BILLINGS — Military tradition was on display Friday night in Billings as the Montana National Guard 1063rd Support Maintenance Company held a change of command ceremony.
Capt. Jacob Pancheau relinquished command of the company by handing the company flag over to the incoming commander, Lt. David Morris.
Pancheau led the 1063rd during their year-long deployment to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Spartan Shield. He lives in Billings and serves as an assistant professor of military science at MSUB.
Both men praised the work of the citizen soldiers who make up the 1063rd.
“The reputation you have earned prior to, during, and following deployment are many, but it pales in comparison to the excellence it represents. You left your families, your friends, and your homes for a long time to do hard things in a lot more far away places than we ever expected, and you exceeded all expectations,” said Pancheau.
The incoming commander, Lt. David Morris, lives in Bozeman and works as a Montana Highway Patrol trooper.
“I’ve never been around another group of soldiers that is more willing to work and just make me proud that I’m in the Guard and make me proud that I live in Montana,” said Morris.
The 1063rd Support Maintenance Company provides ground maintenance support by fixing every kind of vehicle used by the National Guard.
