POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA — “It’s probably been one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had, and it’s probably been one of the most rewarding, as well.”
POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA — “It’s probably been one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had, and it’s probably been one of the most rewarding, as well.”
With those words, Lt. Col. Jacob Peterson relinquished command of Pohakuloa Training Area to Lt. Col. Christopher Marquez in a ceremony Wednesday morning at the Army installation’s theater.
Peterson, his wife, Shelley, and their son, Bo, who was born at North Hawaii Community Hospital, are leaving their second tour of duty in Hawaii for a new post at U.S. Army North at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
“The thing I’ll miss most about Hawaii isn’t the weather, the beautiful landscape and the beaches. It’s the people,” Peterson told the 100 or so in attendance. “… I came on board two years ago with some very far-reaching goals and directional changes. Just ask around here. My team was like, ‘Man, doesn’t this guy want to go surfing and fishing and stuff like that?’
“Well, I did, but I also wanted to ensure that our war fighters had a premier training area so that they’re prepared when their nation calls on them … .”
Peterson said that during his time at PTA, he had to adjust from a 20-year career in the infantry, where he worked “with hungry young warriors and things moving fast, to a garrison environment and things move … in terms of months and years, rather than hours and days.”
He said he was proud of his staff’s “numerous accomplishments” during his time here.
“Just to name a few: The new PTA external standard operating procedures, that outlines how you get from A to Z from wherever they’re at, the home station, to PTA, train, meet their training objectives and get back home safely; the PTA facilities improvement plan, the plan to improve PTA’s failing infrastructure, so we can support our war fighters decades into the future; the top-notch hunting program that we developed, which manages game and hunters and sustains hunting for not only our children, but our grandchildren and their grandchildren; the establishment of the Pohakuloa Advisory Council, a group of key leaders on … Hawaii Island that works toward mutually beneficial objectives for PTA and the Hawaii Island community,” he said.
“It’s been a good run, but I can say with confidence that you’re in good hands. Lt. Col. Chris Marquez, (wife) Sandy and his girls (twin daughters, Emily and Sophia), they’re a good team for the job, and after spending the last two weeks with them, I know that PTA will be taken to the next level, for sure.”
Marquez, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., has been a soldier since 1998 and served three deployments in Iraq. He’s been awarded the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge and Parachutist Badge. His last assignment was in Germany.
Marquez acknowledged the “long history” of the 133,000-acre facility, which was opened in 1950, and said, “The steadfast and the enduring support of our local community here is absolutely essential in that history.”
“I arrived here a couple of weeks ago, and it was very clear to me that this is readiness. This is the place of readiness out here in Hawaii,” he added. “The gravity and the importance of PTA quickly hit me as a place of training and preparedness that dates back to World War II. The Marines know it well. They trained not far from here at Camp Tarawa as they prepared for Iwo Jima. The Army and all the services know it well. … We’re getting close to the benchmark of 15 years since 9/11 and training and fighting our nation’s wars.”
Col. Richard Fromm, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii and Marquez’s new boss, said there are a couple of “unique and important things about being PTA commander.”
“First, the PTA commander here must understand and respect the culture and environment of the Big Island,” he said. “Second, I think we have to honestly acknowledge that military training is a concern to some of our community members. Initially you may think that these two points and two groups have very different perspectives. But I would suggest that they’re closer than you might think.
“The community wants to protect and nurture the land and all the Hawaiian culture holds dear. The U.S. military understands that and strives while they train here to protect all the nation holds dear.
“As tough as the job is, nobody did it better than Jake,” Fromm concluded. “… Through concern and dedication, he developed an extensive community outreach program centered around his own passion for hunting, building solid relationships with the Big Island hunting community, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Waikii Ranch and the Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.