FAIRBANKS — Fort Wainwright’s Stryker Brigade has a new commander.

Col. Todd Wood took command of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry, from Col. Burt Thompson on Tuesday at a ceremony at the Carlson Center.

Thompson came to Fort Wainwright in 2006 after a lengthy and distinguished Army career. He oversaw the training and recent 12-month deployment of the

1-25th to Iraq’s Diyala province, for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

“I think the citizens of the Diyala province are in better hands today because of the tireless efforts of the brigade,” he said.

Maj. Gen. William Troy, the commander of U.S. Army Alaska, said the brigade had “unprecedented success” under Thompson in Diyala, destroying a major al-Qaida stronghold and building trust between Arabs and Kurds in the region.

Thompson, his wife, Kala, and their four children will soon move to Washington, D.C., where he will serve in the executive office of the undersecretary of the Army.

“It’s been a long three years, but it’s been the most rewarding three years of my military career,” he said.

After an inspection of the troops, Thompson handed the brigade’s flag to Troy, who handed the colors to Wood, symbolizing his taking of command.

Command Sgt. Major Gabriel Cervantes also transferred responsibility as the senior noncommissioned officer of the brigade to Command Sgt. Major Robert Austin. The command sergeant major serves as the right-hand man to the brigade commander.

Originally from Iowa, Wood was commissioned by the Army as an infantry second lieutenant following his graduation from Central Missouri State University. A recent graduate of the U.S. Army War College, he has had past assignments in Hawaii, Texas, Kentucky and Georgia.

Wood said that before he came to Fort Wainwright, he had only spent a brief amount of a time training at Fort Richardson. But he said he has grown to love the outdoor activities Alaska has to offer, such as hunting and fishing.

“I love it. I’ve been trying to get here for 20 years,” he said. “We’ve been here two months, and as soon as we got here, I said that we’re going to be Alaskans.”

For now, the brigade of more than 4,000 troops is in a transition as many soldiers move to new assignments or leave the Army following their deployment. The brigade is expected to be deployed again in about 18 months.

“What I want to bring to this unit is to be able to continue our great standards and add to the tradition of the unit so that we can be successful in our next mission, whatever it may be,” Wood said.

Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at 459-7545.