‘The Beast’ welcomes new commander

Headquarters and Service Battalion bade farewell to one commanding officer and welcomed another during a change of command ceremony June 19 at Lejeune Field.
Col. Wade C. Hall relinquished his command of the largest battalion in the Marine Corps (HQSVC Bn. is commonly referred to as ‘’The Beast”) to Col. Jay E. Johnson during the ceremony.
Johnson, a native of Parkersburg, W.Va., enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1983 as a
reservist. Three years later he graduated from Ohio University, attended Officer Candidates School and received an officer’s commission.
Johnson gained experience as a platoon commander, executive officer and company commander with 8th Engineer Support Battalion in Camp Lejeune, N.C., from 1987 to 1989.
Johnson got the opportunity to attend the Engineer Officer Advanced Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in 1992, after which he transferred to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Okinawa, Japan. He returned to Fort Leonard Wood in 1995 when he was assigned to the Marine Corps Detachment there, where he served as a group instructor.