People are center of patriot command

Published Dec. 13, 2013
By Capt. Antonia Greene-Edwards
174th Infantry Brigade Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Each level of command will always have a lesson learned. For the outgoing commander of the 174th Infantry Brigade, Col. Craig A. Osborne, the patriot command was about people.

"This assignment wasn't about tactics and procedures as much as it was about people," said Osborne. "I learned the most about people here, what motivates individuals and different leadership styles."

After 29 months in command, Osborne handed the Patriot brigade reins over to incoming commander, Col. Michael E. Wawrzyniak, Dec. 6, 2013, during a traditional change of command ceremony.

"Change is good. It breathes new life into an organization," said Osborne during his final brigade town hall meeting as commander of the 174th Infantry Brigade, headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Hosted by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey L. Bailey, First Army Division East commander, both Osborne and Wawrzyniak participated in the historic passing of the brigade colors with more than 250 patriot Soldiers in formation. The colors, or unit flag, represent the brigade. The passing signifies the exchange of trust and well-being of the command from one commander to another.

"In my assessment, this brigade has made significant progress over the last two years, and that is a testament to Col. Osborne's investment in leader development, and moreover, his dedication to the training mission is the hallmark of his work and cornerstone of success here," expressed Bailey during his address to the crowd.

During Osborne's tenure more than 10,000 troops mobilized, trained and deployed from JB MDL in support of overseas contingency operations.

"My most significant achievement is that every one of the 10,144 mobilized service members trained here since July 19, 2011, returned home safely," remarked Osborne.
The theme of Osborne's farewell speech, and essentially his time as patriot brigade commander, was 'people.'

"It isn't the building, the guideons or colors; it is the people that are the brigade," said Osborne. "And each of you is what makes our brigade and our mission successful. It is you I will miss the most."

Osborne shared his command philosophy for mission success when he arrived in the summer of 2011. Depicted as a structure reminiscent of the Parthenon, to him, mission success is built on a foundation of people and culture and from there stretch the pillars of leading, training, sustaining and caring.

Osborne and his wife Lois are scheduled to report to their next assignment later this month in Stuttgart, Germany where Osborne will serve as joint operations officer for United States European Command.

Wawrzyniak, who recently completed the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., assumes military science at Syracuse University and later professor of military science at the University of Notre Dame.

From June 2008 to November 2010, he commanded 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Under his leadership, the squadron prepared for and deployed to Farah Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After command, he completed a joint tour at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, serving as an assistant operations officer and as executive officer to the chief of operations and intelligence.

Wawrzyniak is no stranger to First Army. He served as both comptroller, Joint Task Force, First Army East Headquarters and later as executive officer to the deputy commanding general of First Army.

"Colonel Wawrzyniak is the best new fit for this outfit," said Bailey. "He is an adaptive, flexible and competent leader ready to take on the mission."

Wawrzyniak is joined by his wife of 20 years, Pam, and their two children.

In coordination with mission partners, 174th Inf. Bde. executes and certifies individual and collective training in accordance with theater-specific standards at JB MDL for designated service members to prepare them for deployment in support of overseas contingency operations. On order, the brigade supports Army Reserve and National Guard forces general improved readiness within rotational distributed forces.