Navy captain takes charge of USMEPCOM Western Sector

Western Sector, United States Military Entrance Processing Command welcomed a new commander at an Oct. 15 change of command ceremony.

Navy Capt. Stuart C. Satterwhite assumed command of Western Sector, succeeding Marine Corps Col. William H. Reinhart, who is retiring. Satterwhite was previously assigned as director of the Total Force Manpower Division, Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Fla.

Marine Corps Col. Kathy J. Maloney, USMEPCOM commander, officiated and pointed out that the sector commander must understand the mission and importance of processing applicants into the armed forces.

“With 25 years of distinguished service in both combat and peacetime, this was a given for Col. Reinhart,” Maloney said. “He arrived at USMEPCOM as an experienced, well-respected leader.”

Interacting with representatives of the five service recruiting commands and nine training centers was an important part of Reinhart’s job as sector commander, Maloney said.

“Sector commanders find themselves in the middle of many situations, sometimes rewarding, sometimes difficult,” Maloney said. “Through it all, Col. Reinhart found solutions. Thank you, Will, for a job well done.”

Reinhart reflected on his tour in his farewell remarks.

“As you know, this is not only the end of my tour, it is the end of my service as a United States Marine,” Reinhart said. “I will always be proud of the fact that I am a Marine, but I will also always be proud that I am a member of Western Sector – proud because of the example set by all of you on the Western Sector staff. Every day, you came ready to fight and ready to work as a team – so much so that it felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of Marines each and every day I showed up to work.

“Looking back at the last 22 months, the old writer’s adage applies,” he said. “All errors, omissions and shortcomings are mine and mine alone. Keep fighting. Keep working together as a team. Continue to make it easier for the MEPS and Western Sector to accomplish their missions.”

During Reinhart’s two-year tenure the sector processed more than 330,000 applicants and enlisted more than 130,000 people.

Maloney welcomed Satterwhite and his family – his wife Michelle and daughters Ashley, Ainsley Brooke and Alexis – to Great Lakes. Ashley is a junior at North Carolina State, Raleigh, where she is in the Navy ROTC program; Ainsley Brooke is a freshman at Syracuse, New York, and in the Army ROTC program there; and Alexis is a high school junior. Maloney addressed Satterwhite directly and laid out the challenge before him.

“You arrive at USMEPCOM as a leader of the first order and you know assume command of Western Sector – a team of the first order,” she said. “Lead them well as you go about the nation’s business of ensuring the quality of those men and women who choose to become tomorrow’s soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen.”

Satterwhite said he has long dreamed of commanding Western Sector.

“When given the opportunity for command, this is the one we selected,” he said. “This is what we asked for. Why? Because we know the mission and how important it is. I believe in the mission we do here and I know the importance of it for our nation. I know the challenges we will encounter, but I am confident in you, the professionals we have here.

Western Sector includes six battalions and 31 military entrance processing stations in 24 states west of the Mississippi River. The sector is also responsible for processing applicants from the United States’ Pacific territories.

USMEPCOM, with headquarters in Building 3400, is a joint command staffed with representatives from all five branches of service and Department of the Army civilian employees.

The command, through its 65 military entrance processing stations, determines if applicants are qualified for enlistment in the armed forces based on aptitude, medical and conduct standards set by the Department of Defense and the services.