A left-shoulder patch on an Army uniform serves as a beacon to highlight a Soldier's unit, so when a Soldier changes units, the patch also changes. However, when an entire unit's hierarchy changes, a patching ceremony happens.
The 94th Training Division symbolized the 4th Brigade Health Services transition to its division during a patching ceremony held at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, on November 3, 2017.
Although, the 4th Brigade will now fall under the command and control of the 94th TD - which is headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia - the brigade will remain headquartered at San Antonio, Texas.
"Today is more than a realignment, it is a homecoming," said Brig. Gen. Hector Lopez, the commanding general for the 94th TD. "The addition of the 4th Brigade to the 94th Division represents the consolidation and synchronization of all Army Reserve Total Army School System Sustainment under one command, allowing America's Army Reserve to more effectively and precisely train Soldiers."
The 94th TD supports the 80th Training Command's mission of providing essential training.
Originally established in 1917 as an Infantry Division, the 80th Training Command now trains Soldiers in 12 career military field for combat support and combat service support, including engineering, health services, and information operations.
"We support security initiatives across the globe and continue to deploy Soldiers in support of contingency operations," Lopez added. "With all the complexities of the TASS mission, it is essential you never lose sight of the fact that we exist not to teach classes but to generate readiness for combatant commanders across the globe."
During the ceremony, the Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade removed their previous higher headquarters patch from their left shoulder, so Lopez could replace it with the 94th TD patch.
"The last component of Sustainment ... is health support services, comprised of the diverse capabilities you bring to the fight." Lopez said of the Soldiers of the newest brigade within the division.
"As the 94th Training Division, we strive to bring the same dedication, fortitude, ability to minimize shortfalls and skill at leveraging opportunities to the unique challenges we face as a training division," Lopez said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Sharon Campbell, the command sergeant major for the 94th TD assisted Lopez during the ceremony along with the 4th Brigade's leadership team. Col. Kulvinder Bajwa and Command Sgt. Maj. George McCarthy.
"Wars are not only won on the field," said Bajwa, the commander of the 4th Brigade. "We have to train and execute before the wars."
Bajwa explained that the 4th Brigade will be a force that will write its own history while under the 94th TD, and their expertise as combat medics will be invaluable in generating training and equipped Soldiers capable of winning the Nation's wars.
In 2007 and under the 100th Training Division, the 4th Brigade consisted of instructors teaching the dentistry specialist military occupational specialty along with enlisted leader courses to all Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Knox, Ky.
The unit eventually moved its enlisted leader courses to Fort Knox for all medical military occupational specialties, but the brigade continues to train all Army components.
After the ceremony, with the patches of the old unit tucked away and the new 94th TD patch rightly displayed, the Soldiers of the 4th Brigade dispersed to continue their mission to train the most capable, combat-ready Soldiers in health services.
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