Major General Thomas R. Tempel Jr. relinquished command of the Western Regional Medical Command to incoming commander Col. Christopher A. Gruber during a ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Nov. 24.
The ceremony was officiated by Maj. Gen. Barbara R. Holcomb, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Command.
As part of a time-honored tradition, the trio passed the unit colors, symbolizing the formal transfer of authority and accountability from one leader to another.
The WRMC senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Tabitha A. Gavia, handed the colors to Tempel, symbolizing her last act of allegiance as the senior adviser to the outgoing commanding general. Tempel then passed the colors to Holcomb, signifying the return of the command that was entrusted upon him.
Holcomb then passed the colors to Gruber, demonstrating her confidence in his ability to handle the responsibility of command. Lastly, Gruber passed the unit colors back to Gavia completing the traditional passing of the colors to demonstrate his first act as commander of WRMC.
During the ceremony Holcomb spoke of the impact of Tempel's leadership and his contributions to Army Medicine, Soldiers and families.
"Western Regional Medical Command, under Major General Tempel's leadership, has been one of the MEDCOM leaders in providing outstanding care and developing partnerships to meet the health needs of our Soldiers and our families," she said.
Tempel's dedication to his work and team efforts have been instrumental in the success of the unit, Holcomb said. She added that Tempel's care and compassion to service members was first rate.
Holcomb also thanked Tempel's family for their dedication and contributions.
"The military families are the foundation of all we will ever do in building the future of Army Medicine and the future of the Army," Holcomb said. "I thank Kathy (Tempel's wife) and Allison (Tempel's daughter) for their role in supporting the military families and for being part of the Army Medicine family."
After commanding Western Regional Medical Command for 14 months, Tempel and his family will be assigned to Regional Health Command-Central in San Antonio.
During the ceremony, Tempel thanked his leadership, civilian partners, the JBLM community and Gruber for all the support given throughout his time at JBLM. He added that he trusts the unit is in good hands under the leadership of Gruber.
"I will tell you that as I leave here, Col. Christopher Gruber is truly an excellent commander," he said. "I have absolutely 100 percent confidence in him."
Gruber temporarily takes the reigns as the commander after serving as Western Regional Medical Command chief of staff. He will serve as commander until Col. Ronald Stephens assumes command in 2016.
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