FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. — The 1st Aviation Brigade welcomed its new commander during a change of command ceremony at Fort Novosel, Ala., Aug. 25, 2023.
Col. Jason T. Woodward formally assumed command as he accepted the unit colors from Maj. Gen. Michael C. McCurry, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel commander, after Col. Richard P. Tucker relinquished command.
McCurry, who hosted the event, welcomed attendees to the home of Army Aviation, including community leaders and the families of the outgoing and incoming commanders.
“Whatever measure one uses to calculate success, the support of family is surely a key to the equation for both Rich and Jason,” McCurry said.
Honoring the brigade’s history, McCurry said the 1st Aviation Brigade represents the “emergence and preeminence of Army Aviation after its birth.”
Activated in Vietnam, the brigade was commanded by a brigadier general. By 1970 the brigade had more than 27,000 Soldiers and 4,000 helicopters.
Today the brigade is comprised of more Soldiers than any aviation brigade in the Army and executes many functions of the branch and the installation, he added.
McCurry welcomed Woodward and his family to Fort Novosel and 1st Aviation Brigade, as the “right leader at the right time.”
Woodward has served at every level from platoon leader through battalion commander in peacetime and in war, understands training, and is familiar with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, he explained.
“He’s open-eyed about the challenges in front of him to help transform Army aviation for the future and strengthen our profession of arms,” McCurry said.
Woodward enlisted as an infantry man in 1994, attended the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, and commissioned as an aviation second lieutenant in 2003.
Among his assignments, he served as the senior aviation trainer at the National Training Center, and commanded the 4th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. He also served at the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Woodward completed an interagency fellowship in the office of Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He also served as the plans officer for the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.; the operations and command post observer controller-trainer in Aviation Division, Operations Group, Joint Readiness Training Center; and as the operations officer for 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion.
He deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve.
“I am honored and humbled to be counted amongst the Golden Hawks, a team of professionals with extraordinary responsibilities to the Army and Army Aviation,” he said.
He thanked guests and family for their support, McCurry for his trust and confidence, and Tucker for the professional handover.
“I will work hard to continue the work you have done improving the quality of aviation warfighters produced by the Army,” he said. “This opportunity to command is an honor that I do not take lightly,” he said.
McCurry said successful servant leadership is marked by the people they lead, and he lauded Tucker for leading the Golden Hawks with distinction.
The brigade executed 34 programs of instruction for U.S. and international officers and Soldiers, and ensured the training, safety and welfare of more than 4,500 military and civilian personnel, students and their families. It produced more than 8,000 Aviation warfighters for the Army in the operational force, McCurry explained.
Tucker said serving as the 1st Aviation Brigade commander was the “most profoundly impactful position of my career.”
He thanked leaders past and present, family, friends and the local community, and commended the hardworking people of the 1st Aviation Brigade.
“You work tirelessly every day to deliver world-class training, accomplish our operational missions, advance this aviation branch and deliver results. You made lasting impacts …. A job well done, and thank you,” he said.
Tucker will move on to serve as the USAACE chief of staff.
Social Sharing