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RICHMOND REGISTER 380 Big Hill Avenue, Richmond, KY (859) 623-1669 |
Published: July 13, 2006
Closs
named new commander of chemical group
By Ronica
Shannon
Register
News Writer
RICHMOND -- Lt. Col. Tom Closs
will
replace Lt. Col. George Shuplinkov as commander of the Blue Grass
Chemical
Activity based at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
The chemical activity group
oversees the
safe storage of chemical weapons stored at the depot and are in charge
of
monitoring for nerve agent leaks inside the "igloos" where the
weapons are stored.
A formal change of command
ceremony was
conducted at the depot Wednesday to welcome Closs, his wife and five
children.
Shuplinkov served as commander
for the
Blue Grass Chemical Activity for two years and now will be serving as
the
Department of Army Inspector General at the Pentagon.
Closs comes to the depot by way
of Germany
where he previously served as a chemical officer.
The ceremony included the
physical
transfer of the unit colors.
"This command is one of great
importance and very challenging," said Michael Parker, director of the
Army's Chemical Materials Agency. "The safe storage and the upcoming
disposal of our nation's lethal chemical weapons is one of the most
important
national programs in this nation."
The work done to safely store
and destroy
the chemical weapons is especially important to tomorrow's soldiers, he
said.
"These two commanders will be
contributing to an environment where future generations of this nation
will not
have to face that threat on the battlefield," Parker said. "Shuplinkov
and prior leaders have taken the measures necessary to make sure that
we
protect the workforce here on the installation and protect the
community. Closs
is well prepared to continue to do that."
Shuplinkov highlighted the
cooperation of
Madison County's three governments and spoke of how their cooperation
has
helped accommodate his success.
"As you're getting off the
elevator
of the second floor of City Hall, there's a picture of Mayors Connie
Lawson
(Richmond), Steve Connelly (Berea) and (Madison) Judge-Executive Kent
Clark all
sitting together," he said. "I think that really envelopes the
cooperation and encouragement of the county. I would like to think that
somehow, the one thing they all have in common is the depot."
Shuplinkov also thanked the
community and
depot employees for their support of his mission.
Closs is a veteran of Desert
Shield/Storm,
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He completed the Chemical
Officer Advanced
Course in 1992 and has held many different positions as a chemical
officer.
"This is a great honor to me
and is a
very important mission," Closs said. "The important things are the
safety of our employees and the community. That is a fundamental part
of my
position."
Closs' first trip to the Blue
Grass Army
Depot was in 1997.
"I called my wife and told her
I
hoped there would be a way to get to move here someday," he said. "I
was very shocked when I received the call in Germany to come here. This
was my
number one pick."
Closs warned the employees that
he and
Shuplinkov have a lot in common.
"I want to tell you that I'm a
straight-shooter," Closs said. "I was probably cut out of the same
mold as Colonel Shuplinkov and I think that you will see that his great
work
and the great work that you've done will continue. I pledge to learn
quickly
and listen."
All current policies and
procedures for
employees at Blue Grass Chemical Activity will remain the same.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.