Col. Patrick Ahearne assumed command of U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Fort Stewart from Col. Kirk Eggleston today.

Ahearne is coming from Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he served as the chief of Army Nurse Corps Branch at U.S. Human Resources Command. He is joined by his wife, Becky, and two daughters.

According to his biography, Ahearne has earned several medals, including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with two bronze stars, the Saudi Arabian Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal.

Eggleston is retiring after 29 years of service and is planning to move to Texas to practice family medicine.

He has been the MEDDAC commander here for 24 months. In June “MEDDAC Fort Stewart became only the second medical facility in the Army to receive the Safety Star designation,” according to a press release.

The change of command was in Marne Garden.

A full story will be in this Sunday’s paper.