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NEWS | June 17, 2022

Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion U.S. Army South welcomes new commander

By Rochelle Naus Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion U.S. Army South

Lt. Col. Michelle E. Martinez assumed command of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion U.S. Army South during a ceremony June 17 at MacArthur Field, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Maj. Gen. William L. Thigpen, the commander of U.S. Army South, hosted the ceremony where he congratulated Martinez on assuming her new command and bid farewell to Lt. Col. Mark A. Katz.

“Now, as we bid farewell to one great leader, the Army gets it right, again, with its replacement as we welcome Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Martinez, her husband, Nazario, and their daughters to the HHBN command team,” said Thigpen. “For those that do not know, Michelle is no stranger to Army South, having most recently served in the Army South G4 directorate as Sustainment Division Chief.”

Martinez, a native to San Antonio, most recently served as the Operations Chief, Plans Officer and Sustainment Division Chief at U.S. Army South, Fort Sam Houston Texas.
Martinez enlisted in the Army in 1997 as a Unit Supply Specialist and attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina followed by advanced individual training at Fort Lee, Virginia. After attaining the rank of staff sergeant, she received her commission through Officer Candidate School in 2004. Martinez holds a Master’s degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Texas.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion U.S. Army South’s mission is to engineer, install, operate, maintain, and defend operational, contingency, and executive communications to enable mission command for U.S. Southern Command, Army Service Component Commands, and other joint, interagency, and combined forces.