Texas State Guard’s 39th Composite Regiment Welcomes New Commander
Story by: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Janet Schmelzer
Posted: Sept. 2, 2016
Lt. Col. Jeremy Franklin, incoming commander of the 39th Composite Regiment, Texas State Guard. Brig. Gen. Howard N. Palmer, Jr., Commander, Army Component Command, Texas State Guard, hands the regimental guidon to Franklin in a change of command ceremony in Lubbock, Texas, April 23, 2016. Franklin had previously served as the Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of the 39th. (Texas State Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Janet Schmelzer).
LUBBOCK, Texas - The 39th Composite Regiment, Texas State Guard, welcomed a new commander, Lt. Col. Jeremy Franklin, during a change of command ceremony in Lubbock, Texas, April 23, 2016. Franklin will lead the regiment that is headquartered in Midland, and contains subordinate battalions and companies in Midland, El Paso, Lubbock and Amarillo.
Franklin expressed how honored he is to become the commander of the 39th Regiment.
"We who are fortunate enough to serve in the Texas State Guard will own the reward of true pride and contentment that comes from knowing that we stand ready to serve Texas. The 39th Regiment is ready 'Always to Defend.’”
Franklin received a direct commission into the Texas State Guard, Jan. 2008, and began his service as a physician and then as an executive officer of the Midland-Odessa, Medical Response Group, Texas Medical Brigade.
When the 39th Regiment and the Medical Response Group were combined into the 39th Composite Regiment, he became the 2nd Battalion commander and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in May 2013. He then served as the executive officer and chief medical officer for the regiment and was named Commander of the 39th Regiment in April of 2016.
"Jeremy Franklin has been on my radar for a couple of years, since he became the executive officer and chief medical officer of the 39th Regiment," said Brig. Gen. Howard N. Palmer, Jr., Commander, Army Component Command. "He is a thinker, a planner and an excellent communicator. He is the right man to move the regiment forward to fulfill our duty as 'Texans Serving Texas.’”
Franklin is an honor graduate of both the Texas State Guard Advanced Officer's Course and the Command and General Staff College.
He has received multiple Texas State Guard awards, including the Texas Medal of Merit, Texas Adjutant General’s Individual Award, TXSG Meritorious Service Ribbon with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, TXSG Commanding General’s Individual Award, Texas Service Medal, Texas Faithful Service Medal, TXSG Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Gold Frame and “2” Device, Texas Adjutant General’s Performance Excellence Competition (TAGPEC) Winner, O3-O4 Commands, Governor’s Unit Citation with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Unit Award with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster and the TXSG Organizational Excellence Award with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster.
Since 2008, he has deployed every year as a physician provider and Chief Medical Officer for Operation Lone Star, the state's largest annual medical outreach program in the Rio Grande Valley.
He earned his doctorate in medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. His residency was in general pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. His fellowship was in pediatric infectious diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center at Memphis. He also has earned a Master Degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Emergency and Disaster Management and a Master Degree in Business Administration.
Franklin is a board-certified physician from the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and board-certified physician from the American Board of Pediatrics in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.