U.S. Army Central honors outgoing, incoming command of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion at Shaw

U.S. Army Central thanked a longtime leader for his service to Third Army and the Sumter community and welcomed a new face during its Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (HHBN) change of command ceremony on May 25.

According to USARCENT, the Third Army HHBN was first constituted as the Third United States Army Support Battalion in March 1998. Its mission was to provide unit-level support for Third United States Army/Army Forces Central Command and to exercise command and control of Headquarters and Headquarters Company.

Lt. Col. Todd J. Harkrader, outgoing HHBN command, has dedicated much of his time to the Sumter community, according to USARCENT Public Affairs. He was even honored by the South Carolina House with a resolution for his outstanding service to his country and state from Shaw Air Force Base in March this year.

From Virginia, Harkrader received an ROTC scholarship to Radford University in Radford in Virginia and graduated with a bachelor's in criminal justice and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps in May 2003.

Selected for promotion to colonel, Harkrader will attend Senior Service College at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Research Strategy in Washington, D.C., after command.

Incoming command, Lt. Col. Andrew S. Eagen, is ready to continue the relationship Harkrader built with the community, according to USARCENT.

"I am excited and humbled to lead and serve alongside the superb leaders, soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and families of U.S. Army Central's Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion," Eagen said. "This battalion's role as the key supporting enabler for USARCENT capabilities facilitates critical national security initiatives. My family and I are also eager to be involved with the incredible Sumter community in the coming months."

Eagen and his family were previously stationed in Germany for two years, where he completed a joint duty assignment at the First German-Netherlands Corps as part of the NATO Force Structure. They now reside in Columbia as he serves his country at Shaw Air Force Base.