FORT SILL, Okla. (June 22, 2023.) — A centuries-old tradition was carried out on the Old Post Quadrangle in a change of command ceremony for the 75th Field Artillery Brigade Thursday June 22, 2023.
Col. David Norris relinquished command to Col. Stephen Walker under a cloudless Oklahoma sky with Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commanding general III Corps and Fort Cavazos, serving as the reviewing officer.
In his remarks, Bernabe lauded Norris’ performance as commander of the Diamond Brigade and his development and implementation of the Diamond Program, a program designed to develop leaders and promote unit cohesion within the brigade.
“David Norris has built a culture of readiness within the Diamond Brigade that, frankly, is unmatched elsewhere in Third Armored Corps,” said Bernabe. “Dave knew that at the foundation of this culture of readiness had to be a culture where we value, and we care for our people. To meet that challenge, Dave developed the Diamond Program. A program designed to hear from soldiers and their families to develop leaders who are proficient, engaged and empathetic and to build teams that are inclusive, cohesive and disciplined.”
After leaving Fort Sill and the Diamond Brigade, Norris will take over as Chief of Staff, 1st Armored Division, at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Bernabe then welcomed Walker to III Corps and the 75th Field Artillery Brigade.
“Steve is absolutely an experienced artilleryman and Fires expert who has a very broad background with tactical, operational and strategic levels of war,” Bernabe said. “He has a reputation that precedes him as a warfighter and as a problem solver. So, Steve Walker, welcome to the Third Armored Corps. We're certainly glad you're here and look forward to serving with you.”
Walker joins the Corps and Brigade after serving as a Secretary of Defense Executive Fellow at Pratt & Whitney in their Advanced Military Engines Program Division- GatorWorks.
Walker is a native of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery from the United States Military Academy in 1999. He has been married to Traci (Lutz) Walker from Williamsport, Pennsylvania for 24 years and they have three children together.
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