FORT DRUM, New York  –   Soldiers, civilian employees, friends and family of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity, also known as MEDDAC, and Guthrie Army Health Clinic welcomed the unit’s new commander during a change of command ceremony at the Memorial Park in Fort Drum, New York, July 18, 2025.
 
During the ceremony, Col. Elizabeth H. Duque, a family medicine physician, assumed command of the MEDDAC from Col. Christina M. Buchner, who served as the activity’s senior officer since July 2023.
 
“Taking command always inspires reflection, but this one is special as it has been a family adventure,” Duque said during the ceremony.  “I am incredibly optimistic about the future.  I am confident that, working together, we will continue to provide world-class healthcare and support to our Soldiers, their families, and our retirees.”
 
Duque comes to the MEDDAC from the U.S. Army Medical Command in Falls Church, Virginia, where she served as the director for readiness and health integration. During her extensive career, she served in multiple stateside and overseas assignments, including the Hohenfels Health Clinic, Hohenfels, Germany; Family Medicine Residency, Fort Hood, Texas; William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas; Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; and 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky to name a few.
 
Overseeing the ceremony was Brig. Gen. James D. Burk, commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, East, Director of the Defense Health Network East, and the 27th Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, who ceremonially received the MEDDAC flag, or colors, from Buchner before passing the colors to Duque.  This time-honored tradition symbolizes the higher-headquarters commander’s trust and confidence in the new officer as they transfer command from one commander to another.
 
Buchner’s “tenure has been marked by exceptional leadership and steadfast dedication to our mission,” Burk said during his remarks. “(She) achieved much-needed stability for a team that endured rapid change from COVID response, transition to (Defense Health Agency), and integration of the MHS GENESIS Electronic Health System.”
 
“You focused on the core mission of providing safe, quality care by implementing programs that developed leaders, enhanced technical abilities of staff, and empowered beneficiaries to navigate the North Country medical system,” Burk told Buchner during the ceremony.
 
During her tenure as Fort Drum’s senior medical officer, Buchner oversaw the MEDDAC in meeting multiple challenges, including building upon relationships with community medical partners to increase access to care, seamlessly transitioning obstetrics care to the civilian network, and leading innovation in methods to better connect with the beneficiary population.
 
Now, after two years in command, Buchner is moving on to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where she will serve for a short time as the MRC, East chief of staff before moving on to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, later next year to assume command of the 44th Medical Brigade. 
 
“Fort Drum wasn’t the path I expected, but it was exactly the place I was meant to be,” Buchner said during her remarks.  “This mission, this command, this team, was not just a chapter in my career.  It was a part of my calling.  This team taught me more than leadership; they taught me service.”
 
“Today, (the) Fort Drum MEDDAC stands as one of the Army’s premier medical organizations,” she added.  “Not because of any one policy or program, but because of a team that never forgot its ‘why.’”
 
As Duque assumes command, the Fort Drum MEDDAC will continue its mission of providing high-quality, responsive, and integrated healthcare and medical readiness support that is responsive to the needs of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and the Fort Drum community.