Sentinella becomes new commander 

Incoming Installation Commander Col. Derek J. Sentinella receives the Fort McCoy colors from J. Randall Robinson, director of the Northwest Region IMA. Also pictured from left are Installation Command Sergeant Major Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Edwards, outgoing Installation Commander Col. Danny G. Nobles, and Chief, Army Reserve Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly. (Photo by Allan Harding.)

      Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief, Army Reserve, was host commander for the ceremony. J. Randall Robinson, director of the Northwest Region of the Installation Management Agency in Rock Island, Ill., under which McCoy is aligned, was the reviewing officer.

      Sentinella assumed command from Col. Danny G. Nobles. Nobles received the Legion of Merit award from Helmly and the Wisconsin National Meritorious Service Medal from Maj. Gen. Albert Wilkening, the Wisconsin State Adjutant. The awards covered Nobles' command from June 2003 to the present.

      Helmly told the crowd that the U.S. military, including its civilian employees and other support personnel, is the strongest in the world, He gave a special welcome to Nobles' and Sentinella's wives.

The reviewing party prepares to conduct a pass in review of the troops. Left to right are J. Randall Robinson, Col. Derek J. Sentinella, Col. Dan Puhl (commander of the troops), Col. Danny G. Nobles and Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly. (Photo by Anita Johnson)

      "It should not be lost on anyone in this audience that the strength of the United States of America lies in a lot of things, but one of them is our families and in our armed forces," Helmly said. "The strength behind each of us as members of the Army, the armed forces of the United States is in those who love, support and stand beside all of you."

      In each of the 230 years the Army has been in existence since 1775, the Army and the other services as they came into existence always have stood ready to defend the nation and carry out the will of the American people, he said.

      Change is never easy, for example, a change-of-command ceremony can be unsettling and uncomfortable, he said. There's always a tinge of sadness in saying goodbye to a revered and cherished leader such as Nobles who has led the installation with distinction for the past two years. Meanwhile, there is an eagerness anticipating the leadership of Sentinella.

      "Change is a constant in life and indeed in the Army and armed forces," he said. "Our Army, Army Reserve and National Guard and our armed forces are changing in deep and profound ways. And Fort McCoy will be a leader in front of those changes."

      Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is in the early stages and several realignments and transfers will affect Fort McCoy. The Army Reserve has been a full, complete and active participant and leader in the BRAC recommendations, Helmly said. The Army Reserve has had a voice in every deliberation and every decision to this point.

      "These recommended changes are good for our country, good for the Army and Army Reserve, and, frankly, good for Fort McCoy and this community," he said. "They ensure Fort McCoy will remain a vital part of the United States Army and this community. Change can be scary. It is hard work. The change is not only necessary, it is inevitable."

      The Army Reserve must change from a force in reserve to a complementary and skill-rich force that is poised and prepared for more frequent periods of active duty. Helmly said it's better to be more relevant to today and tomorrow's defense needs rather than yesterday's needs. The success of today's Soldiers cannot be taken for granted tomorrow. 

      Nobles brought a number of changes to the process in his vision, ingenuity and integrity that have helped support deployments in the Global War on Terrorism, Helmly said.

      The next few years will be exciting and challenging for Fort McCoy, Helmly said. 

      To lead the installation, Fort McCoy needs a commander who has leadership experience and is energized by vision about what Fort McCoy can become in the future, he said.

      Sentinella is that officer, Helmly said, and has been deployed to the Middle East, and has a number of command assignments at the company and battalion level. Helmly said he is confident Sentinella is ready to get Fort McCoy through the next few years with vision, courage and excellence.

      Robinson said thousands of Americans have proudly served in the nation's armed forces, the strongest fighting force in the world.

      "We are a nation at war fighting a new foe, global terrorism," Robinson said. "This is a war without borders and a war that is a profound threat to peace, stability and the American way of life."

      He thanked all the military for their service and civilians for their devotion and hard work behind the lines preparing troops for deployment, because, without their support, the Soldiers could not successfully train and deploy.

      Much of Fort McCoy's success in the past two years can be attributed to Nobles' skillful leadership in the most challenging of circumstances, he said.

      "(Under that leadership) Fort McCoy is setting the standard of excellence as a power-projection platform," Robinson said. "Within 21 installations of the Northwest Region IMA, Fort McCoy sets the standards for many programs and services."

      Nobles has left the foundation that will serve for the training of 200,000 personnel by 2009, the installation's 100th anniversary, he said. He honored and thanked Nobles' wife for her hundreds of hours of volunteer work at Army Community Service.

      Robinson said under Sentinella Fort McCoy will continue to provide world-class service to the men and women in the armed forces.

      "As a commander he will face many challenges but he is blessed with a truly exceptional and professional work force," Robinson said. "Fort McCoy has served the nation for almost 100 years. And under the leadership of Colonel Derek Sentinella, will continue to train and support Soldiers in the war against terrorism -- a war we didn't ask for, but a war we must fight and we will win."

      Nobles thanked the audience for attending the ceremony and for its teamwork, partnership and service to the nation. The attendees represented the command of the garrison and the tenants, he said.

      "Looking at you, America can see why we are the world's mightiest military force -- always ready to fight and to defend America," Nobles said. "We gather again on this field where I accepted the flag of command two years ago. And the time has come when I have relinquished that same flag and the command it represents to a fellow Soldier, a fellow leader, Colonel Sentinella. I accepted command with a great sense of duty to those who comprise Fort McCoy. I relinquish it today with an equal sense of pride, not in what I have done, but in what we have accomplished together."

      This day is more about the future than about the past, Nobles said. The ground work has been laid for a busy next few years. Nobles said that at no time and no place has he held people in as high esteem as he does the Fort McCoy work force.

      "It's the synergy of the teams here at Fort McCoy that makes this a great place," Nobles said. "Everyone who forms Team McCoy, I thank you for your loyalty, for your devotion to duty, for your respect and honorable lives, for the integrity of your service to the nation and the personal courage you display every day doing the right things for the right reason. We're in a critical and crucial period of our history. May God bless you all. And I ask God's blessing on our Army and all of America. Farewell."

      Sentinella said at the same time he realized it was a sad time for Nobles, it was a delightful time for him as he assumes command. He thanked the military personnel for their professionalism and duty to country.

      "The work force of Fort McCoy will continue to provide world-class support to the Soldiers," he said, "and set new and better standards for the region."

      He thanked all the units present and their families for their support, as well as his family for their support. In the future, Sentinella said he planned to visit all of the other commands on post and get to know them better.

      The 338th Army Band of Whitehall, Ohio, of the 88th Regional Readiness Command provided musical support, while the 1st , 120th Field Artillery of the Wisconsin Army National Guard provided a formal salute for the historic occasion.