Ceremony to mark change of command for 475th Quartermaster Group

Hermitage, Pa.

Soldiers of the Army Reserve’s 475th Quartermaster Group, Farrell, Pa., will bid farewell to one commander and welcome another during a change-of-command ceremony 11 a.m. Saturday at Buhl Farm Park here.

Col. Philip Foster, who most recently served as a Logistics Planner at Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va., will assume command of the 475th from Col. Ernest Erlandson.

Foster, a graduate of Henderson State University in Arkansas was commissioned as a field artillery officer in 1987. His military service includes deployments to Iraq and South Korea, and he is the recipient of many awards including the Distinguished Order of St. Michael Medal.

Erlandson was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Colorado in 1985. His military service includes a deployments to Kuwait and he is the recipient of many awards including the Bronze Star Medal.

There will be a reception following the ceremony at Pavilion Two and a Hail and Farewell that evening at the Hermitage VFW starting at 6 p.m.

The ceremony is being hosted by Brig. Gen. Peter S. Lennon, commander of the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

The 475th Quartermaster Group is one of seven brigades belonging to the 316th ESC, headquartered in Coraopolis, Pa.