Gentlemen of the Club,
For the past several months, the Union Command Staff has been working on a consolidation and reorganization of the Western Theater. Specific plans were drawn up, and presented to Cabinet for a vote - the plan was approved by that body. Since my 2nd term as CoA ends this year, I wanted to wait until a successor was on board to work through the changes to ensure a smooth transition of Union leadership. With General Walter in place, we have been working through the logistics of this change, and with this announcement, will be moving forward.
The Plan
The Western Theater will be reducing from 3 Armies to 2 Armies - the Army of the Ohio will be consolidated into the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Tennessee. This will be accomplished by moving the personnel of the AoO to the new AoT, for future asignment as we fill out that Army. The AoT will have the future option of creating the XXVII Corps, as membership needs warrant. The AoC will have the future option of creating the IV Corps, as membership needs warrant. At this time, it doesn't appear necessary for either Corps to be activated.
The Rationale
This change makes sense on several fronts. Firstly, it mirror's the Union Eastern Theater, and also mirrors the Rebel side of the Club from an Army organization standpoint. Secondly, it preserves much of the historical context of our organization. Thirdly, it will better allow us to create and maintain that 'critical mass/nucleus' needed to thrive as an organization.
The Leaders
General Barlow, Western Theater Commander, will lead this change.
General Ernie Sands, current Army of the Ohio commander, current Union Cabinet member, and current Dept of Records Administrator, will be transferring to the AoC and taking a brigade command while focusing on his continued Cabinet and DoR responsibilities. Ernie, I can't thank you enough for all you do for the Club and the Union Army! Salute, sir!
General Lytwak, current AoT commander, will be re-assigned within the AoT. Ed will also be helping with the transition and ensuring we have the right leaders in place. I want to thank Ed for his willingness to step in as Army Commander, and for his continued willingness to help out. I am hereby awarding the Distinguished Service Order medal to General Lytwak for his contibutions as Army Commander.
I would like to introduce General Thomas Callmeyer as the new Army Commander for the Army of the Tennessee. General Callmeyer has a tall task on his hands as he establishes the AoT organization, and brings it up to the standards needed to thrive as an Army. My thanks to Tom for his willingness to take on this challenge!
Assisting General Callmeyer will be General Joe Meyers, as an acting Chief of Staff to help with the transition project. My thanks to Joe for his willingness to take on this challenge!
The Conclusion
The future remains bright for the Western Theater, the Union Army, and the Club as a whole. We have some great leaders in place to help us continue to grow and enjoy this hobby. All of the leaders I've discussed here have been involved in the planning and execution of these tasks, no one is being thrown off the bus, so to speak. General Walters is also actively engaged in both leading and facilitating these transitions - the transfer and turnover between us is going very well. I am very excited about what he is bringing to the table, and look forward to supporting his efforts and ideas for the Boys in Blue going forward!
Regards,
General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
http://laubster22.tripod.com/UnionHQ/