YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea -- Soldiers assigned to the 2501st Digital Liaison Detachment bid farewell to one commander and welcomed another during a brief ceremony at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, July 8.
Col. John G. Hines assumed command of the 2501st DLD from Col. Jamal E. Wigglesworth who leaves the detachment for Fort Lee, Va.
Prior to the ceremony, Eighth Army Deputy Commanding General for Operations, Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Graves, who presided over the event, presented Wigglesworth with the Legion of Merit for his outstanding service as a commander of 2501st DLD.
Graves praised Wigglesworth's accomplishments while expressing confidence in Hines.
"Col. Wigglesworth's outgoing personality, good nature and desire for excellence has nurtured the relationship between our two Armies and created a powerful organization. He is simply the best and everyone will miss his leadership," Graves said. "Fortunately, we have a great new colonel: John Hines. John has all of the perfect qualifications to command this detachment."
Wigglesworth expressed pride in his accomplishments during his time in command.
"Not only did we redefine our integration methods within the [Republic of Korea Army] staffs, but we built relationships with the Republic of Korea senior noncommissioned officer corps through our sergeant major and senior NCOs, enhancing awareness of combined individual training and education," said Wigglesworth. "We became the only active DLD sought after by the Center for Army Lessons Learned, the Army War College and other provisional liaison units because of our success with our allied partners here on the Korean peninsula."
Hines comes to the 2501st DLD from Joint Force Headquarters, Department of Defense Information Networks, Fort Meade, Md.
He said he was excited about the challenges and rewards of his new command.
"I feel confidence, capability and professionalism when the unit conducts its mission," Hines said. "I'm excited to take on this challenge of becoming Digital Warrior Six."
Hines was born and raised Oriental, North Carolina. He received his active duty commission in 1991, as a field artillery officer after graduating from East Carolina University. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Kuwait Defense Service Medal and the NATO Medal.
2501st DLD, headquartered in Yongsan, South Korea, provides continuous liaison capability between Eighth Army, First Republic of Korea Army and Third Republic of Korea Army to enable mutual understanding and unity of effort through coordination, information exchanges, and the integration of war-fighting capabilities.
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