MCLB-Albany holds change of command ceremony for Logistics Command
MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE-ALBANY – The Marines of Marine Corps Logistics Command said farewell on Friday to outgoing Sgt. Maj. Brian Drechsler and welcomed his replacement, Marshall Gregg III, who is returning to the base for a second assignment at the Albany facility.
The Friday ceremony came with the pomp of a command change, including the traditional passing of a ceremonial sword from the outgoing Marine to his incoming counterpart.
Among the responsibilities of the Marine holding the senior enlisted position are morale, discipline and advising the senior officer, Maj. Gen. Keith Reventlow.
'It's bittersweet,' Drechsler, who saw his daughter graduate from Lee County High School Thursday, said of leaving his home for the previous two years. 'I built a lot of relationships with individuals in the local community.'
An enlistee since 1999, Drechsler served deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa, among others, and completed unit deployment programs in Okinawa, Japan, prior to being sent to Albany.
His next deployment will be at the Manpower Support Division at Quantico, Va.
'I loved my time in Albany, understanding the importance of the local community and them understanding what Logistics is, including with the city (Albany), Albany State University and Al any Technical College,' the Everett, Wash., native said. 'You understand with moving as a Marine that the world's a lot smaller than you think. You will see them again. I'd just like to say a big thank you to the local community, and we'll miss them.'
Gregg was previously assigned to MCLB-Albany in 2014-2015, serving as Headquarters Company-East First Sergeant. A 1998 enlistee, his deployments include the Second Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, Afghanistan, to the Middle East and to Fallujah and Rawah, Iraq.
Gregg attended Marine Combat Instructor School and the Formal School Instructor Course, and later served in Afghanistan before reporting to Marine Corps Logistics Command in 2014. In 2017, he reported to the Third Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command for deployment to Somalia.
'I'm excited,' Gregg said of his return to Albany. 'What I would like to accomplish is take all the work Sgt. Drechsler has done and the command has done and push it forward.'
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