1-223rd welcomes new commander

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterJuly 6, 2015

1-223rd welcomes new commander
Lt. Col. Paul E. Berg, 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment commander, receives the unit colors from Col. Jayson A. Altieri, 110th Aviation Brigade commander, as he assumes command of the unit from Lt. Col. Todd H. Marshburn during a change of comm... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 6, 2015) -- Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment welcomed a new commander and bid farewell to the outgoing commander during a change of command ceremony on Howze Field June 26.

Lt. Col. Paul E. Berg assumed command of the unit from Lt. Col. Todd H. Marshburn as the unit colors changed hands from one commander to the next.

"I'm truly honored and humbled to stand before you and have the opportunity to command the 1-223rd," said Berg. "(My wife) Tanya and I are excited to be back to Fort Rucker and blessed to be joining the Spartan family. Spartans, you look great this morning and I look forward to training with you."

Col. Jayson A. Altieri, 110th Aviation Brigade commander, presided over the ceremony and said that although the Spartans are saying goodbye to a great leader, he has full confidence in Berg to lead the unit in the right direction.

"The selection of Todd (more than two years ago) was a cornerstone for the success of the (U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence), and allows this Fort Rucker team to train the best combat Aviators in the world," said the brigade commander during the ceremony. "Lieutenant Colonel Marshburn has set the example as a competent, passionate, mission-focused and selfless leader, living the Army values every day.

"But so much as the Spartan team has been fortunate to have Todd as their leader these past two years, the battalion is just as lucky to have Paul Berg taking the helm," he continued. "Paul brings a wealth of leadership experience from his prior service here at Fort Rucker, and a depth of tactical knowledge from his deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. I know that the Spartan battalion will be in good hands."

Berg is no stranger to Fort Rucker, having served as a platoon trainer for the Aviation Officer Basic Course, a small group leader for the Aviation Captains Career Course and commander of D Co., 1st Bn., 145th Avn. Regt.

He returns with a wealth of leadership experience from across the world, including operations officer for C Co., 7th Bn., 101st Avn. Regt. at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; commander of Headquarters Headquarters Company, 9th Bn., 101st Avn. Regt. for the initial invasion of Iraq and operations in Mosul; brigade Aviation officer for 2nd Bde., 1st Cavalry Division with a deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq; and served as the battalion operations officer for 2nd Bn., 227th Avn. Regt., as well as the executive officer for 1st Bn., 227th Avn. Regt. (Attack) with a deployment to Sharana, Afghanistan.

It's that leadership experience that will allow Berg to support the 110th Avn. Bde. as it trains over 2,500 Flight School XXI students and graduate-level Aviators who fly five days a week, 50 weeks a year, totaling more than 200,000 flight hours, said Altieri.

The Spartans operate a diverse fleet of aircraft, including the CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-72 Lakota, TH-67 Creek and Mi-17 helicopters, and Marshburn believes that Berg is up to the task.

"I have been privileged to have served alongside those standing in the field today. I've been fortunate in many ways over these past two years. We've trained and educated a bunch of Aviators, many of them from Day 1 of their Aviation careers," said the outgoing commander. "Having spent the last several weeks with Lt. Col. Paul Berg, I'm excited for the Spartan's future. He and Tanya both share a passion for teaching, and are poised and eager to take the Spartans to the next level. I wish you the best and I want you to enjoy every day because it's going to go by really fast."

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