The Change of Command ceremony, executed on the parade grounds of the Hawthorne Army Depot, a ceremony dating back to the 18th century was performed in front of guests, friends and family to witness the passing of the flag from one commander to another.
LTC Dustin G. Bishop relieved LTC Scott M. Bishop of his command of the Hawthorne Army Depot on June 20.
Master of Ceremonies Charles King introduced those who attended with the history of the depot.
“From a town practically devastated by the flames of a July 6, 1926 fire, Hawthorne ironically found future economic growth that same week as the result of another fire that occurred more than 2,000 miles away,” he would explain.
As he continued with the history, King would go on to say, “After considerable political debate, Hawthorne was selected as the future site of Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Hawthorne, because of its arid climate, its close proximity to the west coast’s Pacific Fleet and its ability to expand if necessary.”
The Change of Command Ceremony was hosted by COL James L. Brown, Commander of Tooele Army Depot in Utah, he commended LTC Scott M. Bishop for his hard work and dedication to the depot.
The passing of the Army flag was done with precision and accuracy as one commander was relieved of his duties and another accepted the responsibility.
“Thank you to everyone who helped plan and execute the ceremony. As usual, the base looks great. COL Brown, thank you for the mentorship, advice and patience you always provided me; even when you knew that I was probably not calling you just to say hi and that there was likely some bad news on the way. You have helped me to grow as a Soldier, a leader and a person. Dustin, welcome. You are now commanding the world’s largest ammo depot and premier demil facility. I know you are going to do great and you will enjoy your time in Hawthorne,” LTC Scott M. Bishop explained while the detonation of munitions sounded behind him.
Reflecting on his two year command at the depot, LTC Scott M. Bishop said, “…I had no idea what I was getting into, but I had two areas I quickly determined we needed to focus on: safety and readiness. My number one priority was that everyone go home at the end of their shifts in the same condition they came in. Working with munitions is an inherently dangerous job.”
He continued, “My second priority was that we needed to be ready to answer the nation’s call if and when it comes. In order to do that, our ammo operations need to be accurate, precise, efficient and effective. This includes everything from receipt to storage to inventory to surveillance to shipping to demil and base operation… really everything we do here has a direct impact on our ability to provide munitions readiness to the warfighter.”
LTC Scott M. Bishop would ask that the Hawthorne Army Depot staff and contract staff give LTC Dustin G. Bishop the same support and dedication that was awarded to him.
LTC Dustin G. Bishop would address the audience, where his two children, Maya and Jake sat beaming as their father spoke.
“I am truly honored to join and lead the team at the world’s largest ammunition storage Depot and DoD’s premier demil facility. The relationships and teamwork I have seen amongst the government staff, contractors and the community over the last few days is really something special,” he said.
“I will continue to build upon the great success of this organization and Scott’s progress,” LTC Dustin G. Bishop continued.
LTC Dustin G. Bishop would be clear on the mission he has in mind for the ammunition depot, “Hawthorne Will Always Deliver!”
The Hawthorne Army Depot covers 147,236 acres and employs over 600 people from Hawthorne and surrounding communities.
