By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School said farewell to Col. Alexander Lovasz and welcomed Col. Fredrick Parker during a change-of-commandant ceremony Aug. 8 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 Lovasz helped MSCoE “train and drive change” while serving as USACBRNS commandant.

“Col. Lovasz and his team have looked at the pace of change right now in our Army and saw it as an opportunity every single day,” Beck said. “He has led passionately and with extreme energy.”

During his remarks, Lovasz, who will continue to serve MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood as the deputy commanding general, thanked the Soldiers and civilians from the MSCoE and CBRN School for their support.

“I was lucky to serve with some great people,” Lovasz said. “Being your commandant was an honor and a true privilege.”

While welcoming Parker, Beck said he was confident Parker is the right Soldier for the job.

“Fred, Alex did a great job, and you have big shoes to fill, but there is no one that could do this better than you,” Beck said. “Your background is very diverse and traces its roots back to Fort Leonard Wood.”

Parker served as the 3rd Chemical Brigade commander from 2021-2023. He said he was honored to be back as the 35th commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps.

“My mission is clear. To fully support the warfighter and ensure the corps is fully integrated into the protection warfighting function,” Parker said. “I will religiously advocate for modernization, readiness and innovation.”

Parker is coming to Fort Leonard Wood from Washington, D.C., where he served as the executive officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff G-9 (Installations).

To view more photos from the ceremony, visit Fort Leonard Wood’s Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortleonardwood/albums/72177720328256184.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.