Outgoing commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Mendez looks on with his family in the background as Brig. Gen. Joseph Lear, director of the joint staff, speaks about Mendez’s accomplishments while he was in command during the Recruiting and Retention Battalion’s change of command ceremony at Wellman Armory on Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort May 20, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane)