82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Changes Command

FORT BRAGG, NC — Colonel Brian Mennes relinquished command of the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team to Col. Tim Watson Thursday, on Fort Bragg's Pike Field.

Mennes commanded the brigade during its recent deployment to southern Afghanistan. The unit's Paratroopers, who served alongside Afghan security forces in Kandahar province during their seven-month tour, finished redeploying in September. The division's loss is the Army's gain as Col. Mennes moves on to accept a fellowship in Washington, D.C.

Watson, no stranger to the All American Division, served as the Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served as the Executive Officer of 3rd Brigade Combat Team and later the division operations officer.