VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Captain Michael Witherspoon, the former commanding officer of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, describes his work as a 24/7 job.
“The base never sleeps,” he said. “Operations are 365 days a year.”
Captain Witherspoon led a base of more than 900 civilians and military personnel throughout his three years in the position.
He said the base faced many challenges during his term. One of them happened just a month ago when an EF-3 tornado ripped through Fort Story and caused damage to the base.
Though, Captain Witherspoon says one of the biggest challenges occurred when he stepped into the role back in June 2020. “In my first two years of command, we were all under the umbrella of COVID,” recalled the Captain. Witherspoon said he and his team found new ways to keep the base open and safe for all servicemembers.
As they transitioned out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they shifted their focus on other projects including the completion of a 13-million-dollar range facility to support Naval Special Warfare. Under his leadership, they started energy projects saving around three million dollars annually.
Now, Witherspoon is making the transition from Hampton Roads to serve in Alabama. His next assignment will be as the commanding officer at Auburn Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps which is part of the Auburn-Tuskegee Consortium in Alabama. Captain David Gray will step into his role.
“It’s exciting for starters,” Gray said. “I get to fill in the shoes of the guy who’s been known around here as doing wonderful work for the people.”
Captain Gray said he looks forward to continuing the partnership with Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Gray also has some ideas to keep the base thriving.
“I want to work on better manning,” Gray said. “Not just for the military but also for civilians. I want to work on making our establishments a little more up-to-date. So, we can get more user-friendly equipment.”
Witherspoon spoke on the new commander and his changeover, “He’s got a very strong team that is there to support him. I know that for a fact and that he has a fluid transition into the seat.”
Gray recently completed an assignment as the commanding officer at Navy Expeditionary Warfighting Development Center located on JEB Little Creek-Fort Story.