U.S. Army San Antonio Recruiting Battalion welcomes new commander

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – Lt. Col. Patrick Cunningham assumed command of U.S. Army San Antonio Recruiting Battalion, during a ceremony June 21 at Brooke Army Medical Center Amphitheater, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Col. Xavier Colón, the commander of 5th Recruiting Brigade, hosted the ceremony where he congratulated Cunningham on assuming his new command and bid farewell to Lt. Col. Adriana R. Ramirez-Scott.

“As we bid farewell to a great leader, we welcome another, Lt. Col Patrick Cunningham,” said Colón. “I look forward to seeing you take care of our people and their families within this wonderful battalion.”

Cunningham enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1996, serving as an Electronics Technician and Search and Rescue Swimmer. In 2005, he commissioned in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence officer.

Cunningham’s initial assignment was with 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Fort Richardson, Alaska. There he served as a Company Executive Officer, Battalion S2, and Military Training Team advisor while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cunningham assessed as a Civil Affairs officer in 2008 and completed the Civil Affairs Qualification Course and Tagalog language training in 2010. While assigned to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, he served as a Civil Affairs Team Leader, Company Operations Officer, and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer. In 2011, he deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom as part of Special Operations Task Force - West. He later deployed to the Indo-Pacific Area of Operations in 2013 in support of Special Operations Command – Pacific.

Following an Interagency Fellowship with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Cunningham assessed into the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG). While at AWG, he served as a Troop Commander and Squadron Operations Officer conducting strategic scouting and advising missions globally. Most recently, Cunningham served within the Defense Programs Support Activity.

U.S. Army San Antonio Recruiting Battalion’s mission is to recruit qualified men and women from south and central Texas and southern New Mexico, in order to provide the strength needed to uphold and defend Freedom and Democracy.