Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston –
U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) at Fort Sam Houston welcomed
Brig. Gen. James Blackburn, the new deputy commanding general, with a ceremony
Jan. 14 at the historic Quadrangle.
Blackburn told the approximately 200 Soldiers, family
members and guests in attendance he was eager to start tackling the unique
missions Army North faces as the Army component command for North America.
"I'm fired up and ready to get after it," he
enthusiatically proclaimed.
Blackburn also said he was excited to be a part of the San
Antonio community, noting that in just his first week he had gotten to spend
time at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and meet the leaders of the upcoming
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
This is Blackburn's first assignment in San Antonio. Prior
to assuming his duties at Army North Jan. 4, he was the deputy commanding
general for operations with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga.
During his 30-year-career, he has commanded armored and
cavalry units at every level from platoon to brigade, including two stints with
the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and as the 75th commander of the 2nd Cavalry
Regiment.
Lt. Gen. Perry Wiggins, Army North commanding general and
Senior Commander of Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, welcomed Blackburn and
told the audience he was excited to have a deputy commanding general again
following the retirement of the previous deputy, Maj. Gen. Simeon Trombitas,
almost six months ago.
"All of those things I used to pass off to Sim
(Trombitas) to handle, I had to start doing them myself. Now I have somebody to
give them to again," he joked.
As the deputy commanding general, Blackburn will help lead
the command in homeland disaster response, homeland defense, and partnership
efforts with the Mexican, Canadian, and Royal Bahamania militaries.