A new commanding officer was installed at a change of command ceremony Tuesday for the U.S. Army 832nd Transportation Battalion at the Jacksonville cruise ship terminal at the Dames Point Marine Terminal.
Lt. Col. Onintza Regil accepted command of the unit Tuesday from Lt. Col. C. Bleu Hilburn, who has been commander since May 2010.
“The 832nd was my first choice on the command list. It can’t get better than that. There is no other place I would rather be than here. This is my dream and I am ready for the challenge,” said Regil.
The command provides global surface deployment and distribution services in support of the nation’s objectives from within its assigned area of responsibility, which includes the Southeastern United States, the Caribbean and South and Central America.
In 2010, the battalion took the lead in humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies during Operation Unified Response-Haiti.
Seventeen members of the battalion deployed to assist in opening the seaport at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leading to the discharge of 27 sustainment vessels with more than 3,000 major pieces of cargo including aid containers and unit equipment.
Lt. Col. C. Bleu Hilburn has finished his military career from the post after more than 20 years of service. He plans to stay in Jacksonville.
Hilburn thanked the men and women under his command.
“I think it’s just fitting today that we are standing at a port. In another couple of months you’ll probably see a big, American roll-on, roll-off carrier sitting right here loading some of those Humvees,” Hilburn said.
“(The battalion) doesn’t just do it in Jacksonville. They are working ports in just about every country in Latin America. It has really been impressive just watching you guys work,” he said.
In the past two years, during Hilburn’s command, the battalion has moved more than 50,000 pieces of military equipment, worked more than 50 ships in Jacksonville and supported missions in more than 18 different countries, Hilburn said.
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