The new Joint Base Lewis-McChord commander held his first town hall meeting Aug. 22 to say he is fully engaged, working to serve the installation's customers - and already requesting reinforcements for his "overtaxed" and "over-reporting" team.

Colonel H. Charles "Chuck" Hodges took command Aug. 7 and two weeks later, introduced himself to his subordinates in Carey Theater. He arrived with a series of bullet lists for key areas and a set of values as appropriate to JBLM as they were to his former infantry command and staff positions.

He ended the session with questions, and learned what was foremost on the minds of his audience was getting help with their workloads. He reported that he had already started working that issue: JBLM had been invited by Insallation Management Command to submit requests to fill 72 of 186 authorized, but vacant positions.

"I'm expecting news back very soon on those 72," he said. "I still expect, based on the fiscal realities we have and the constrained environment, there's going to be some type of restriction. But I'm excited."

Hodges said he's spent his first weeks doing "environmental scanning" and likes what he sees in his JBLM employees.

"You all, the JBLM staff, is an experienced team and everyone is working great together," he said. "I expected rivalries and resentments and that has not been the case. I have not found them."

Assigned to the former Fort Lewis in 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division since 2002, command of JBLM was a natural fit at an installation that has become home to his family and him. He took exception when people offered their condolences upon hearing his assignment.

"This is an outstanding place to live and work," Hodges said. "A ... small segment of the (JBLM) population do a few negative things, does not mean you're going to paint this entire population and the people who work here and live here as a troubled place. That's ridiculous."

As a major U.S. military power projection platform, JBLM has a daunting set of missions. Hodges listed his priorities to accomplish them:

1. "Support the senior service commanders. We are a customer service base serving senior combat commanders, Lt. Gen. Robert Brown (I Corps) and Col. Wyn Elder (62nd Airlift Wing) are our two primary customers, and all those who fall underneath them. There are others out there. Providing them customer service is why we exist. That is Job 1."

2. "Make joint basing work. We lead the Department of Defense now. Coming into this job, going to Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, every single person said ‘JBLM hands down leads DOD in joint basing.' We have to continue that." 3. "Good steward of resources: money, land, air."

4. "Run the installation so Lt. Gen. Brown and Col. Elder can prepare their service members to fight the nation's wars. We do our job so they can prepare for combat."

5. Communication at all levels.

Though he is upbeat about his new job and his key people, the new commander is realistic about the installation's challenge to continue providing quality services in the face of diminishing resources, made more difficult because military members and their families have learned to expect a lot during the last decade. "We are a reflection of society, and we have created an entitlement culture over the last 10 years, in my opinion, and have to find a way to fiscal responsibility," Hodges said. "We have created a Mercedes ... but what we really need is a Ford." Hodges emphasized the qualities of flexibility and adaptability to change, the last bullet in his command philosophy, which he borrowed from former Army chief of staff, now Veterans Administration director, retired Gen. Erik K. Shinseki: "If you hate change, you're going to love irrelevancy."

To those who might be inclined to work extra hours to accomplish JBLM's missions, he promised they would rarely find him in his office "past 1800," based on his core value of living a life of "balance between family and profession, in that order."

While he encourages hard work and maximum efficiency during duty hours he said he doesn't believe longer hours produce better results.

"Leave on time," Hodges said. "Go home, take a deep breath, grab a beer, hug your kids, hug your wife, do what you need to do to recharge your batteries. Then come back the next day and get at it again to work while you're at work."

He entreated his employees to prioritize to be more efficient, and when they hit obstacles, to bring the important ones to him.

"Hunt elk, not rabbits. Tell me where the elk are."

In return, he promised instantaneous loyalty.

"I'm full of holes from 26 years of falling on my sword," he said. "I'm like a disease. Once you're infected with Hodges, you might cure the symptoms, but you'll never get rid of me. That means we're a team. You have my instantaneous loyalty, 100 percent, to a fault. I will die on my sword for you right now. Just the way I am."

Hodges said he plans to be the "chief listening officer" who treats people with respect and keeps things in perspective.

"It's an honor for me to be a part of the team, and I'm looking forward to the next three years," he said.

Hodges said there will be a combination of online and face-to-face town hall meetings in the future to keep communication flowing.

Meanwhile, he said he intends to enhance communication by getting "out and about," showing up in offices and work areas not to check up on people, but to see what's truly going on and receive honest feedback.

Hodges showed a clip from "Jurassic Park," and quipped he still feels like the characters who were run over by a herd of dinosaurs.

The commander said he has a lot to learn, but like Thomas Jefferson who saw each day as an adventure, "I try to learn something new every day."