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<p>COOLBAUGH TWP. &#8212; During a change of command ceremony Monday, Col. John McDonald assumed command of Tobyhanna Army Depot &#8212; becoming the depot&#8217;s 33rd commander.</p><p>The traditional military ceremony, which includes the passing of the depot&#8217;s flag, took place before hundreds of depot employees, representatives of federal, state and local government, and family members.</p><p>U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) commander Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor presided at the event.</p><p>McDonald expressed his eagerness in taking on this role, stating, &#8220;I recognize I was chosen for this job on potential, but I promise to prove myself by performance.&#8221;</p><p>The Tobyhanna Army Depot is Northeastern Pennsylvania&#8217;s largest industrial employer with just over 4,000 employees. The depot&#8217;s economic impact on the NEPA region is $8.7 billion annually.</p><p>Former depot commander Col. Nathan M. Swartz, who departed for his next assignment with the Joint Staff Operations Directorate at the Pentagon, received the Army&#8217;s Legion of Merit award for his outstanding performance as commander of the depot from August 2017 to June 2019.</p><p>Taylor challenged McDonald to carry forward the accomplishments that Swartz, other predecessor commanders and Team Tobyhanna have set in motion.</p><p>&#8220;Continue their relentless focus on readiness and modernization, ensure the soldier&#8217;s ability to shoot, move and communicate; and make accountability and doing what&#8217;s right for our soldiers, civilians, and their families the cornerstone of your command,&#8221; Taylor said.</p><p>McDonald joined the Army in 1991 and has held leadership positions with the 82nd Airborne Division, 7th Special Forces Group, 528th Special Operations Support Battalion, 1st Theater Sustainment Command and 406th Army Field Support Brigade while assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. McDonald has also held leadership positions within the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade, Fort Lee, Va., Iraqi Assistant Group, and 10th Mountain Division (light infantry), Fort Drum, New York. His latest assignment was deputy of the Logistics Initiatives Group, Office of the Department of the Army G4, at the Pentagon.</p><p>He deployed multiple times in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Col. John McDonald, right, assumes command of Tobyhanna Army Depot during a change of command ceremony on June 17. U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command commander Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor, left, presided at the event. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_TOBYHANNA-COMMANDER-2019.jpg</photo0><caption0>Col. John McDonald, right, assumes command of Tobyhanna Army Depot during a change of command ceremony on June 17. U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command commander Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor, left, presided at the event. </caption0><photoCredit0>Photo courtesy of Thomas Robbins </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>About Tobyhanna Army Depot</p><p>Tobyhanna is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. CECOM is responsible for providing soldiers with radars, satellite terminals, sensors, radios and other electronics systems. Tobyhanna&#8217;s capabilities include full-spectrum support for communications-electronics sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication, engineering design and development, integration, technology insertion, modification, and global field support to war-fighters.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Passing of the flag: Tobyhanna Depot’s new senior leader takes command