Brig. Gen. Peggy C. Combs became the first female commander to take lead over Fort Knox and the U.S. Army Cadet Command on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
According to a report in the News-Enterprise, the ceremony inducting Combs took place at the Army post in central Kentucky. Combs, who served in the Army for 28 years, replaced Maj. Gen. Jeff Smith.
During a speech, Combs reportedly referred to Fort Knox as a significant place for recruiting soldiers and also praised Smith for his work, which included creating new approaches to the Cadet Command, which runs the Army's ROTC program.
"There is gold at Fort Knox. I've never been to the Bullion, but there is gold inside this gate. The real gold is in the potential of each and every one of the soldiers that are here and the future soldiers," Combs said.
Combs also said she hopes to carry out Smith's legacy of hard work.
"You've done the heavy lifting. You've pushed the rock up the mountain. Now, it's my turn to guide it down the mountain into execution and you can be sure I will make sure your vision is fully recognized. Strength starts here," Combs said.
Smith also expressed words of encouragement at the ceremony.
"You have my endorsement and I am very excited, today, that if I had to give up the colors, that I'd have to give it up to you," Smith said. "This has been the absolute capstone of my career. There is no more important duty, in my view, than developing leaders."
Smith moved on to a new position as deputy chief of staff of operations at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
