On 25 June 11 I had the honor and privilege of attending the last change of Command for a PSYOP Group (POG). The name change initiative moving through the Department of Defense will no doubt mean that the next changes will be of Military Information Support Groups (MISG) or something similar.
Strangely I was reminded of the song from the Lion King – Circle of Life. People come and go, but units go on, in this case, however, a bit of the history has been made because of the name change.
It was also a time to reflect on how the mantle of authority has been passed to a new generation. I used to think that the hallmarks of being a retired officer was that not only did most of your old uniforms not fit, but that they have been replaced by newer versions.
In the case of the 7th POG, I knew that a new generation of leaders was in place because one of the PSYOP Bn CDR was a LT during my deployment to Bosnia. I was quite pleased and proud that perhaps some of the personal legacy that I established during my career would be passed on to future PSYOP soldiers.
Fortunately for me I’m still involved in the community and will have the opportunity of playing SME – Subject Matter Expert at an upcoming Field Planning Exercise. Where else but in America, could I get paid to pretend I’m a grumpy Colonel!
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