TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT -- With a traditional flag passing and the presentation of the colors, Tobyhanna Army Depot in Coolbaugh Township welcomed its newest commander.
Col. John McDonald is now the depot's 33rd commander.
"It was high on my selection list based on what it represents. We aren't that far from (Washington) D.C. which was a good staging base for me and my family. I am a strategic level leader. I have led at a strategic level in the Battalion Command and went to a strategic level war college, and I got a strategic level department of defense here at Tobyhanna, which it was like top of my list. I got it, and I am looking forward to the next two years," said Col. McDonald.
The Tobyhanna Army Depot is one of the area's largest employers. About 4,000 people work at the place known for building and repairing military electronics.
"What we do for electronic readiness and life-cycle management of everything that we output at the depot is just phenomenal," said Col. McDonald.
In recent months, the depot has added 400 new jobs. The new commander hopes to keep that number growing.
"What I am trying to do is hold job fairs as we've done in the past. Bring that Department of Defense workload, and it might not necessarily be electronic workload, but something that we can use to tailor to the local community, have those job fairs, select the right people and get them on the line," said Col. McDonald.
Col. McDonald replaces Col. Nathan Swartz who is headed to work at the Pentagon.
The new commander brings along his wife and daughter. She is looking forward to hitting the ski slopes this winter.