FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School said farewell to Brig. Gen. W Bochat and Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Quitugua, and welcomed Col. Alexander Lovasz and Command Sgt. Maj. David Henderson, during a dual change-of-commandant and change-of-responsibility ceremony Aug. 1 on the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Plaza.
The reviewing officer for the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, said regimental leaders train Soldiers and drive change — and both Bochat and Quitugua, “have done an incredible job of leading this regiment.”
“We are just seeing the beginning of what we’re going to see out of you two as future leaders,” Beck said. “I thank you both for the incredible leadership that you have provided, to not only to the Chemical Regiment and the entirety of the Chemical Corps, but also the Maneuver Support Center (of Excellence) — thank you very much.”
Of Lovasz and Henderson, Beck said, “we are excited to have them be part of our team.”
“The Army does an incredible job of finding the right folks to backfill and carry on and build on the momentum created,” Beck said. “We look forward to working with you, supporting you, and seeing where you continue to build on the success that your predecessors have laid for you — taking the regiment to its next level. It remains an exciting time, where we all must really own our job, own our responsibility and drive change, and we look forward to working with you and helping enable your success.”
Quitugua, who moves on to perform operations, plans and training duties with U.S. Army Installation Management Command at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, said he couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments made by the USACBRNS command team — he thanked the service members and civilians of the Fort Leonard Wood community, who helped make he and his family feel valued from the beginning.
“This organization, these leaders, my Soldiers, this community have made me and my family feel simply this — valued,” Quitugua said. “Being a Soldier is hard, even on the best of days, so to be able to come into work, each and every day, and know that your contributions matter; your guidance and feedback was useful; that your leadership and presence truly and genuinely made a difference. This is what I felt each and every day coming into work, and I only hope it was evident to you — that these feelings were absolutely, unequivocally, 100% reciprocated from my end as well.”
Quitugua also welcomed Henderson back to Fort Leonard Wood — Henderson previously served as a MSCoE NCO Academy senior leader — adding he couldn’t be happier to turn the reins over and watch, “as you take this already great organization to even greater heights.”
Henderson, who most recently served as the command sergeant major at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, thanked his family, and the leaders, mentors and Soldiers, who have left “an indelible mark” on him throughout his career.
“It’s the reason why I am who I am today,” Henderson said.
After thanking Bochat and Quitugua for an easy transition into his new role, Henderson told Lovasz and the Army Chemical community he looks forward to transforming and modernizing the regiment, “to be lighter, faster and better, as we build for the Army of 2040 and beyond.”
“I am honored, humbled and absolutely excited to be your regimental command sergeant major, and I am ready to work for you,” Henderson said.
Bochat, who will next serve as the commanding general of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives Command, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, said it has been “a true honor to serve as your 33rd chief of CBRN and commandant of the U.S. Army CBRN School.”
Bochat also thanked the CBRN School team.
“We made the world a better place, ensuring we protected the nation’s treasure from CBRN effects,” Bochat said. “We made Fort Leonard Wood a place to come and make change. We made this a team, and we made this a family.”
Lovasz arrives at Fort Leonard Wood from the Pentagon, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff-G8 (Full Dimension Protection).
He thanked Beck for entrusting him, “with the care of this regiment,” and Bochat for, “the unwavering support throughout this transition.”
“I am humbled to take the reigns of this regiment and fortunate to have my battle buddy, Sergeant Major Henderson, at my side,” Lovasz said. “As we execute our core functions, assess, protect and mitigate, we must be prepared to continue to modernize for the future. We must continue our sacred mission to train this regiment and develop the leaders of tomorrow.”
As the Army’s most-precious commodity, Lovasz added, “we must continue to care for our people.”
“From the ones who write the doctrine and the policy, to the ones who transform the training curriculum, so our force can adopt new (tactics, techniques and procedures), we are all part of what makes this regiment amazing and great. The dynamic nature of the world today requires us to be prepared for the ever-changing environment. All I ask for is your help, to ensure that this regiment is ready, trained and prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
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