The Fayetteville Observer, N.C.
Published: July 13, 2014
A Fort Bragg leadership position typically held by a Canadian general has changed hands in Afghanistan.
Brig. Gen. Simon C. Hetherington replaced Brig. Gen. Wayne D. Eyre in a ceremony last week in Kabul, officials said.
Hetherington is now deputy commanding general of operations for the 18th Airborne Corps.
In Afghanistan, where much of the corps is deployed, he will serve as commander of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.
Eyre had filled that post since March. He had been working with Afghan officials to improve the training of Afghan troops.
Hetherington moved to Fort Bragg earlier this year, after spending a year at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
This is his third tour in Afghanistan, having previously served with Canadian forces in Kandahar province.
"I'm honored to be back in Afghanistan to serve along with my Afghan brothers to build on the successes of my predecessors," Hetherington said in a news release.
Hetherington is an artillery officer by training, having served in the Canadian Army since 1983.
In addition to his Canada assignments, he has served with units in Germany and Jamaica and has deployed to Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Fort Bragg's 18th Airborne Corps has had a Canadian general officer in a leadership position since at least 2007.
Eyre, who had been based at Fort Bragg earlier in his career while serving as an exchange officer with U.S. Army Special Forces, will now take command of the 3rd Canadian Division, based in Edmonton, Alberta.
"Commanding NTM-A has been a career highlight. It's been both personally and professionally fascinating," Eyre said in a release. "I challenge everyone to keep focused on the mission at hand."
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