FORT POLK - Soldiers of the 46th Engineer Battalion will bid farewell to the man who led them on a 15-month deployment to Iraq in a change of command ceremony Thursday. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade field.
Lt. Col. Matthew W. Zajac is retiring and will be replaced by Lt. Col. Natalie Pearson.
Pearson comes to Fort Polk after serving as brigade engineer, battalion operations officer and battalion executive officer with the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Wash. Her time with the 4th Stryker Brigade included a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Her many awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and she holds a master's from Troy State University and the University of Missouri-Rolla.