By Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Beery, Utah National Guard
DRAPER, Utah — The Utah Army National Guard held a Change of Command ceremony on Sept. 21, 2025, as Col. Patricia A. Brown assumed command of the 97th Troop Command from Col. Jon D. Richardson at the Utah National Guard headquarters building in Draper, Utah.
Richardson enlisted in the Utah Army National Guard in April 1998 as a Combat Engineer in Spanish
Fork, Utah, assumed command of 97th Troop Command in Jan. 2024. Over the course of his
career, Richardson has deployed multiple times and worked in numerous capacities, including the
drawdown and closure of Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.
His impact on 97th Troop Command is felt through unit deployments, civic calls, and disaster
response training, along with a new call sign. Taking inspiration from President Theodore
Roosevelt’s passage in “Man in the Arena” which valorized the courageous individual who “quells
the storm” by daring greatly and striving for a worthy cause. Richardson coined the call sign “Storm
Riders” for Soldiers of the 97th Troop Command,. He left his troops with a call to action.
“Quell the storm and ride the thunder,” he said. “Word’s aren’t enough. We’ve got to do the work,” he
added.
In his farewell address, Richardson described his faith in his replacement, Col. Patricia Brown,
remarking about his experience working with her previously.
“She is an officer of action,” Richardson remarked. “I’m excited for her command time,” he added.
Like Richardson, Brown enlisted in 1998, beginning her military career as a combat medic. She was
commissioned into the Army Specialty Corps in 2004 , where she graduated with honors from the
Interservice Physician Assistant Program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
During her career, Brown has experienced multiple deployments including Bosnia, Iraq, Kuwait, and
Afghanistan. She has held many leadership positions including previous experience in 97th Troop
Command as the executive officer between 2018-2020.
“I love the 97th Troop Command,” she explained. “I grew up in the Utah National Guard, I was a
platoon Leader and a company commander,” she said. “My goal is just to take care of the soldiers,”
she added.
