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Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, Army Surgeon General/MEDCOM commander, passes the Europe Regional Medical Command guidon to Col. John P. Collins, interim ERMC commander, during a relinquishment of command/assumption of responsibility ceremony July 30 at Sembach Kaserne. Command Sgt. Maj. Ly Lac (rear, left) assumed responsibility as ERMC command sergeant major during the ceremony.
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark relinquished command of the Europe Regional Medical Command to Col. John P. Collins during a ceremony July 30 at Sembach Kaserne.
Collins will serve as interim ERMC commander/U.S. Army Europe command surgeon until a new commanding general is named, according to Army Surgeon General/MEDCOM Commander, Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho who presided at the relinquishment of command ceremony.
“I’m excited about the opportunity and confident that we’ll continue to do great things,” said Collins. “The command teams and Soldiers belonging to Army Medicine in Europe are the best group of professionals I have served with in almost 30 years of service.”
Collins served as the ERMC chief of staff since August 2011.
Previously in his career, he deployed with the 62nd Medical Brigade to Afghanistan and also served as commander of Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart, Ga. During a past assignment to Germany, he served as chief of staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
During the ceremonial transfer of command, Horoho passed the guidon to Collins who then presented it to Command Sgt. Maj. Ly Lac, symbolizing Lac’s assumption of responsibility as the new ERMC command sergeant major.
Lac has served in the Army for more than 26 years, most recently as command sergeant major at U.S. Army Medical Activity Fort Carson, Colo. Lac has served in a variety of leadership and staff positions including senior enlisted advisor to the commanding general of Warrior Transition Command in Washington D.C. He is an experienced Army medic and has earned the Combat Medical Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, and U.S. Army Staff Identification Badge.
Clark, the outgoing ERMC commander, will move on to Bethesda, Md., where he will take command of Walter Reed National Medical Military Medical Center.
During the ceremony, he bid a fond farewell to the Army Medicine in Europe team, having served with them since May of 2012.
“Commanding this regional medical command and serving with our Army Medicine in Europe team has been a very special privilege,” said Clark. “Sue and I thank you for all you do and for the privilege and honor to have served with you. All in Army Medicine should be very proud of who you are, what you do, and most importantly, how you do it.”
ERMC is responsible for a healthcare system with approximately 5,500 joint-service personnel dedicated to providing high quality healthcare to more than 217,000 eligible beneficiaries including approximately 36,000 active duty members from all services across Europe. ERMC operates a medical center and 15 Military Treatment Facilities in Germany, Belgium and Italy.
ERMC, Europe Regional Dental Command, US Army Medical Materiel Center Europe, Public Health Command Region Europe, and the US Army Medical Research Unit Europe, make up Army Medicine in Europe – ONE TEAM supporting USAREUR, European Command, Central Command, African Command and deployed medical assets in Afghanistan.
