Governor Rick Snyder to attend DMVA change of command ceremony
Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler passes colors to Maj. Gen. Gregory Vadnais
January 6, 2011
LANSING, MICH. - Gov. Rick Snyder will attend a change of command ceremony at the Michigan National Guard Joint Force Headquarters building on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Snyder and retiring Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler will welcome incoming DMVA Director and Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Gregory Vadnais in a ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. in the drill hall of the headquarters building.
"Being the Adjutant General of the Michigan National Guard has truly been an honor," Cutler said. "Each Soldier and Airman, each family member, each DMVA employee and our partners in Latvia and Liberia have touched my life in ways words alone cannot describe. I am so proud of the work our Soldiers and Airmen have done here and abroad. My wife and I are thankful to have had this opportunity to serve."
Cutler, with more than 40 years of total service, has been the DMVA Director and MING Adjutant General since 2003. During his tenure, troop deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) have been exceptionally high making his mission of preparing troops for combat and providing family support stateside, one of the toughest any leader has had to manage. Cutler took every opportunity to visit deployed troops while concurrently preparing troops for national emergencies, natural disaster response and recovery, and terrorist threats to homeland security.
Vadnais, of Gaylord, Mich., has more than 30 years experience in the Michigan National Guard and has commanded at every level in the Army National Guard. He is the former commander of 38th Infantry Division (Mechanized). In his tenure as commander more than 9,000 Soldiers were mobilized and deployed to 17 different countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Egypt and to numerous other security missions in the United States and abroad. Vadnais was the commander for Joint Task Force Cyclone, in response to hurricane Katrina, providing command and control of more than 14,000 Soldiers and Airmen deployed in Mississippi.
Today, more than 1,600 Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are deployed across the globe in support of the global war on terrorism; however, as the Michigan Guard serves the nation abroad, more than 90 percent of the force is available, trained and ready to respond to a state emergency including a terrorist event.
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MEDIA ADVISORY:
Media is invited to attend the change of command ceremony. Please arrive early for camera set-up.
For more information, contact public affairs representative Angela Simpson at 517-481-8135.
