MEDCoE holds change of command ceremony

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas—The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence held a change of command ceremony where Maj. Gen. Michael J. Talley relinquished command to Brig. Gen. Clinton K. Murray, Nov. 17, 2023, on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Army Lt. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr., commanding general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, commandant, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and Deputy Commanding General for Combined Arms, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, presided over the ceremony.

As he addressed the audience, Beagle commended Talley on his dedication to the mission, and the “roll up your sleeves” mentality of the MEDCoE team.

“It’s about how he has chosen to lead,” Beagle said. “Mike is deeply committed to his profession, his soldiers, his civilian professionals and his leaders. “What he and Command Sgt. Maj. Laragione have accomplished as a command team is nothing short of outstanding but is not at all surprising. MEDCoE is the epitome of discipline, hard work and organization. It shows in their training, it shows in their team mentality, and it shows in the Soldiers that they produce.”

Talley took the reins of MEDCoE June 23, 2022, and his remarks reflected on the importance of the command’s mission and how proud he is of the people who ensure MEDCoE’s success.

“I stand before you very humble and grateful for the opportunity to command the Medical Center of Excellence. But at the same time a little sad to be leaving extraordinary people,” said Talley. “They understand the importance of not only their daily tasks, but they understand their purpose. They work hard to ensure that our men and women are trained to the best of their ability because it will save lives on the battlefield. That’s what drives the population here, military and civilian, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything that they do.”

Talley began his life of service in the Army when he enlisted as a combat medic in 1983, training in the very unit he later commanded. In 1989, he earned a Green-to-Gold scholarship and was commissioned as a medical service corps officer. Throughout his career he has served several combat tours and has led troops at every level. His next assignment will be to serve as the chief of staff of U.S. Army Medical Command.

As he closed, Talley said “Clint Murray is the right leader at the right time for the right job. We’ve had the privilege of serving before, and he’s done amazing things. He’s going to take the Medical Center of Excellence to new heights. I have no doubt about it.”

During his address to the audience, Murray emphasized the importance of medical support to our nation’s warfighters, and outlined the many different ways Army Medicine and its Soldiers make a difference in the mindset of deployed troops.

“I think the most important thing that they [Soldiers] know is if someone calls out for a medic, the next thing they will see is someone low crawling or sprinting to the sound of need surrounded by the sound of gunfire,” Murray said. “And that person is going to save a life; that person is going to save a limb; that person is going to conserve fighting strength. And all of that, all of that, starts here. Absolutely starts here. Every Soldier—officer and enlisted—comes here to be educated and trained to ensure they know how to conserve fighting strength.”

Murray, an internist and infectious disease physician, comes to MEDCoE after serving as the commanding general of Medical Readiness Command, Europe, command surgeon of U.S. Army Europe-Africa, and director of Defense Health Agency Region-Europe. He served in multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and continues to serve as a professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and a Master of the American College of Physicians.

As he concluded, Murray, told the MEDCoE staff he looks forward to working with them.

“We have to be our best on their worst day and I know we will do it and I look forward to doing that with you each and every day moving forward.”

To learn more about the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, visit www.medcoe.army.mil.