Chad Ashe
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (June 24, 2022) General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital said farewell to Col. Aaron Pitney and welcomed Col. Stacey Amos during a change-of-command ceremony June 16 on the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Plaza.
Maj. Gen. James Bonner, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, presided over the ceremony, thanking those in attendance and welcoming Pitney’s father, who served on Fort Leonard Wood 75 years ago.
Bonner also spoke about the significance of the hospital’s mission on Fort Leonard Wood.
“We service retirees; we have trainees, a permanent population and veterans — all who used this hospital in a COVID environment,” Bonner said. “It was under (Pitney’s) leadership we were able to pull that off, and his team was phenomenal to watch.”
Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby, Regional Health Command-Central commander at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, hosted the event here.
Bagby thanked the MSCoE leadership for their support to the Army medicine mission here.
“To the Soldiers, civilians and contractors who work every day to provide world-class healthcare to this installation, I want to thank you personally for accomplishing the critical mission for the Army and Department of Defense and exemplifying our priorities of people first, readiness and modernization,” Bagby said.
Bagby noted GLWACH is responsible for more than 100,000 beneficiaries and the 81,000 trainees who cycle through here annually. He added that once COVID-19 was added to (Pitney’s) mission set, the hospital was responsible for testing, treatment and vaccination to ensure a safe and healthy environment for healthcare.
Pitney thanked Bonner and the MSCoE team for the support he received throughout his tenure at GLWACH.
“It’s evident how deeply you care about this community,” Pitney said.
Pitney spoke about the commitment required of the GLWACH staff during the pandemic.
“A few years ago, we made a commitment to this community’s well-being, health and readiness,” Pitney said. “To do so, our team selflessly stretched and challenged itself. They delivered thousands of COVID vaccines; they performed more than 120,000 COVID tests, while running a hospital through a pandemic. What they accomplished serves as an inspiration to each of us.”
Amos, who originally hails from Knob Noster, Missouri, thanked her senior leaders for continuing to acknowledge her potential and providing her this opportunity.
“To the GLWACH and Fort Leonard Wood family, I vow to continue providing the support and guidance needed to care for this great community,” she said. “I grew up in Missouri and I am happy to be home again.”
Amos joins GLWACH from the Office of the Surgeon General, in Falls Church, Virginia, where she served as deputy chief of staff for Quality and Safety.
-30-
About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post 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.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission