766th Engineer Battalion in Decatur gets new commander, name

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(Right) Command Sgt. Maj. Sean P. Carney of Lombard, Illinois, passes the 766th Engineer Battalion flag to Lt. Col. Craig A. Holan of Litchfield, Illinois.

DECATUR, IL (09/28/2014)(readMedia)-- Lt. Col. Craig A. Holan of Litchfield, Illinois, relinquished command of the 766th Engineer Battalion to Maj. Douglas M. Masters of Naperville, Illinois, during a change of command ceremony Sept. 27 in Decatur, Illinois.

"I am relieved to be leaving the battalion in such great hands," said Holan. "The job is made easy when you have a group of Soldiers as fine as the ones in this unit."

The 766th Engineer Battalion will transform to the 766th Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB) Oct. 6, 2014, under the command of Masters. The transformation will place the 766th BEB under the command of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Urbana, Illinois.

Holan commanded the 766th since September 2011. His next duty position will be the collective training evaluation branch chief for Joint Force Headquarters. He works full time as the construction and facilities management officer for the Illinois National Guard.

Masters' previous assignment was the engineer operations officer for the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Chicago. He served two combat tours in Iraq and supported Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990. He works full time as a consulting civil engineer with Thomas Engineering Group.

"I look forward to turning us to the next chapter in our fine battalion's history," said Masters.

Photo captions:

(Right) Command Sgt. Maj. Sean P. Carney of Lombard, Illinois, passes the 766th Engineer Battalion flag to Lt. Col. Craig A. Holan of Litchfield, Illinois, the outgoing commander, during a change of command ceremony in Decatur, Illinois, Sept. 27. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Jason T. Dorsey, Joint Force Headquarters)

(Left) Col. Troy R. Phillips of Petersburg, Illinois, 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade commander, passes the 766th Engineer Battalion flag to Maj. Douglas M. Masters of Naperville, Illinois, during a change of command ceremony in Decatur, Illinois, Sept. 27.(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Jason T. Dorsey, Joint Force Headquarters)

Maj. Douglas M. Masters of Naperville, Illinois, incoming 766th Engineer Battalion commander, holds the 766th Engineer Battalion flag during a change of command ceremony in Decatur, Illinois, Sept. 27. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Jason T. Dorsey, Joint Force Headquarters)