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PHIBRON 6 Holds Change of Command Aboard Bataan

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101120-07
11/20/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Erin Boyce, USS Bataan Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6 held a change of command ceremony aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) Nov. 19.

Captain Steven J. Yoder relieved Captain Thomas M. Negus as commodore of PHIBRON 6.

Negus took charge of PHIBRON 6 in June 2009. Following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 18, 2010, he commanded the Navy's amphibious relief mission aboard Bataan during Operation Unified Response. The ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group spent 10 weeks providing disaster relief to the people of Haiti.

"I saw greatness in the spirit of the Sailors and Marines who responded to that tragedy with such compassion and focus," said Negus. "But it was greatness whose origins lay in countless hours and days and months of effort that preceded ever receiving that call. They were great because they were ready and they were ready because they were great."

Negus also served as the mission commander for Continuing Promise 2010 aboard USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Iwo Jima returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., Nov. 18 concluding four months at sea in support of the Caribbean phase of the humanitarian/civic assistance and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions for Continuing Promise.

"Under Commodore Negus' leadership, he and the crew of USS Iwo Jima hit a home run at every stop they made during Continuing Promise 2010," said Rear Adm. Kevin Scott, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2 and the event's guest speaker. "In nine different nations around the Caribbean, their efforts significantly impacted the lives of the people of who they came in contact with. They left a very positive and lasting impression of the United States."

Yoder most recently served as deputy commander for PHIBRON 6. He was born in Coral Gables, Fla., and was commissioned through the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987.

"You are truly ready for this assignment and this responsibility," said Scott. "I am confident that you will continue to raise the bar with your leadership."

Yoder's first order of business after taking command was to thank Negus.

"I want to thank my mentor for the past year and a half, Tom Negus," said Yoder. "Sir, you've always kept us on high ground. You are the premiere expert when it comes to humanitarian assistance, and there is no bigger heart in the United States Navy to make those missions a success than you. Thanks for your leadership and guidance.

"To the Sailors and Marines of PHIBRON 6, Wasp [LHD 1], Bataan, Mount Whitney [LCC 20], San Antonio [LPD 17], Whidbey Island [LSD 41], Oak Hill [LSD 51] and Fleet Surgical Team-8, I consider this the most humblest honor to serve as your commodore and look forward to the great things we will accomplish together over the next year and a half," said Yoder.

Bataan is the fifth ship of the Navy's Wasp-class ships. She was commissioned Sept. 20, 1997, and is the second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name. CVL-29 was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier that was commissioned in November 1943. After serving in both World War II and the Korean conflict, CVL-29 was decommissioned in 1954.

For more news from USS Bataan (LHD 5), visit www.navy.mil/local/lhd5/.