Fort Campbell, KY.- (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Fort Campbell welcomed Colonel Jeremy Bell as the new garrison commander at a change of command ceremony on Thursday, July 11. Bell’s command follows that of Colonel Joseph Kuchan.
In his parting speech, Kuchan praised Fort Campbell’s more than 3,000 civilian employees. Working with them for the past two years, he said they are a fantastic workforce and selfless servants of the government.
He also took time to commend the communities surrounding Fort Campbell and their citizens. He praised the cities for being very welcoming saying they are the best he has ever been a part of across the Army.
This is not Garrison Commander Colonel Bell’s first time serving at Fort Campbell. He commanded the 1st Battalion 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 2015-2017, deploying with the battalion in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
“Coming back to Fort Campbell is an absolute blessing. In a lot of ways it feels like I’m coming home since I just left here two years ago. I’ve always felt the connection to the community both inside the gates and out,” said Bell.
Bell added that coming back reinforces the importance of the bonds between Fort Campbell and the surrounding communities and that he looks forward to increasing those partnerships wherever possible.
The outgoing garrison commander, Colonel Kuchan, who took command in 2017, has been assigned to the United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.