Dental Clinic Command received a new leader during a change of command ceremony here, July 7.
Lt. Col. Kelley Tomsett took hold of the colors for the Fort Irwin dental unit from Col. Michael Mahoney, who presided over the change of command and is commander of Fort Carson Dental Activity. Tomsett arrives from Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Relinquishing command of the unit was Col. Todd Kimura.
Tomsett appreciated the support of her family (mom, Fran; sister, Suzi, and; others in attendance) during her military career. She expressed gratitude to Kimura and the dental unit non-commissioned officers for a warm welcome and setting the conditions of success.
“I want to thank Col. Kimura for setting a standard that anyone would only hope to match and, or exceed,” Tomsett said. “He has set the bar high and he has done some very impressive things … and I expect to follow in his footsteps because he’s laid some fantastic groundwork.”
Prior to the change of command, Mahoney awarded Kimura with a Meritorious Service Medal and praised him for the dental readiness of Soldiers here.
“He’s been a fantastic commander here,” Mahoney said. “He’s done a great job in all aspects of his command to begin with, the ‘Go First Class’ program and dental wellness. This post has done fantastic due to his efforts as far as getting a huge … percentage of Soldiers to class 1 (dental readiness).”
National Training Center and Fort Irwin Commander Brig. Gen. Joseph Martin stated that Kimura will be a valued leader to his next installation in Hawaii.
“They’re going to gain a superstar who is not only well practiced in his profession, but he also knows how to capably lead Soldiers and train professionals to be Soldiers,” Martin said.