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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10, 2008 No. 08-074 169TH COMBAT SUSTAINMENT SUPPORT BATTALION CHANGES COMMAND JULY 12; Lt. Col. Thomas Foster will take command of the Kansas National Guard’s
169th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion during a change of command
ceremony on Saturday, July 12 at the National Guard Armory, 1601 West
Old Highway 56, Olathe. During the 1 p.m. ceremony, Lt. Col. Barry K. Taylor will turn over the
command of the battalion to Foster. Taylor is the full-time deputy United
States Property and Fiscal Officer for Kansas. His next assignment is
deputy commander for the 287th Sustainment Brigade. Lt. Col. Thomas Foster Lt. Col. Thomas Foster was commissioned in 1986 through the ROTC program
at the University of Kansas and began his career with the Kansas Army
National Guard as a mortar platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 137th
Infantry. He transferred to the Michigan Army National Guard in 1988,
where he served in several positions, including mortar platoon leader,
company executive officer, company commander and personnel officer. Foster returned to Kansas in 1996 and joined the 169th Corps Support
Battalion, where he served as transportation officer, supply and services
officer and operations officer. He transferred to Headquarters, 35th Infantry
Division in 1999, serving as assistant logistics officer, deputy logistics
officer and assistant chief of staff for logistics. Foster deployed with the division to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2003 as the
deputy logistics officer and logistics planner for the Multinational Division
– North, Stabilization Force 13. He also deployed to Iraq in 2005,
where he was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division. Foster is a graduate of the University of Kansas, receiving a Bachelor
of Science degree in computer science. He also earned an MBA from the
Keller School of Management. His military education includes Infantry
Officer Basic and Quartermaster Advanced courses, Combined Arms and Services
Staff School and Command and General Staff College. Foster’s awards and decoration include the Meritorious Service Medal,
Army Commendation Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, Armed
Services Expeditionary Medal, NATO non-Article 5 Service Medal and Iraq
Campaign Medal. In his civilian career, Foster is employed as an information technologies manager by Yellow Roadway Corporation Worldwide. He and his wife, Lucy, live in Overland Park with their children Jennifer, Matthew and Timothy. Lt. Col. Barry Taylor Lt. Col. Barry Taylor enlisted in the Kansas Army National Guard as a
light wheel vehicle mechanic in May, 1982, and was commissioned through
the ROTC Program at Fort Hays State University in December 1984. Taylor
is an ordnance officer and has served in numerous command and staff positions
prior to commanding the 169th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. This
included commander, Company B, 169th Support Battalion; deputy logistics
officer; logistics planner and deputy training officer of 35th Infantry
Division at Fort Leavenworth. He deployed with the division to Bosnia-Herzegovina
in 2003. His military education includes Ordnance Officer Basic and Advance Course,
Command and General Staff College, and he is currently enrolled in the
U.S. Army War College. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Armed Services Expeditionary Medal and the NATO non-article 5 Service Medal. MEDAL OF HONOR FLAG PRESENTATION Following the ceremony, at approximately 2 p.m., Brig. Gen. Jonathan
Small, commander of the Kansas Army National Guard and assistant adjutant
general – Army, will present a Medal of Honor flag to retired Lt.
Col. Charles C. Hagemeister of Leavenworth. Hagemeister was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor in 1968 for actions taken while serving with
the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam in March 1967. Other Medal of Honor recipients received flags during an earlier ceremony, but Hagemeister was unable to attend that ceremony. -30- |
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