CAMP MABRY, Texas - The proud servicemen and women of the Texas Army National Guard gather with their unit flags, streamers and guidons on the Camp Mabry parade field in Austin, Texas, to welcome a new commander of the 36th Infantry Division and bid farewell to a seasoned leader during a change of command and pass in review ceremony June 21, 2014.
Outgoing commander Maj. Gen. James K. "Red" Brown passed the division colors and ceremoniously relinquished command of the 36th Inf. Div. to Brig. Gen. Lester "Les" Simpson.
Accompanied by Brig. Gen. Simpson and Division Command Sgt. Maj. John F. Sampa, Maj. Gen. Brown performed a final review of the historic 36th Infantry Division units and troops in front of gathered families, friends and fellow Soldiers.
Maj. Gen. Brown assumed command of the division in January 2012 and commanded the 56th Brigade Combat Team during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. For his next military assignment, Maj. Gen. Brown will serve as the deputy commanding general-operations for First United States Army based in Rock Island, Ill.
The incoming commander, Brig. Gen. Simpson, assumes command of the 36th Inf. Div., becoming the 17th commanding general in the history of the unit. His previously served as the special assistant to the director of the Army National Guard at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Antoinette, join the 36th Inf. Div. family with their adult children: Lester Jr., Solomon, Nathan and Morgan.
The 36th Division was originally organized at Camp Bowie on July 18, 1917, and was called the "Texas Division," and the "T-Patchers." The division, comprised of Texas and Oklahoma National Guard units, fought in numerous offenses in World War I and World War II, and were awarded 12 presidential unit citations.
Activated again Jan. 15, 1968, the "Arrowhead" division was part of the Texas National Guard during the Cold War. From 1968 to 2004, the division's lineage was carried by the 71st Airborne Brigade and, upon its deactivation, by the 36th Brigade of the 49th Armored Division.
On May 1, 2004, the 36th Infantry Division was reactivated and has been fighting in the global war on terror. The unit's most recent service was as United States Division -- South for Operation New Dawn in Iraq. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the unit has deployed Soldiers to Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq and Kosovo.
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