintenance activities, security assistance, training center support and much more, he said.

"It is clear that AMCOM is globally responsive and regionally engaged," Gabram said. "As Gen. Via stresses, we must always remember the reason the Army Materiel Command exists is to support the warfighters, regardless of competing missions, evolving requirements and budgetary constraints. We must always deliver global readiness solutions to sustain unified land operations -- this is the bottom line."

As the chief of staff of the Army makes a ready and modern Army his top priority, Gabram said AMCOM will provide that readiness.

"I look forward to broadening the horizons of support as AMCOM postures itself for the future in these uncertain times," he said. "The logistics and sustainment AMCOM provides was not built overnight and, in fact, was built only through the hard work of the entire AMCOM team. The future may be uncertain -- filled with challenging times -- but we are a value-based organization putting people first, Soldiers always, enabling readiness to meet the emerging global requirements of the joint force."