DVIDS:
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – U.S. Army Lt. Col. Benjamin R. Ogden, the outgoing commander, relinquishes command of 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, to Lt. Col. Scott M. Dellinger, the incoming commander, during a change of command ceremony June 19, 2015, at Torrii Station, Okinawa, Japan.
During his farewell address, Odgen took a moment to discuss the battalion’s successes.
“There is very little that these Snake Eyes Soldiers can’t do,” said Ogden. “They achieved superiority on Okinawa and throughout the Pacific … by directly integrating joint and bilateral operations as a battalion. These Soldiers always deliver, giving our senior leaders in the Pacific a flexible, ready and reliable force to bring to bear when needed.”
“People would often ask me how I could face the stress of such a strategic mission, the criticality of theater-level training exercises or the uncertainty of a transforming Army,” shared Ogden. “My answer to them was simple. I had approximately 625 American Soldiers beside me to execute every complex and unimaginable task. Individually they all have different stories, but collectively, they have the same shared purpose — to serve and defend.”
Odgen, who will be transitioning to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, had words of advice for the Soldiers in formation.
“Stay razor sharp in your proficiency, and never forget your guiding principles because your character is your legacy.”
The “Snake Eyes” Soldiers of 1-1 ADA are charged with providing strategic air and missile defense of the United States Pacific Command commander’s critical assets in Okinawa.
During Odgen’s tenure as commander, the battalion was the first Army unit to participate in the joint exercise, Valiant Shield.
Lt. Col. Scott M. Dellinger, the incoming commander, assumes command after serving as the U.S. Northern Command Ballistic Missile Defense Division Current Operations Branch Chief at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado where he was responsible for managing all ground based midcourse defense communications, sensors and weapons.
