FORT BENNING, Ga., (June 8, 2016) -- Fort Benning welcomed Brig. Gen. John Kolasheski June 3 at the Benning Club as the 50th chief of armor and the commandant of the U.S. Army Armor School. The previous chief of armor was Brig. Gen. Scott McKean.
Prior to coming to Fort Benning, Kolasheski was the deputy commanding general (Maneuver) for the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He has also served as both executive officer and later special assistant to the commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Kolasheski's resume is something that Brig. Gen. Eric Wesley, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, made a note of during the ceremony.
"You don't come to be the commandant unless you are the very best and on that measure it's no shock that John Kolasheski was handpicked, in fact diverted from another assignment when this job came open," said Wesley.
Kolasheski was deployed in support of operations Desert Strike, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He has traveled to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Germany.
He is a graduate of Bucknell University with a bachelor's degree in management. Kolasheski also holds master's degrees in engineering management and simulations and training systems designs from the University of Central Florida, as well as a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
"He is one incredible officer," Wesley said. "He is profoundly competent, he is a gentleman, he's a team player and he is wicked smart."
Kolasheski took a moment to thank those who provided mentorship and friendship over the years, including retired Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, a former Fort Benning commander. He also thanked his wife, Buffy, his three daughters and his parents for their support.
"It truly feels like fate that Buffy and I would be fortunate enough to come back to Fort Benning under the Maneuver Center of Excellence umbrella," Kolasheski said.
This is not the first time that Kolasheski has been to Fort Benning. He was the commander of 3rd Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning from June 2006 to July 2008.
"I am deeply honored to have this privilege of being the 50th chief of armor here at Fort Benning under the Maneuver Center of Excellence," Kolasheski said.
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