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While Mountain View is widely known for its Silicon Valley tech companies, it’s also home to a local U.S. Army Division, responsible for supporting Army Reserve units across seven states in the Southwestern United States.
The echoes of this local history resounded last weekend as cannons boomed in NASA Research Park in Moffett Field, marking a ceremonial shift in leadership. On Saturday, Aug. 5, the 63rd Readiness Division, headquartered in Mountain View, held a change of command ceremony. At the event, Maj. Gen. Miles Davis handed over his duties to Maj. Gen. Tracy Smith.
The commanding general of 63rd is responsible for providing base support and administration support to all Army Reserve units throughout California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Over 40,000 Army Reserve soldiers serve the region.
Army Reserve soldiers are not full-time active duty military personnel, although they can be deployed at any time should the need arise.
Davis, who began his role as the commanding general of the 63rd Readiness Division in 2021, is retiring after a 38-year career with the U.S. Army. The 63rd holds a special place in Davis’s heart, he said in a statement released by the Army.
“To the soldiers, civilians and families of the 63rd Readiness Division, I want to truly thank you for allowing me to be part of the blood and fire family,” he said, referring to the 63rd’s motto: “Blood and fire.”
“To serve beside you in the best command in the United States Army Reserve has truly been an honor and a privilege,” Davis said.
The change of command ceremony is a military tradition. The outgoing commander symbolically relinquishes command and authority by passing the division’s colors to the presiding officer, who then hands them to the incoming commander, signifying a new era of leadership.
Smith, who formerly commanded the 807th Medical Command headquartered in Salt Lake City, received the unit colors during the ceremony.
Davis thanked the guests and visitors, calling out his mentors who have provided guidance throughout his command, as well as his family.
“To my wife and longtime battle buddy and to my children who have truly carried the heavy rucksack of my 38 years of service; I could not have made it without you,” he said.
The 191st Army Band, known as the “Band of the Wild West,” traveled from the East Bay city of Dublin to perform the national anthem.
The Army Reserve service commitment requires reserve soldiers to spend at least one weekend a month on duty and two weeks a year in training. Many people serving at the division are civilians, meaning they have civilian jobs and receive military training on a part-time basis. Reserve duty can be thought of as a part-time job – civilians retain their jobs while receiving military training near where they live, and they only serve part-time.
When the Army Reserve soldiers are not called up for active duty, “We are training. We are sharpening our soldier skills,” said Public Affairs Officer Maj. Kara Greene.
Formed in 1943 during World War II, The 63rd Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army’s Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2000.
The division liberated several Nazi subcamps attached to the Kaufering camp complex in the Bavarian countryside in the spring of 1945.
The following fall, the division was deactivated. Throughout its history, the 63rd experienced periods of deactivation and reactivation until September 2008, when its headquarters found a new home in Mountain View. At this point, the division took on an expanded scope of regional responsibility.
Its motto, “Blood and Fire,” was inspired by a quote from former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, uttered at the Casablanca Conference in 1943 shortly before the activation of the 63d Infantry Division. Churchill promised to make the enemy “bleed and burn in expiation of their crimes.” These words were then adopted by Brigadier General Louis E. Hibbs, the division’s first commander.
Concluding the ceremony, incoming commander Smith thanked all those who helped her achieve this position and gave a nod toward Davis, outgoing commander.
“I am truly honored to serve as the next commanding general,” Smith said, “But more so, I am truly humbled to follow in the footsteps of those who served before me.”
