New leadership for US Army Reserve Medical Command

Maj. Gen. Mary E. Link, outgoing commanding general of U.S. ArmyReserve Medical Command, relinquished command to the incoming commander, Maj.Gen. Jonathan Woodson, during a Change of Command ceremony held at the C.W.Bill Young Armed Forces Reserve Center on March 31, 2019.

Maj. Gen. Scottie Carpenter, deputy commanding general forU.S. Army Reserve Command and ceremony host, complimented Link's leadership sheprovided during her tenure: "You have always fought for what was good foryour command, even more so you have fought for what was good for the ArmyReserve and the Army."

Then Carpenter addressed the AR-MEDCOM Soldiers directly,emphasizing the critical capabilities they bring to the total force in defenseof the nation: "We cannot fight our nation's wars without the medicalprofessionals I see here in the formations in front of me, we just can't doit... At the end of the day, it's about saving lives, it's about being therefor our soldiers going in to combat who need medical care and the professionalsI see here are the ones that make that happen."

Link served as AR-MEDCOM's commanding general for more thanthree and a half years, leading the command through transformation in 2016,which more closely aligned the command's structure to meet the needs of theArmy and the nation. Under Link's direction, AR-MEDCOM formations wereresponsible for improving the health and readiness of thousands of soldiersacross the active and reserve components. Her leadership also resulted in thetransformation of Army Reserve Medical doctrine and training, and her lastingachievements have positively supported the initiatives and future success ofthe U.S. Army Reserve and the Army Medical Department.

"Credit also goes to our counterparts with ArmyMedicine for embracing AR-MEDCOM's medical professionals as an integral elementof the operational Army and the Joint Force," said Link as she recognizedArmy and Army Reserve leadership for taking the time to understand howAR-MEDCOM's capabilities best support the Army and Combatant Commands aroundthe world.

Woodson, the incoming commander, recognized and thanked Linkfor her more than 35 years of service and the work accomplished under herleadership and direction while serving as commander of AR-MEDCOM.

Prior to becoming AR-MEDCOM's commanding general, Woodsonpreviously served as the 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support) deputycommanding general, and is returning to ARMEDCOM after previously serving asthe deputy commander of ARMEDCOM in 2010. In his civilian capacity, Woodsonserved as the assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs for theDepartment of Defense from 2010 through 2016.

Woodson concluded his remarks by discussing his vision forthe future for his command: "The Army medical department and the militaryhealth system is undergoing significant, if not seismic organizational change,but our mission remains the same and that is to be a key enabler of the Army tomeet its mission to support the National Defense and National Military Strategyby providing a medically ready force and a ready medical force."

The change of command ceremony symbolizes the continuationof leadership and unit identity despite the change in individual authority; italso represents the transfer of power from one individual to another. Passingthe ceremonial flag from the outgoing commander to the incoming commanderphysically represents this transfer.