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Kagman teacher is acting Echo commander
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Posted on Jun 01 2006
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Michael Murphy is currently the acting commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Echo Company, with the reassignment of Maj. Franklin R. Babauta.
Lt. Col. Grant Porter of the U.S. Army 9th Regional Readiness Command told the Saipan Tribune that Murphy is now the acting commander of the Echo Company after its former leader, Babauta, was reassigned to become a training officer.
Murphy is presently a teacher at Kagman High School.
Porter disclosed that an active Reserve captain will be assigned to work fulltime as the Echo Company commander “at a date to be determined in the near future.”
Porter said there would be a screening process that is centrally managed by the fulltime support management directorate in the selection of new commander.
Babauta is now working for the 9th Readiness Command in the training section, said Porter, who is on the island to promote programs that are designed to help the returning soldiers from Iraq.
“Maj. Babauta is working on Saipan, but he is working for a section that is headquartered in Honolulu. On occasion he is going to Honolulu. He will be coordinating a lot of the Marianas Islands activities, kind of support…Guam and the CNMI here for operations in this area,” Porter said.
Babauta led the 143-man Echo Company during its assignment in Iraq. The U.S. Army awarded him a Bronze Medal for his “excellent performance as commander of the company.”
