FORT BENNING, Ga., (July 3, 2013) -- Col. David C. Beachman assumed command of the 199th Infantry Brigade from Col. Lance E. Davis during a change of command ceremony June 26 at York Field.
This is not his first time at Fort Benning. In 2008, Beachman took command of the 1st Battalion,19th Infantry Regiment, and after battalion command he deployed to Iraq to serve as a senior U.S. military advisor at the Besmaya Combat Training Center. In 2012, Beachman was reassigned to the Maneuver Center of Excellence and served as the chief of Doctrine and Collective Training Division.
"It's very challenging but it sets me up pretty well in training," Beachman said. "It is tied to current emerging doctrine, so leaders are not only being trained on most current thoughts and considerations but go out and apply it."
Beachman said he and his wife Teresa, a Columbus native, are thrilled to be a part of Fort Benning again.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be part of such a great team of professionals," Beachman said. "Both Teresa and I couldn't have chosen a better brigade to be a part of, and we look forward to it not only because of the mission it holds for the Army, but the maneuver formations out there on the field."
Maj. Gen. H. R. McMaster, commanding general and reviewing officer, said as the brigade underwent changes, the commitment to excellence remained the same under Davis' leadership.
"Lance Davis has done a brilliant job leading this distinguished brigade -- an organization that is essential to the combat effectiveness and professionalism of our Army," McMaster said. "Under Col. Davis' command, the 199th commissioned more than 3,000 second lieutenants of all branches of the Army, trained more than 2,600 maneuver captains and more than 3,000 Infantry lieutenants, and trained more than 34,000 paratroopers, jumpmasters, and pathfinders."
Davis previously commanded the 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Brigade, before serving as deputy commander of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Diyala Province, Iraq. After attending U.S. Army War College, Davis returned to Fort Benning to command the 199th Infantry Brigade.
"There's so many posts and units that the Army could've assigned us and yet the Army put us at our first choice -- Fort Benning," Davis said.
As he congratulated Beachman on his new duties, Davis said he and his wife, Carrie, and their children will miss the relationships and value the memories they gained at Fort Benning.
"The opportunity to lead such as diverse and exceptional group of cadre, executing such a purposeful mission has been a humbling high point of anything Carrie and I could have been a part of," he said. "We'll always look back fondly on this team, the contributions and accomplishments."
Davis' next assignment is as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii.
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