GAITHERSBURG, Maryland – Soldiers and civilians of the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command welcomed a new commanding general April 24, following a change of command ceremony at the unit headquarters.
Brig. Gen. Marilyn S. Chiafullo assumed command from the outgoing commander, Brig. Gen. Ural D. Glanville. Chiafullo is honored to take command, she said.
“This command is about you,” Chiafullo told the crowd of Soldiers and civilians. “It’s my job to remove obstacles and create maneuver space for you to shine like the superstars you are.”
Maj. Gen. A.C. Roper, deputy chief of U.S. Army Reserve, presided over the ceremony and participated in the passing of the command’s colors. Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Charles N. Pede, and retired Brig. Gen. Mitchell R. Chitwood, a former USARLC commander, were guests at the ceremony.
In his remarks, Roper recognized the U.S. Army Reserve’s 111th birthday, which occurred the day before and explained how USARLC is a key part to the success of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, which provides approximately 40 percent of the Army’s attorneys.
USARLC oversees operations for 28 Legal Operations Detachments. Most of the LODs provide general legal services, and administrative and operational law. Three LODs focus on trial defense advice and service. One provides Army judges for courts-martial and another provides attorneys with specialized legal knowledge.
Roper thanked Glanville for his service, saying how his “leadership made a difference to the nation and the Army.” He framed his guidance to Chiafullo with the famous Vince Lombardi quote, “Leaders are made, they’re not born.”
“Be the leader your Soldiers deserve,” Roper said.
Chiafullo recently served as the chief judge for the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. She previously served at USARLC, as the chief of staff.
She enlisted in 1988, commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps in 1990 and then transferred to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps since 1993.
She holds a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law. Chiafullo mobilized in support of Operation Noble Eagle, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
Chiafullo’s nephew, Christopher Egbert, represented her family at the event. Egbert will soon be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve. Chiafullo thanked her family and friends for support throughout her career.
On behalf of the command’s 1,700 Soldiers, Col. Ronald Sullivan presented Glanville with a U.S. flag that was flown above the Capitol. Glanville spent the past 17 months in command.
“My goal was to leave the command better than I found it,” Glanville said, citing top metrics in medical readiness as an example of recent improvements under his leadership.
Glanville, who first put on a uniform in 1984 as a cadet in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Georgia, will retire July 1. A superior court judge in civilian life, Glanville has served for 36 years. Ending command and leaving the Army is bittersweet, he said.
“It’s been an honor to serve,” Glanville said. “I can’t think of a better assignment to end my career.
Headquartered in Gaithersburg, about 25 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., USARLC oversees 1,700 personnel stationed in 104 cities in 43 states in the continental U.S. and two overseas locations. This includes Soldiers serving as judge advocates, warrant officers, paralegal noncommissioned officers, junior enlisted personnel, plus civilian professionals. The command serves the legal needs of Army Reserve Soldiers, Families, and retirees.
