The 58th Transportation Battalion held a patching ceremony June 18 on Gammon Field to symbolize their shift in command structure from the 3rd Chemical Brigade to the 2nd Transportation Brigade, 94th Training Division, based out of Fort Lee, Virginia.
3rd Chemical Brigade Commander Col. Sean Crockett served as the reviewing officer for the ceremony and offered remarks.
"(Lt. Col. Matthew Western) and his team were tasked with the Herculean effort of transitioning the command support relationship of the 58th Transportation Battalion from (the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence) to (U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command)," he said.
Col. Keith Barta, commander, 2nd Transportation Brigade, 94th Training Division, commented on the change of patch and its significance.
"This ceremony is a graphic representation of nearly 12 months of work," he said. "What this transformation does is align the transportation battalion underneath a logistics and transportation organization to better maximize resources and increase lethality for our next battles."
The 399th Army Band performed at the event, and the national and unit colors were displayed at the center of the formation, representing their presence at the forefront during the heat of battle.
The 58th Transportation Battalion was originally formed as the 27th Quartermaster Regiment, 2nd Battalion at Camp Shelby, Mississippi in July 1942.
After evolving into the 58th Quartermaster Battalion, participating in three World War II campaigns, and assisting occupying forces following the war, the battalion was deactivated in October 1945.
It was later redesignated the 58th Transportation Corps Truck Battalion, reactivated in November 1965, and deployed to Vietnam in March 1966. After being deactivated again in April 1972, it was reactivated in July 1986 to assume training missions at Fort Leonard Wood, where it is currently stationed.
During the ceremony, Western relinquished command of the battalion to the incoming commander Lt. Col. Ramon Salas.
Crockett commended Western on his time leading the unit.
"With leaders like Western at the helm, the (58th Transportation Battalion) was bound for success during his command tour," he said. "He continuously emphasized to his student population the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of warrior, task and doctrine."
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