Governor O'Malley Presides Over Maryland Military Department Change of Command
BALTIMORE (June 7, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley today presided over the change of command ceremony of the Maryland Military Department. In the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Bruce F. Tuxill, the outgoing adjutant general of Maryland relinquished command to Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, the incoming adjutant general. Adkins will oversee the Maryland Military Department which includes the Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland Air National Guard, Maryland Emergency Management Agency and Maryland Defense Force.
“We are here this afternoon to conduct the time-honored tradition of the changing of command between two exceptional military officers with almost eighty years of service between them,” said Governor O’Malley. “As the Commander in Chief, I am pleased to officiate a ceremony that reflects the orderly transition of responsibility for this unique department.”
The ceremony involves the symbolic passing of a flag, commonly referred to as colors, representing the transfer of command responsibility. It involves four people standing in a square; the colors are passed from the State Command Sergeant Major (senior enlisted person of the command) to the outgoing commander. The colors are passed from the outgoing commander to the Governor who is Commander in Chief. The colors are passed from the Governor to the incoming commander, who returns the colors to the Command Sergeant Major.
Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, reflected on General Tuxill’s service. “Governor O’Malley and I want to thank General Tuxill for his four decades of service to the citizens of Maryland and our nation,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “General Tuxill has overseen the largest overseas deployment of Maryland Army National Guardsmen since World War II. We thank him for his leadership during our transition and wish him well in his retirement.”
General Tuxill served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Headquarters, Maryland Air National Guard and as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, United States Air Forces, Europe (USAFE). As the Air National Guard Assistant, he served as the advisor on Air National Guard forces trained to support USAFE after mobilization. He assisted the USAFE commander in the development of plans for peacetime training missions to enhance Air National Guard capability for wartime employment.
Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, the 28th Adjutant General of Maryland, is also the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Maryland. He was sworn into the position by Governor O’Malley on May 9, 2007. In this position he oversees the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and serves in the Governor’s Cabinet as the state’s key advisor for veteran issues. Previous assignments in the Department of Veterans Affairs include Director of the Cemetery and Memorial Programs and Deputy Secretary. Under his leadership, the Department of Veterans Affairs has reached out to support the many veterans returning from abroad and their families. In his expanded role as Adjutant General, he will oversee mobilization and prepare Maryland’s Military Department for war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and national and state emergencies.
General Adkins was born in Cambridge and grew up in Dorchester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Prior to entering the U.S. Army, he served two years with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office.
During his military career, Adkins graduated from the Defense Language Institute’s Russian Language Program in Monterey, California and served in intelligence, infantry and cavalry assignments in the United States and abroad. His military assignments included two tours in military support to civil authorities where he was responsible for counter-drug and emergency management operations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he assisted the former Soviet Republic of Estonia in its transition to democracy as a coordinator for the U.S. European Command's Partnership for Peace Program. General Adkins held numerous command and staff assignments in the Maryland Army National Guard and also had tours as the Maryland Military Department's Director of Installations, Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant General for State Operations with responsibility for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. He was also a member of the U.S. Attorney's Joint Terrorism Task Force Executive Committee.
General Adkins served in both the enlisted and officer ranks. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross and the Order of the White Cross from the Republic of Estonia.
General Adkins is a member of numerous organizations including the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, U.S. Army War College Alumni Association, 2nd Armored Division Association, 29th Infantry Division Association, Military Intelligence Corps Association and the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association. He and his wife, the former Mary Anne Luce of Crisfield, reside in Cambridge.
