During a change of responsibility ceremony, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command bid farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Cy B.K. Akana and welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. David M. Rogers as the command's senior enlisted advisor Oct. 2 at the Fort Detrick Auditorium.

Before a crowd of leadership, Soldiers, family and friends, Akana relinquished responsibility to Rogers with the passing of the USAMRMC Colors.

Maj. Gen. Brian C. Lein, commander of the USAMRMC and Fort Detrick, praised Akana and his work ethic during his remarks.

"You can tell the quality of command sergeant major by the amount of time he is at his desk," said Lein. "Command Sgt. Maj. Akana was never at his desk. He was out, interacting with the community. He was a mentor and role model for all."

Akana enlisted in the Army in 1983 to serve as a combat medic. During his career, Akana has served in every leadership position from squad leader to command sergeant major. In his role as the USAMRMC command sergeant major, Akana was the top enlisted Soldier in Fort Detrick's medical command units and worked as an advocate for other enlisted Soldiers.

"I have been very privileged to work with this command where their work has eased human suffering and saved lives across the globe," said Akana in his brief and heartfelt comments. "It has been a true honor to serve this command and community."

Akana, who arrived at the USAMRMC in November 2013 from his previous position at Western Regional Medical Command in Washington, will be retiring from the Army in the coming months. In his first address as the USAMRMC's senior enlisted advisor, Rogers thanked Akana and said he was well aware of the responsibility he was undertaking.

"Command Sgt. Maj. Akana, I will not let you down, and I will continue to build on your successes during my time here at the USAMRMC," said Rogers. "And to the command, I promise to keep lines of communication open as your senior enlisted advisor, and we will accomplish the mission through teamwork."

The Seattle native, who holds a bachelor's degree in computer information systems and a master's degree of business administration, Rogers comes to the USAMRMC from the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity -- Alaska.