ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, First Army U.S. Army Reserve Support Command, welcomed their new commander in a ceremony June 10 at Quarters One here.
Capt. Melanie Klawunder replaced Capt. Laura Esper in a ceremony officiated
by Maj. Gen. Paul Benenati, commander of First Army Reserve Support Command.
Benenati touched on the importance of the detachment commander position.
"Our Army is now designed so that we cannot fight a large-scale conflict without including all three components, and that makes what we do here at First Army more relevant and important than it's ever been," Benenati said. "Standing in front of you is a representative sample of the more than 4400 Army Reserve Soldiers that are assigned to First Army. On a monthly basis, the Soldiers come to work here at First Army headquarters in the same staff section they would be assigned to if they were called to active duty.
"Capt. Laura Esper has served as this augmentation detachment commander during this critical time period, and under her leadership, the team received remarkable results. But it's time for her to leave us and move onto another assignment that will increase her professional development. Her replacement is another highly competent and technical proficient officer. Capt. Klawunder is a United States Military Academy graduate. She has been trained to the highest standard since she entered the Academy. She was an Air Defense Artillery officer…and has qualified to serve in second branch as a logistician. She is the highest caliber of professional leader."
Klawunder welcomed the opportunity to lead the detachment. "I would like to thank Maj. Gen. Benenati for the opportunity to serve him as detachment commander. I am honored," she said. "I would like to thank the Soldiers for the opportunity to serve you as your commander. I look forward to this and look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. All policies and procedures remain in effect. First in Deed."
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