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82nd takes over Regional Command East

The 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters assumed command of Regional Command-East from the 101st Airborne Division during a ceremony Wednesday in Afghanistan.

The 101st, led by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, led Combined Joint Task Force-101 for 15 months and was responsible for 14 provinces in eastern Afghanistan. The task force will now be CJTF-82, and it will be led by Maj. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the 82nd.

The 82nd headquarters, of Fort Bragg, N.C., is not new to Afghanistan. The division led Regional Command-East just 15 months ago. The 101st, which deployed to Afghanistan in April 2008, will return to Fort Campbell, Ky.

“It’s clearly been challenging here in eastern Afghanistan, but nevertheless pretty darn rewarding,” Schloesser said during a briefing Tuesday with reporters. “I do believe that we’ve turned the corner in eastern Afghanistan, but we’ve got a ways to go. ... After 15 months, I will say that the only thing I’ve seen the insurgency actually provide for the people is just more violence. On the other hand, the government of Afghanistan ... [is] trying to provide a brighter and better future for the children of Afghanistan. And those of us in [the International Security Assistance Force] and our coalition partners are committed to doing that as well.”