New flag new mission

Photos by Frank Carter Service members and guests from on and around Fort Gordon were on hand outside Signal Towers March 6, for the reactivation ceremony At first glance, the mission of the newly reactivated 7th Signal Command (Theater) seems a far cry from the original one back in 1975.

"The 7th worked closely with the Department of Defense managing the Army's portals," said Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence, commanding general for Network Enterprise Technology Command, at the reactivation ceremony March 6 in front of Signal Towers.

Three decades ago, it was a computer-less Army, and there were phone banks to man and help desks to run as American was engulfed in the Cold War. Despite the changing times and technology, the 7th Signal Command is once again needed to manage another portal.

"It's beginning to look oddly similar to the mission it's carried out since its inception," she said.

The 7th Signal Command (Theater) will oversee the networks in the continental United States, a much-needed task, according to Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper, the 7th's commanding general.

Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett The salute battery fires cannons in honor of the 7th Signal Command's reactivation. Napper said she's discovered the need for her unit's mission on trips to other installations. Making an outgoing call should be simple.

"It takes a half an hour to figure out the prefix. There are 99 different ways of dialing offpost," she said.

Napper and her staff have spent the past six months laying the groundwork for the command.

"We started with 12; now we are up to 60," she said.

During the ceremony, the newly designed flag and patch were unveiled, and the flags for 106th Signal Brigade and the 93rd Signal Brigade.

Lawrence may have felt a sense of déjà vu during the March 6 ceremony. She remarked it was the third time she had passed colors to Napper.

The presentation, passing and unfurling of the command flag by the new commanding general, Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper, ( center) is a time honored tradition performed during the ceremony. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Foley, U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon commanding general and his wife Beth Foley (center) are joined by Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Clark, U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon command sergeant major, his wife Janice Clark (far right) and other staff members and local dignitaries at the reactivation ceremony. Cutting the reception cake celebrating the reactivation of the 7th Signal Command are (left to right) Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Williams, 7th Signal command sergeant major, along with former 7th Signal commanding general, retired Brig. Gen. Robert Wynn, Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper, 7th Signal commanding general and Dennis Shepard, the senior technical advisor and deputy to the commanding general. (Left) Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence, commanding general NETCOM/ 9th Army Signal Corps addresses guests during the reactivation ceremony in the courtyard adjacent to the Signal Towers. (Right) Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper, 7th Signal commanding general, speaks to attendees at a reception at the Gordon Club following the reactivation ceremony.