'It's great to be back' post commander says

By Mr. Robert Timmons (IMCOM)June 29, 2018

180622-A-ZN169-158
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

After Brig. Gen. Milford "Beags" Beagle Jr. took command of Fort Jackson he and his wife Pamela spoke briefly about what returning to the installation and South Carolina meant to him.

"On behalf of my wife and two sons, I would like to say how great it is to be back at Fort Jackson," he said. "The heat reminded us of that today when we were out there, so we knew for sure we're in the right place and we didn't get the address wrong."

This is not Beagle's first tour at Fort Jackson; he commanded the 193rd Infantry Brigade.

"It's great to be back here with this mission," he added. "The work that the community, the post leaders here and (Maj. Gen. John "Pete") Johnson has done has been phenomenal."

Beagle said one part of his mission as Fort Jackson commander would be to stay "relevant."

"The one key point is always remain relevant," he said. "So everything that has been built and established over time … remain relevant for tomorrow."

Our key goal and mission remains training Soldiers so that they are relevant. In the times that we are in, the uncertainty that is out there, we can't prepare Soldiers for everything. But we can train them for the readiness that is required by the Army.

"It is the number one priority and it is what we will do."

Beagle said returning back to South Carolina brought back "fun, fond memories" of growing up here including the weather.

"You know the heat definitely reminds you that you are back home."

For him, being back at Fort Jackson has special significance because he cherishes being around the troops.

"As a Soldier you always love being around Soldiers. So you go out every morning at 0500 in the morning and you stand outside Fort Jackson and you can hear the voices (of thousands of Soldiers training) … If that doesn't give you goosebumps nothing else will."

The South Carolina State graduate and father of two, said he is looking forward to leading an installation as important to the Army as Fort Jackson is.

A retired general officer said to him "'if you stop doing what you do here for 30 days, the Army would come to a grinding halt …' The 70,000 Soldiers that come through Fort Jackson, that's more than the three other training installations combined."

It is also important the community knows their family members are in good hands when they arrive for training.

Beagle said he wanted parents to know their sons and daughters "are safe when they come here.

We're dealing with our nation's most precious resource and our responsibility to is to get them trained and get them on to their next assignment. It is our job to take care of them and to make sure all those things happen."

Another of Beagle's aims is to inspire others in order to create motivated Soldiers.

"You can't motivate if you are not inspired yourself," Beagle said. "We have to inspire because nobody's gonna follow uninspired leaders … anybody can provide direction, but it is the great ones that can provide motivation."