Last year the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds celebrated its 75th-anniversary, this year it celebrates the passing of the torch, as one of the world's largest military installations welcomes a new commander, Colonel Patrick McFall III.
Col. McFall took command July 8, replacing Col. Ross Poppenberger. McFall says he has he wasn't sure what to expect when he moved to this part of the American southwest.
"I didn't know what to think coming out here. When I got out here I either realized I was driving up a hill or down a hill and both my wife and I's mouths were dropped with how beautiful it was," said Col. McFall.
YPG is a military installation, but it is also a community with families, housing, and schools that expand McFall's responsibilities beyond military operations.
" I am still taking it all in. It is a lot, but it is easy when you have good people around you and everyone is supportive," he said. "I keep saying YPG is Yuma and Yuma is YPG. It is hard to tell the difference because our workforce lives in Yuma or the outskirts of Yuma. It is just a culture inside that is awesome."
In this episode of Arizona Edition, KAWC's Lou Gum speaks with the new commander about his transition to YPG and its ongoing mission to support the Army's modernization efforts.
