Army Guard’s Command Changes Hands
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO3dPfZVV8c” align=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1500402424624{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]By Maj. Rick Breitenfeldt, Maryland National Guard Public Affairs[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1500402431695{margin-top: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”]The Maryland Army National Guard welcomed its new commander June 13, 2010, during a change-of-command ceremony at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.
Brig. Gen. Peter C. Hinz assumed command of the Maryland Army National Guard from Brig. Gen. Alberto J. Jimenez. Jimenez, a Vietnam War veteran, will subsequently retired from the Guard after more than 41 years of military service.
Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland, presided over the ceremony and thanked all Guardmembers for their tremendous success and many accomplishments over the years.
“Our work here is not done, and our focus does not change,” said Adkins. We must ensure that our forces remain relevant and ready today and in the future.”
The change-of-command ceremony is a simple and traditional event that is rich with symbolism and heritage. The key to the change-of-command is the passing of the unit’s colors. The colors represent not only the heritage and history of the unit, but also the unity and loyalty of its Soldiers. The colors are the commander’s symbol of his authority and also represent his responsibilities to the organization.
Hinz, who has been serving as the assistant division commander of the 29th Infantry Division, enlisted in the United States Army in 1971. In 1978, he joined the Maryland National Guard and graduated from OCS in 1979. He has served in positions ranging from company, through brigade command, as well as serving in various staff assignments.
Hinz said the Maryland Army National Guard must continue to move forward as the state gears up for more overseas deployments and continues to support the citizens of the state of Maryland in times of need.
“I have been given the awesome responsibility of being your commander,” said Hinz. “We will continue to be the best National Guard in the United States.”
Hinz’s decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, the Maryland Meritorious Service Medal, the Virginia Bronze Star, and the Bronze de Fleury Engineer Regimental Medal.
Hinz is a native and life-long resident of Maryland. He and his wife, the former Lynda Winkler, live in Gaithersburg, Md. They have three sons – Lieutenant Brenton Helbig, with wife Dina and their son Mason and daughters Madison and Emerson, in Sydney, Australia; Matthew, a marketing account manager; and Stephen, a graduate student at Radford University.
At the conclusion of his remarks, Hinz thanked Brig. Gen. Jimenez and the entire Maryland National Guard for their warm welcome to him and his family, and he looks forward to a great command. He ended the ceremony with his first salute as the new commander of nearly 5,000 Maryland Guard Citizen Soldiers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]