The Fort Jackson Dental Activity held a change of command ceremony at the Joe E. Mann Center .July 20 where Col. Dan Fong relinquished command to Col. Douglas Lancaster.
Fong has commanded Fort Jackson DENTAC since 2015 and is leaving for a position at Joint Base Lewis- McChord.
"I will surely miss all of you," Fong told the audience following the ceremony. "Thank you for supporting me and steering me on the right path for the last three years. And I'd like to thank all the commanders here at Fort Jackson for providing me with wisdom and assisting me on my growth as a leader."
A New Orleans native, Lancaster's previous assignments include dean of the Army Post Graduate Dental School and chief of Graduate Dental Education, Joint Base San Antonio--Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He also served as assistant program director for the Army Advanced Education Program in Periodontics in Fort Gordon, Georgia, and as officer in charge of Pope Dental Clinic in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"I am very happy to be taking the reins at Fort Jackson," Lancaster said. Between assignments at Forts Gordon and Bragg, he said he frequently passed the exit on I-20 leading to Fort Jackson.
"I've tried for a long time to get stationed at Fort Jackson," Lancaster said. "At this point I've finally made it."
Lancaster comes with a reputation of outstanding leadership, teamwork and accomplishing the mission, said Col. Samuel L. Jamison, Health Command-Atlantic commander.
"I'm honored to be standing before you as we witness this change of command between these excellent officers, who I've had the privileged of working with in the past," Jamison said.
Fort Jackson DENTAC is unique be because of the mission it provides, Jamison said.
Under Fong, Jamison said DENTAC has maintained a dental readiness of 98 percent, where the standard is 95 percent, and wellness over 70 percent where the standard is 65 percent.
"Under his leadership the DENTAC served over 120,000 Soldiers and has successfully graduated 24 residents from the (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) residency," he said. "This is a great measure of success."
Lancaster is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and received his DMD degree at the University Of Connecticut School Of Dental Medicine. He completed the AEGD-12 month program at Fort Benning and residency training in periodontics at the Army Advanced Education Program in Periodontics in Fort Gordon. He received a master's degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.
Lancaster has been married for 27 years to his wife, Sarah, and has two sons, 1st Lt. Hayden Lancaster, USMC, and 1st Lt. Austin Lancaster, USMC.
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