by Dawn Arden
Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (May 3, 2018) — The U.S. Army Prime Power School held a change of command and relinquishment of responsibility during a combined ceremony Monday in the Engineer Regimental Room of the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex on Fort Leonard Wood.

Prime Power School Commandant and Commander of the 249th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Lt. Col. Daniel Kent, presided over the change of command from Chief Warrant Officer 5 Corey Hill to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Donald Bond.

Kent commended Hill on his many accomplishments while commanding the school.

“(Hill) pushed the Prime Power School to maintain its TRADOC accreditation, earn recognition as a TRADOC Institution of Excellence and postured for the continued success by implementing an accreditation plan,” Kent said. “He even developed a strategy, looking far to the future, for updating programs of instruction when the Army fields a new model of generator to the Prime Power School in 2020.”

Kent said he knows Bond will strive daily to continue improving the already high-performing organization.

“Chief Bond, I know you’ve had a seamless transition and will continue to provide the talented leadership this organization demands,” Kent said. “I have absolute faith and confidence in your leadership ability. You are well prepared to lead the Prime Power School for the challenges we face today and those that are yet to come.”

Bond accepted the challenge, saying he is looking forward to taking the school’s legacy into the future.

“We have been blessed with the opportunity to pass on our knowledge to young men and women who will be sent around the world in support of our national defense,” he said. “Their success in the operational environment hinges on our success to institutionally educate them.”

Following the change of command ceremony, the school said farewell to 1st Sgt. Barry Newnam II with a relinquishment of responsibility ceremony overseen by Command Sgt. Maj. Faith Alexander, 249th Engineer Battalion.

“Some people go above and beyond the call of duty, and 1st Sgt. Newnam is one of them,” Alexander said. “The United States Army Prime Power School’s success has a great deal to do with the leadership of 1st Sgt. Newnam. He has high standards and he pushes his organization. He is a passionate leader and he truly cares about the quality of services rendered.”

Newnam, who is retiring, thanked the staff and faculty for their support during his tenure at the school.

“I am thankful for my time rendered to me to serve as the first sergeant of U.S. Army Prime Power School,” he said. “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to uphold a positive-driven standard, contributing to a team of true professionals.”

Newnam’s replacement has yet to be named and will assume responsibility at a later date.

The U.S. Army Prime Power School is a tenant unit on Fort Leonard Wood and falls under the 249th Engineer Battalion in Fort Belvoir, both of which are under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

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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 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains about 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Home to the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood now trains and educates service members and develops doctrine and capabilities for the Training and Doctrine Command’s U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School, U.S. Army Engineer School, and U.S. Army Military Police School, three gender integrated Initial Military Training brigades, and the Army’s largest Noncommissioned Officers Academy.

Over the past several years, Fort Leonard Wood has received numerous additional responsibilities to include supporting a colonel-commanded Marine Corps Detachment and an Air Force Detachment, which are both the largest on any Army installation, a large Navy Seabee Detachment and elements of the Coast Guard train here as well.