FORT KNOX, Ky. — After being cased for seven years, the blue and white colors of V Corps’ Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion fly again, this time over Central Kentucky, where leaders from units across Fort Knox gathered at the Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude Complex Oct. 2 to welcome the post’s newest mission partner.
Soldiers from the battalion stood in formation in front of a large V Corps insignia mounted on a building at their new home in the Maude Complex. As a precursor to the corps activation ceremony coming in two weeks, leaders and Soldiers celebrated months of work needed to stand up a three-star command from scratch.
“The Soldiers in formation look fantastic! What a great display of the pride and professionalism that resides within this organization,” said Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, commanding general of V Corps. “The Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, also known as the HHBn., is the foundation for this corps headquarters.
“Make no mistake, the hard work of the Soldiers of HHBn. has been paramount in setting the groundwork for our activation.”
Kolasheski told the crowd gathered that the battalion has a unique mission set of providing support not only to corps and leaders at Fort Knox but also to those who will be forward-deployed to Poland.
He shared a little about the century-old history of V Corps and its headquarters battalion, which was organized July 7-12, 1918 in France. True to its European roots, the battalion will stay connected to Europe as Soldiers from the battalion will serve there on a rotational basis.
The battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Otha Holmes, told the crowd the support he and his troops have received from their families was critical to the success of their efforts.
“A normal PCS [move] is stressful. Standing up a new unit is challenging. PCSing and activating a unit during a pandemic cannot be done without the understanding and patience of our spouses and families,” said Holmes. “We owe you all a tremendous amount of gratitude. Thank you for your unconditional support.”
Holmes described what he considered to be the outstanding traits of Soldiers and leaders.
“Then there are people who put everyone’s needs above their own; individuals that know effective leadership is a delicate combination of integrity, perseverance, technical knowledge, mission awareness, and having a genuine concern for Soldiers,” said Holmes. “I call these individuals — sergeants major.”
Holmes told his senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Ricardo Batiz-Torres, that he was excited to be his team member and battle buddy as they take the unit through its newest chapter.
After the ceremony, Batiz-Torres said he too is excited to lead the unit.
“It’s going to be interesting following in the footsteps of everybody who paved the way of Fifth Corps in the past, and all the things they did in Europe,” said Batiz-Torez. “Now it’s up to us to continue that legacy and make it even better.”
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Editor’s Note: For more photos, go to the official Fort Knox Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortknoxky/albums/72157716225444767.
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