Army Col. Matt McFarlane took over Wednesday as the new commander of the Anchorage-based 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in a ceremony held on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
McFarlane has served in the Army since 1992. most recently commanded the 173d Airborne Brigade's 1st Battalion (Airborne) of its 503d Infantry, leading the battalion to Afghanistan in December 2009 during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 4/25's previous commander, Col. Morris T. "Mo" Goins, who has led the unit since 2010, and his wife Yolanda are being reassigned to the Pentagon. Goins commanded the 4/25 during its deployment to the Khost and Paktia provinces of eastern Afghanistan. The soldiers were in Afghanistan for 10 months and recently returned to Alaska.
"To all the friends we have made here," Goins said, "thank you so very much."
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