Twentynine Palms -- Lt. Col. Speros C. Koumparakis relinquished command of Communication Training Battalion, Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School, to Lt. Col. Barian A. Woodward at the Sunset Cinema aboard the Combat Center, June 22, 2016.
Koumparakis served as the battalion’s first commander since its activation in March, 2015. While serving as commander, he oversaw the battalion as it developed new methods to train and evaluate Marines on the operation and maintenance of Marine Corps communications systems.
“We train Marines every single day and we’ve changed the vernacular of communications to be a war-fighting function as opposed to just ones and zeroes behind the scene,” Koumparakis said. “The Marines inspire me every single day with how much they learn and what they can do with it.”
Prior to the consolidation of communication training in the Marine Corps, enlisted Marines trained here at MCCES while commissioned Marines conducted training at the Communications School, previously located aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
Koumparakis ceremoniously passed command of the battalion to Woodward with the passing of the unit’s colors. The passing of the colors during a change of command represents the passing of responsibilities from one commanding officer to the next.
Prior to commissioning, Woodward served as an enlisted Marine for seven years, a trait Koumparakis believes will help him better understand both enlisted and commissioned students. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Woodward expressed his intent to continue with Koumparakis’s direction for the battalion.
“We will continue to make a positive impact on our ability to enable command and control for Marine commanders across the Marine Corps,” Woodward said.
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