FORT EUSTIS, Va. - The 93d Signal Brigade held a change of command ceremony today on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, welcoming Col. William M. Martin as he assumed command and bidding farewell to Col. Kristy Perry.
Col. Perry, who has commanded the 93d Signal Brigade since June 2021, passed the group's colors to Col. Martin. The passing of the colors is an Army tradition symbolizing the passing of responsibility from one commander to another.
Brig. Gen. Charles “Rob” Parker, Commanding General, 7th Signal Command (Theater), and Deputy Commanding General, Network Enterprise Technology Command, hosted the ceremony. In his remarks, Brig. Gen. Parker reflected on some of Col. Perry’s significant accomplishments over the last two years.
“Col. Perry and the 93d Signal Brigade played a crucial role in assisting the Army Chief of Staff and TRADOC in establishing a critical Soldier Prep Course Initiative,” said Parker. “Installing over 69 wireless access points and re-imaging over 100 computers to support over 3,000 students in an incredibly short amount of time…significantly contributed to meeting the Army’s retention and recruiting goals over this past year.”
Brig. Gen. Parker also recognized the Civilian formation that took part in the ceremony next to their Soldier counterparts, and noted the important role that Civilians play throughout the Department of the Army.
“The Army Civilian force, established 17 years ago, is a critical part of the Army team,” said Parker. “Alongside our Soldiers, our professional government Civilians strengthen our greatness by supporting our warfighters and providing leadership, stability, and continuity here in both war and peace.”
In her remarks, Col. Perry expressed gratitude towards the Soldiers and Civilians of the brigade for their dedication and efforts throughout her tenure as commander. She praised their outstanding performance, attributing the unit's success to their hard work.
“We in the 93d recognized our Army’s shift to become more ready, lethal, and modernized,” said Col. Perry. “We know that communications underpin all of those areas and we are responsible to secure, defend that.”
Col. Perry’s next assignment is as executive officer to Lt. Gen. Maria R. Gervais, Deputy Commanding General, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
The brigade’s new commander, Col. William Martin, began his military career in 1993, enlisting in the Army as a Single Channel Radio Operator. Upon his graduation from Florida A&M
University in 2000, he commissioned through ROTC. Prior to assuming command of the 93d Signal Brigade, Col. Martin served as a J-6 Plans and Operations Officer at Joint Special Operations Command and the ACoS, G-6 for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Most recently, COL Martin completed the Army War College as a Fellow at William & Mary.
The 93rd Signal Brigade commands, controls, and defends the Eastern region of the LandWarNet (LWN) in the continental United States and supports operating and generating forces engaged in full spectrum operations enhancing battle command through the transparent delivery of LWN capabilities. The brigade was originally constituted as the 93d Signal Battalion on 3 November 1941 and activated on 15 May 1942 at Camp Crowder, Missouri. 93d Signal Battalion served in Luxemburg for the duration of the Ardennes Campaign and deployed into Germany on 9 March 1945 until the end of the war. 93d Signal Battalion was inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia on 3 January 1946.
93d Signal Battalion was then reactivated on 24 February 1955 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and was inactivated on 21 September 1972. On 16 March 1981, the 93d Signal Brigade was activated in Germany, and deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 with 7th (VII) Corps in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. At their conclusion, the brigade was deactivated.
In February 1998, the 93d Signal Brigade was activated at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where it would remain for almost 10 years. Elements of the brigade deployed multiple times in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The 93d Signal Brigade was then deactivated and reflagged as the 35th Signal Brigade on 16 April 2007. In 2008, the 93d Signal Brigade would again call Fort Eustis, Virginia its home, this time as part of the newly formed 7th Signal Command (Theater).
93d Signal Brigade honors include Campaign streamers for participation in World War II, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, Southwest Asia, Defense of Saudi Arabia; liberation and defense of Kuwait; and the cease-fire ending Operation Desert Storm.
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