Fort Benning’s top commander is set to retire. Here’s what we know
Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe is retiring from the U.S. Army and leaving his job as Fort Benning’s commanding general in July, post officials told the Ledger-Enquirer Friday.
Donahoe will be replaced by Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, the current Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Forces Command at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg. Buzzard also previously served as Commandant of Cadets at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, according to his Army biography.
The change of command ceremony is set for July 14.
Donahoe served nearly 34 years in the U.S. Army. Before becoming Fort Benning’s top commander in July 2020, he was the deputy commanding general for Operations, Eighth United States Army in the Republic of Korea.
It was not Donahoe’s first stop at Benning. He was appointed chief of staff for the Maneuver Center of Excellence in September 2014.
His Army record includes assignments to Fort Drum, New York; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Irwin, California and Afghanistan. He commanded the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood as it deployed to Iraq for counter-insurgency operations in Babil and Karbala provinces, earning the Valorous Unit Citation.
Donahoe previously served in Afghanistan as senior advisor to Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of the general staff of the Afghan National Army.
Donahoe, a native of New Jersey, was commissioned an Armor Officer through Villanova University in May 1989.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 3:08 PM.