621st Troop Support Command has Change of Command Ceremony

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Col. Jerry Martin, incoming 621st TSC commander; Maj. Gen. Joe Harkey, commanding general of the 167th TSC and Col. Donald Tatum, outgoing 621st commander stand together after the 621st CoC Ceremony.

MONTGOMERY, AL (03/15/2011)(readMedia)-- The 621st Troop Support Command held their Change of Command ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on March 12, 2011. Friends, family and fellow soldiers gathered in the drill hall of Fort W. W. Quarles Armory in Selma to participate in the formal transfer of command from Col. Donald Tatum to Col. Jerry Martin.

The formation consisted of soldiers of the 731st CSSB of Tallassee, Al.; the 1103rd CSSB of Eufala, Al. and the 1200th CSSB of Ashland, Al., all subordinate battalions to the 621st Troop Support Command.

The ceremony began with the forming of the command. During this, the 621st's guidon was passed from Command Sgt. Major Rickie Surovich, CSM of the 621st, to Col. Tatum. He then passed it to Maj. Gen. Joe Harkey, commanding general of the 167th Theater Sustainment Command, who passed it to Col. Martin.

"The passing of the colors represents the transfer of command from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander. It ensures the continuation of the spirit and traditions of the 621st TSC," said Cpt. Robert Law, S-1 Officer of the 621st TSC.

Tatum is a resident of Selma, Al. He was the commander of the 621st TSC from Aug. 2007 until March 2011. He will now be the deputy commander of the 135th ESC in Birmingham, Al.

"My time with the 621st has been a great learning experience and I have had great soldiers," said Tatum.

Martin, who resides in Alexander City, Al., has been the Support Operations Officer with the 135th ESC since 2009. He recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan with them.

"I look forward to serving with you and visiting your armories over the coming weeks as we strive to make the Alabama Army National Guard the most relevant of all National Guard Forces," Martin said to his new troops.

Story and photos by Spc. Katie W. Dowd