By Scott Sieber
In what troops described as a bitter-sweet ceremony, Maj. Gen. Richard S. Colt relinquished control over the 77th Regional Readiness Command after 30 years. He passed the colors on to Brig. Gen. William Terpeluk, formerly the deputy commander.Seeing her commander hang up his stars elicited memories of the commander's past deeds for Public Affairs Officer Sandra Steinberg, who said Colt played a big role in Ft. Totten's history.”I worked for him when he was a commander of the air support group and I saw him grow into a commander,” she said. “I saw how he changed from your normal guy in charge to the soldier who took care of 9-11.”The retiring commander will leave behind a strong legacy, she said, noting his penchant for honoring troops with the Citizen Warrior Welcome Home Family, a ceremony held for troops returning from overseas.”It's not just, 'Soldier, get your gun and go,'” she said. “He really cares about the soldiers and their families.”Terpeluk's promotion is fitting, she said, since he has a history at the 77th.”He's been here, so it's not like we're getting a person who doesn't know what the 77th family is all about,” she said. “We're getting a person who's been around and who knows what we need to do, which is to train the way we're going to fight.”Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
