FORT KNOX, Ky. -- U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Brigade welcomed a new command team during a change of command and change of responsibility ceremony at Fort Knox July 10.
The ceremony was held in Waybur Theatre and observed strict physical and social distancing requirements. COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance to immediate family, ceremony staff and key personnel. Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, officiated and praised outgoing commander Col. Edward Mandril for the many accomplishments of the Medical Recruiting Brigade.
“It’s a privilege to be able to preside over today’s ceremony,” said Muth. “Recruiting for the Army is a unique mission with unique challenges and Col. Mandril faced those challenges head on because of his tremendous leadership over the last 25 months.”
Colonel Gary Cooper became the seventh MRB commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Rosella Scott accepted responsibility as the new senior enlisted leader of the brigade, during the ceremony.
Cooper most recently served as the deputy G4 Office of the Surgeon General/Medical Command at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. He is a native of Albany, Georgia, and was commissioned in the Medical Service Corps from Savannah State University in 1996.
Scott joins the Medical Recruiting Brigade after serving as the USAREC G7/9 Marketing, Education and Outreach Directorate sergeant major. He started his Army career in 1993 as a field artillery cannon crewmember and later reclassified to become a recruiter.
The MRB is responsible for recruiting health care professionals and chaplains to serve Soldiers and their families. The headquarters sits at Fort Knox, with five battalions and 16 companies spread across the United States.
Cooper said he is grateful to lead the MRB.
“I would like to thank Gen Muth for the opportunity to take command and for the chance to be a part of this amazing and remarkable organization,” said Cooper. “It’s a true honor and privilege to take command of a unit that has a unique and vital responsibility to recruit the very best.”
Scott said he too is honored to join the Medical Recruiting Brigade.
“Our leaders, Soldiers and civilian staff will keep our brigade ready and relevant if we continue to think medical recruiting, talk medical recruiting, promote medical recruiting, and labor for medical recruiting,” he said.
Mandril thanked everyone present, and had special words of appreciation for both his staff and the recruiters in the field.
“I’d like to thank our outstanding recruiters, the center of gravity for the brigade, for being committed to the vision and plan that Command Sgt. Maj. Castellano and I set forth,” said Mandrill. “Without their hard work, dedication to their profession and commitment to excellence, we would be no better than previous years. Together as a team, as Highlanders, we were perfect in achieving our recruiting missions.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Castellano Jr., the outgoing command sergeant major, expressed his deepest gratitude to the leaders and Soldiers of the unit.
“Recruiting can bring on many challenges, but you managed to balance your professional and personal responsibilities,” said Castellano. “It is important to me that you know that your hard work does not go unnoticed.”
Mandril will be assigned to NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Castellano is retiring from the U.S. army after 28 years of service.
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