FORT DRUM, New York – Fort Drum’s Soldier Recovery Unit welcomed its new commander and bid farewell to the outgoing senior leader during a change of command ceremony at Fort Drum’s Magrath Sports Complex, July 17, 2025.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Lisa M. Heiss relinquished command of the SRU to Lt. Col. Jacob G. Ragsdale.
“Upon my assumption of command two years ago, the responsibility and authority were placed upon me to make decisions affecting the Army, the Soldiers, and civilians serving, as well as their families,” Heiss said during the ceremony. “I never took this responsibility lightly and was often burdened with the task of finding the balance between the needs of the Army and the Soldier.”
Heiss, a Wessington Springs, South Dakota native, assumed command of the SRU in June 2023. During that time, she spearheaded the establishment of the Adaptive Reconditioning Program, providing Soldiers in recovery with an avenue to pursue holistic healing through physical and therapeutic activities crucial for their recovery. As a result, the SRU saw a 10% increase in return-to-duty rates for Soldiers who would have otherwise transitioned back into civilian life.
“I know my decisions impacted this organization, as well as the lives of the Soldiers and staff assigned and attached here,” Heiss said. However, each and every person (who) passed through the SRU doors also uniquely shaped me. I am deeply honored to have had this opportunity.”
Ragsdale, a National Guard officer and Johnston City, Illinois native, comes to the SRU from his previous assignment in Arlington, Virginia, where he served as the National Guard Bureau’s branch chief for the Collective Training Branch.
Speaking to the Soldiers in attendance, Ragsdale said, “My goal is to be a leader who will support you, listen to you, and work with you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. You are the reason I am here in this position.”
Overseeing the ceremony was Col. Christina M. Buchner, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity – Fort Drum, the SRU’s higher headquarters. As part of the traditional change of command, Heiss ceremonially passed the unit’s flag, or colors, to Buchner, signifying the end of Heiss’s tenure as commander.
Buchner then passed the colors to Ragsdale, signifying her confidence in the new commander’s capabilities as a leader, officially starting his tenure as commander. Ensuring the colors are always in someone’s hands throughout the passing of the colors signifies that the unit and its Soldiers are never without leadership.
The SRU accomplishes its unique mission by providing high-quality healthcare case management for Soldiers in recovery, promoting an environment that facilitates healing and enables Soldiers’ timely return to their units or transition to civilian life.
“For more than a decade, the Soldier Recovery Units, formerly known as Warrior Transition Units, have stood as a beacon of hope and healing for our nation’s most precious resource; our wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers,” Buchner said. “Born from the imperative to provide dedicated care and support during the most challenging times, the Fort Drum SRU has consistently adapted and evolved.”
“(The SRU) serves a critical role within the broader Army Recovery Care Program, ensuring that those who have sacrificed so much receive the comprehensive care they need to heal, reintegrate, or transition successfully,” Buchner added. “Our mission here is unique in its breadth, managing the care for the total military force within our reach.”
Under her leadership, Heiss led the SRU to care for hundreds of medically complex Soldiers, fostered change in the Army Recovery Care Program to improve the quality of care for Soldiers in recovery, and built upon strong partnerships with the Fort Drum community to ensure critical resources were available to support the SRU’s extensive mission.
“These achievements were not accidental,” Buchner said. “They are a direct testament to Lt. Col. Heiss’s unparalleled tenacity, her sharp intellect, and her unwavering resilience.”
Heiss’s next assignment will bring her to Arlington, Virginia, where she will serve as a strategic planner in the National Guard Bureau Chief’s Action Group, a staff element within NGB responsible for coordinating and synchronizing actions across the National Guard’s footprint.
For additional photos from the event, visit the Fort Drum MEDDAC Flickr page here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCnb9w.
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