FORT STEWART, Ga. - Lt. Col. Gregory Bell, outgoing commander for 3rd Battalion, 7th infantry, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Dillingham, the outgoing command sergeant major for 3-7 IN, transferred command and responsibility to Lt. Col. Scott Shaw and Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Galindo, during a ceremony, Jan. 30, on Cottrell Field, Fort Stewart, Ga.
"Today is a bitter sweet day," said Bell. "I am leaving the job I've worked for my entire Army career."
"I stand here having completed a 28 month command where I trained, deployed and redeployed my battalion into combat, and best of all, I brought everyone back," Bell, a native of Valdosta, Ga., added. "I can think of no greater accomplishment."
As his final duty as the senior enlisted adviser for the Cottonbaler Battalion, Dillingham, from Elkton, Ky., passed the unit colors to Bell and passed the noncommissioned officer's sword to Galindo. Passing the sword signifies relinquishing responsibility to the incoming command sergeant major.
"With the click of the sabre and the passing of the colors we now welcome Lt. Col. Scott Shaw and Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Galindo," said Col. Kimo Gallahue, commander of 4th IBCT, 3rd ID. "I'm absolutely confident that they will give the Baler Battalion the leadership and devotion required and deserved. Welcome to the team."
"Cottonbalers, I am proud to join your ranks," said Shaw. "The ranks of Soldiers from this regiment are deep."
"Today we start a new Cottonbaler chapter with the mantle of leadership and responsibility, for the Cottonbaler legacy now belongs to Lt. Col. Scott Shaw," Bell said.
Shaw cited the history of his new unit listing the many historic battles in which 3-7 IN fought from conflict with the British in Canada up to their most recent deployment to Afghanistan.
"This regiment is the most decorated in our Army and you represent it well on the field today," Shaw said. "It's this history you must continue to live into everyday."
"On this, my final day, the good seems to outweigh the bad and I can truly say, this has been the great experience I thought it would be and totally worth the journey to get here," Bell added.
Related Links:
The 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division DVIDS page.
The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Facebook page.
The official 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Facebook page.
The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart website.
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