10-May-2021 Source: US Marine Corps
Command of Fleet Readiness Center East returned to a Marine Corps officer as Col. Thomas A. Atkinson assumed leadership of the facility in a brief ceremony held May 7.
Capt. Mark E. Nieto, the first Navy officer to take the helm of the depot, formally transferred authority and responsibility for the depot to Atkinson in a short, in-office change of command ceremony led virtually by acting Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Capt. Christopher Couch.
The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Nieto’s military career; the outgoing FRCE commanding officer will be retiring following 28 years of service. Retired Rear Adm. Paul Sohl, former commander of the Navy’s Operational Test and Evaluation Force and former commander of all Fleet Readiness Centers, retired Nieto in a small, separate ceremony with family and friends that addressed Nieto’s lasting impact on FRCE, naval aviation and the nation’s warfighters.
Capt. Mark E. Nieto, the first Navy officer to take the helm of the depot, formally transferred authority and responsibility for the depot to Atkinson in a short, in-office change of command ceremony led virtually by acting Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Capt. Christopher Couch.
The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Nieto’s military career; the outgoing FRCE commanding officer will be retiring following 28 years of service. Retired Rear Adm. Paul Sohl, former commander of the Navy’s Operational Test and Evaluation Force and former commander of all Fleet Readiness Centers, retired Nieto in a small, separate ceremony with family and friends that addressed Nieto’s lasting impact on FRCE, naval aviation and the nation’s warfighters.