Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division gets new commander
Posted August 5, 2010 5:47 a.m. EDT
Updated August 5, 2010 1:22 p.m. EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Twelve thousand paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division gathered in formation at Fort Bragg Thursday to mark a change of command for the storied North Carolina-based unit.
Maj. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who has led the division since October 2008, passed the flags to Maj. Gen. James L. Huggins in a ceremony on post.
Under Scaparrotti's command, the division has been fighting two wars – in Iraq and Afghanistan – and provided relief and security in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in January.
Huggins is no stranger to the 82nd. He has held several command positions in the division, including brigade commander for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He has been assigned to Fort Bragg since 1996, serving also as chief of staff of the 18th Airborne Corps.
The 82nd will celebrate again next month when all 22,000-plus members of the division will be back on post for the first time since 2003.
