Change of Command

I know that most of you will not understand the importance of October 7th 1999. It was a huge deal in our lives. It was the day John took command of Echo Battery 6/52 ADA. When we got to Germany in June we were told it would be at least a year before command would happen. Instead, we were a mere 4 months later, being told to start his equiment iventories which were worth millions of dollars. We were shocked to say the least. We felt unprepared but LTC & Mrs Lambert assured us we were indeed ready. They were the best leadership and mentorship we could have asked for at the time, only we didn't realize it.



While John was busy with inventories I was busy getting a reception planned. John had step by step instructions on what to do so he was good to go. I had planned lots of parties and get togethers but I still felt a little lost. Lucky for me the other wives stepped in and the community was use to helping host these. Food had to be ordered and invitations had to be sent out. To say nothing of the dignitaries that would be there and the seating charts that had to be made. To add more to the mix my folks were flying over so they could share in it, and Lady would finally be with us.

We always loved the promp and circumstance that fills a military ceremony, but this one was extra special. It was a such a huge step up in John's career. I had always been involved in the family side of the military, but it would be my first time running a Family Support Group the way I wanted. Before we knew it the day was upon us. Lots of running around making sure every thing was where it was suppose to be. John had worked hard on his speech and he really wanted to make sure it was ready. He has always been a very good speaker, even asked to guest speak at colleges about his many experiences with the military.




Finally it was time and we all filed into the tent to watch the ceremony. Even Rob attended the ceremony. He was almost 4 but he had been going to ceremonies like these since he was just a few months old. He knew what was expected and he never disappointed us. They always present the outgoing wife and incoming wife with flowers, but they had even thought ahead and presented my mom with some. The outgoing commander's speech was not as long as I thought it would be, and as incoming commander John's speech was wonderfully short. Then it was off to make sure everything was set up for the reception. We wanted to make sure it went off without a hitch. Luckily I had lots of helpers. Now it was time to jump in with both feet, whether we were ready or not.



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