SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras -- The Army Forces Battalion welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony June 16, 2014 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. U. S. Army Lt. Col. Nicholas Dickson assumed command from U. S. Army Lt. Col. Alan McKewan with U. S. Army Col. Thomas Boccardi, Joint Task Force-Bravo commander, presiding.

"I am truly blessed to be in this position and I'm honored to take command of a battalion with such a great lineage and long history of servicemen, non-commissioned officers and officers who have built such a firm foundation," said Dickson. "Your deeds speak for themselves. I'm amazed at what you accomplish day-in and day-out for Joint Task Force-Bravo and our nation."

During his speech, Dickson commented that he stands ready to accept the upcoming challenges of his command.

"I look forward to sharing new experiences and challenges in the future and building upon the firm foundation built over the years.  I look forward to leading the Army Forces Battalion bringing innovative tools and building long-lasting partnerships to attempt to solve complex problems and address the challenges to come. I have big shoes to fill. This is clearly shown in the professional attitude of the whole battalion."

Dickson gave his speech in front of more than 100 Joint Task Force-Bravo Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors which included other commanders from the Army Support Activity, 1-228th Aviation Regiment, Medical Element, Joint Security Forces, 612th Air Base Squadron and representatives from the Honduras armed forces.

Dickson is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1997 and received his Master's in Business Administration (Environmental Management) from the University of Houston-Clearlake in 2011.

Army Forces Battalion is an expeditionary force ready to deploy as a resilient, integrated team capable of conducting administrative and logistical support for Joint Task Force-Bravo missions within Central America in order to counter illicit trafficking, support foreign humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and build partner nation capacity.