Fort Bliss gets new commanding general after months of uncertainty
FORT BLISS, Texas – Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division now have a new commander general.
Brig. Gen. Sean Bernabe, who was the deputy commander general for U.S. Army Europe, took over as the top officer at Fort Bliss on Wednesday during a change of command ceremony.
"I tell you what, I cannot tell you how great it is to be in west Texas," Bernabe said. "I am absolutely honored to join your ranks today. Together we will accomplish our mission while always caring for our soldiers, our DA civilians, and their families."
Fort Bliss had been led by Brig. Gen. Matthew Eichburg since July, when Maj. Gen. Patrick Matlock relinquished command to take a new assignment in South Korea.
Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, the deputy commander for support at Fort Hood, Texas, and III Corps, was originally slated to succeed Matlock, but the transfer was delayed and then later denied as the Army continues to look into the death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood.
Guillen, 20, was killed and dismembered by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood earlier this year. Fort Hood has been plagued by a series of soldier deaths, missing soldiers and training accidents in the past year.
Among Bernabe’s prior assignments, he had served as deputy commander for the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
