A ceremony was conducted Aug. 3 in the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence headquarters building promoting Brig. Gen. Matthew Warne, 102nd Training Division (Maneuver Support) commanding general and MSCoE deputy commanding general for mobilization and training, to major general.
The promotion ceremony preceded the Army Reserve unit’s change-of-command ceremony on MSCoE Plaza, where Warne relinquished command to Brig. Gen. Noel Palmer.
At the promotion ceremony, Maj. Gen. James Kokaska, commanding general of the 416th Theater Engineer Command in Darien, Illinois — a long-time friend of Warne — spoke on why Soldiers are promoted in the Army.
“He cares about the Soldiers under his command — that’s why he’s standing here,” Kokaska said. “He always puts his Soldiers above himself. We promote people for potential in their next assignment, and Matt was promoted because he’s going to be a great TEC commander.”
After the promotion, Kokaska also presented Warne with the silver Order of the de Fleury Medal, and Warne’s wife, Linda, with the Essayons Award.
The reviewing officer for the change of command, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, noted the 102nd trains more than 1,900 Reserve Soldiers annually, across six brigades and 30 battalions, located in 29 different states. He thanked Warne for doing, “an incredible job.”
“Thank you for your dedication to the 102nd, your dedication to Fort Leonard Wood and our mission here as an installation, and your dedication to me, personally,” Beck said.
As Warne moves on to be the next commanding general of the 412th Theater Engineer Command in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Beck called it, “a challenging, but great time to take that command.”
“I look forward to seeing the great things that you’ll do down there and continue to work with us here,” Beck said, before welcoming Palmer and his family.
“As the flag is passed from one fine leader and family to another, I am very excited to, again, say the Army has gotten it right,” Beck said. “Your impressive leadership while deployed; your success, from company level, all the way up to brigade command — you have done it right every step of the way, and I am very confident this will be no different. You are an extremely capable, extremely qualified, and you are absolutely the perfect leader to take the 102nd from where they are today to continued heights and greater heights of success.”
In his remarks, Warne thanked his family and the Soldiers and civilians of the 102nd.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time here…largely due to the civilians and Soldiers that make up this division,” Warne said. “Their professionalism, knowledge and character is beyond measure.”
Palmer, who most recently served as the 412th TEC’s deputy commanding general – support, thanked his family for attending the ceremony and spoke on the need for the Soldiers of the 102nd Training Division (Maneuver Support) to continue, “building leaders and driving change.”
“We have to adapt as a military; we have to get back to the basics; we have to be ready for that future conflict,” Palmer said. “We not only have to adapt, but we have to outpace (potential peer and near-peer competitors), so that we’re ready for that future fight.”
More photos from the ceremonies are available to view and download on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.
