Hawthorne Army Depot conducts change of command

The Change of Command ceremony, executed on the parade grounds of the Hawthorne Army Depot, dates back to the 18th century when it was performed in front of guests, friends and family to witness the passing of the flag from one commander to another.

Lt. Col. Dustin G. Bishop assumed command from Lt. Col. Scott M. Bishop at the Hawthorne Army Depot on June 20.

The Change of Command ceremony was hosted by Col. James L. Brown, commander of Tooele Army Depot in Utah. He commended Scott Bishop for his hard work and dedication to the depot.

The passing of the Army flag was done with precision and accuracy as one commander was relieved of his duties and another accepted the responsibility.

“Thank you to everyone who helped plan and execute the ceremony,” said the outgoing commander. “As usual, the base looks great. Col. Brown, thank you for the mentorship, advice and patience you always provided me; even when you knew that I was probably not calling you just to say hi and that there was likely some bad news on the way. You have helped me to grow as a soldier, a leader and a person. Dustin, welcome. You are now commanding the world’s largest ammo depot and premier demil (demilitarization) facility. I know you are going to do great and you will enjoy your time in Hawthorne,” He said his No. 1 priority was that everyone goes home at the end of their shifts in the same condition they came in. Working with munitions is an inherently dangerous job.”

“My second priority was that we needed to be ready to answer the nation’s call if and when it comes,” he added. “In order to do that, our ammo operations need to be accurate, precise, efficient and effective. This includes everything from receipt to storage to inventory to surveillance to shipping to demil and base operation… really everything we do here has a direct impact on our ability to provide munitions readiness to the warfighter.”

Dustin G. Bishop then spoke.

“I am truly honored to join and lead the team at the world’s largest ammunition storage Depot and DoD’s premier demil facility. The relationships and teamwork I have seen amongst the government staff, contractors and the community over the last few days is really something special,” he said.

“I will continue to build upon the great success of this organization and Scott’s progress.”