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Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Outgoing Army Corrections Command Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Klosterman relinquished responsibility to incoming ACC Command Sgt. Maj. Cameron Regur May 8, 2026, in Eisenhower Auditorium at the Lewis and Clark Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The change of responsibility ceremony was followed by awards and Klosterman’s retirement, celebrating his more than 30 years of service in the U.S. Army and recognizing the contributions of his wife, Tametra, and their children.

Ceremony host Brig. Gen. Sarah Albrycht, Army provost marshal and commanding general of ACC, described the mission of ACC.

“The model of Army Corrections Command is vanguards of justice, and our people are true vanguards, foremost leaders of professionalism and dignity and justice. Our NCOs and soldiers contribute not just to good order and discipline, but to the potential for rehabilitation and the ultimate strength of our Army. It is a complex and demanding mission, executed daily with quiet expertise, and I could not be prouder of the soldiers and civilians represented in this command,” she said. “For the past several years, this command has been guided by the steady hand and unwavering leadership of Command Sergeant Major Shawn Klosterman.”

Albrycht told Klosterman that his career has been the epitome of servant leadership as he has shown commitment to soldiers’ welfare and the standards of the profession while serving in several roles.

“You’ve been a driving force for excellence, a trusted advisor and a mentor for countless NCOs and officers. Your leadership has been instrumental in navigating and helping me navigate the complexities of our mission, both here at Leavenworth and across the enterprise,” Albrycht said.

Albrycht welcomed Regur, whose most recent assignment was as command senior enlisted leader for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and said she was confident he will guide ACC with the same dedication and excellence that have defined his career.

“Sergeant Major Regur, you have an exceptional reputation for developing soldiers and for upholding the highest standards of our profession,” she said. “Your diverse background and wealth of expertise make you the ideal leader to build upon the successes of this command.”

Regur addressed Albrycht, and then the audience, in his remarks, noting that he was exited to serve in this new role.

“Thank you for having the trust and confidence in me to serve as the command sergeant major for Army Corrections Command,” he said. “To everyone here, I am honored and humbled to be afforded this opportunity. I am extremely proud to serve alongside all the men and women of Army Corrections Command and to be part of this great organization. Thank you to every one of you for everything you do for this organization. You have my never-ending gratitude and appreciation for your sacrifices in support of our soldiers, our Army, and our nation. Without you, we can’t do what we do to make our military the premier fighting force in the world.”

Awards, retirement

Following the change of responsibility, Albrycht recognized the Klostermans with accolades and awards, including the Patriotic Public Service Award for Tametra and the Legion of Merit for Klosterman. Albrycht described Tametra as having a heart of service and Klosterman as a mentor who “shows up.”

“These last 30 years — as we look across the Army — haven’t necessarily been our easiest, right? And so those of us that have been around for all those years know that the Army’s been through a lot. And when the Army goes through a lot, guess what? Our people and our families go through a lot, too, so I just want to start by saying thank you to the family,” Albrycht said.

Retired Col. Timothy MacDonald, former commander of the 18th Military Police Brigade where Klosterman also served in Germany, delivered a personal address to family on Klosterman’s behalf before Klosterman gave his own retirement ceremony remarks. Before reading Klosterman’s prepared sentiments to his family, MacDonald recalled what it was like to get to know Klosterman and what he gained from working with him.

“He taught me to not let things I can’t control, control me. He taught me that there are always two sides to a story, even when I was pretty sure there was only one. And most importantly, he taught me how to be a brigade commander — and I’m serious about that; it’s not a small thing,” MacDonald said. “Because what Shawn really did every single day was make sure I was better than I would have been without him… I truly could not have asked for a better battle buddy, and I will forever be grateful for your leadership, your honesty, and your friendship.”

During his remarks, Klosterman told those assembled that they share a bond of trust, respect and genuine care, and stressed that leadership is about taking care of people.

“Standing on the verge of retirement, 27 years of those spent alongside the finest men and women of the Military Police Corps, my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for a lifetime of memories,” Klosterman said. “Looking back, it feels just like yesterday — I was a wide-eyed private, eager for the kind of leadership I hoped to embody one day, but more than that, there was a journey fueled by deep love of service and, most importantly, a profound love for people. From the very beginning, I realized that this profession isn’t just about uniforms, ranks, or mission — it’s about people, the soldiers, the leaders who make up this Army what it is.”

Klosterman detailed some of the contributions he was proud of and passed on some advice from his years of experience.

“Throughout my career, I’ve learned that leading from a position of love is far more effective than leading from a position of fear. Yelling is overrated. Positive motivation, praise and encouragement is key. Care versus scare is a big difference,” he said. “Every program we built, every challenge we faced, every success that we celebrated, it was always about making life better for soldiers, helping them grow, supporting them through transitions and ensuring no one ever felt alone.”

Klosterman said the soldiers are what he loves most about the Army, and the one thing that he is most proud of is that he never lost a soldier.

“The men and women who stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of this nation are the reason I wore this uniform with pride every single day. And if there was one thing I hated about the Army, it was the enemy — those who sought to harm our nation in our way of life — but serving and fighting alongside my fellow comrades transformed that hate into an even stronger desire to do my absolute best, pour my heart and soul into defending the freedoms we hold dear.”

Klosterman said the Army taught him the value of service, the importance of leadership, the true meaning of camaraderie, and that he isn’t perfect.

“I believe that being a good soldier, leader, father, husband and a good human being means being humble enough to amend those mistakes, to expose your weaknesses, because doing so, we’re not only defining ourselves, we are shaping the ones around us, those who mean the most to us.”

Klosterman concluded his retirement ceremony with a rap performance, a skill and passion mentioned multiple times during the ceremonies.

Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Members of the community gathered for fellowship and a meal provided by the Religious Support Office as they listened to remarks about forgiveness from an acquitted man who served 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit during the National Prayer Luncheon May 7, 2026, at the Frontier Conference Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Event narrator Chaplain (Maj.) Chris Weinrich, Garrison operations chaplain, explained that the annual National Day of Prayer, designated by Congress, is “intended to be a forum where leaders gather to build relationships and recognize the roles of religious faith, religious diversity and religious freedom in our country,” as he gave a history of the observance.

“From the earliest battles of the war of Independence to our current operations, prayer has played a vital role in the life of our American service members and families,” Weinrich said. “The United States, the American military have demonstrated a unique commitment that values religious freedom and spiritual choice as proclaimed in our founding documents. The Army Chaplain Corps, who pray before us today, represent various faith groups and traditions drawn from within the pluralistic religious fabric of America, and they demonstrate the values of religious freedom and choice.”

Chaplain (Maj.) Carlos Molina, force integrator, Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate chaplain, delivered prayers for the nation; Chaplain (Maj.) Joshua Portwood, Family Life chaplain, said prayers for the military and families; and Master Sgt. George Butler, master religious affairs NCO at Mission Command Training Program, read scripture passages.

During the invocation, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Jared Vineyard, deputy command chaplain for the Combined Arms Command and staff ethicist for the Center for Army Leadership, thanked God for blessings, including guest speaker Darryl Burton’s “story of faith and perseverance.”

“May we listen to what he has to share with fresh ears, and may we always be people concerned with justice and truth,” Vineyard prayed.

Story of hope and forgiveness

As he introduced Burton, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Eric Bryan, Garrison chaplain, said prayer is not just speaking but is, for him, 90 percent listening.

“I pray that as you listen to this man today that God will speak to you personally,” Bryan said.

Burton co-founded Miracle of Innocence, an organization that provides legal help for innocent people who have been incarcerated and then provisions when they are released, when he discovered upon his release from prison that there were no resources for the innocent, only the guilty, upon their reintroduction to society. Burton was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1984 and spent nearly 25 years in prison before he was exonerated in 2008.

Burton said stories are shared through the generations for encouragement, motivation and inspiration, and the message he wanted to share with the audience was one of hope and forgiveness.

He said that the story told about him in 1984, though, was the wrong story.

“It was a narrative that was given to a jury of my peers, 12 people. And they got it wrong because someone persuaded them about a story that was false. And sometimes these false stories can be weaved into the community and mislead people.”

Despite witness accounts of a short, light-skinned man committing the crime, the fact that that other person of interest had shot the victim on three previous occasions, Burton was convicted of the crime, having had only one hour with his defender and arguing that pertinent information had been kept from the jury. Other “witnesses,” whom he said were motivated to lie with plea deals, testified under oath that Burton was guilty.

“I didn’t believe in God at the time — (I was) never angry at God, I never blamed God for my situation, on any level,” he said. “I wasn’t going to blame God for something I didn’t believe or blame something that happened to me to something I don’t believe in, that didn’t make sense to me.”

Burton said he had to deal with situation on the human level since he didn’t yet have a relationship with God.

“Human beings can hurt people, they can kill people, they can rob people, they can do horrible things. But human beings can, on the flip side, do great things — they can heal people, they can help people, they can serve people, they can go into the community and bless people. Human beings have this duality of complex personalities. We can do these (good) things, and we do. But human beings can also send people to prison for things they didn’t do.”

Burton said his heart was in a vice-grip of anger and bitterness. When he was sentenced to essentially 75 years in prison, he was a new dad with a 7-month-old daughter.

“I saw my daughter three times, and the next time I saw my little girl, she was 25 years old… After she lost me, she lost her mom, ended up in foster care, and said, ‘Dad, I want to leave it like that… I didn’t have you and my mom in my life then, and I don’t want you in my life now,’ and that hurts.”

Burton described his wrongful conviction as creating “multiple prisons” by the way it has affected his family and his daughter.

“That’s the one regret of all the things that happened to me, that’s more what I regret more than anything.”

Burton described some of the violence and horrors he witnessed and experienced when he was in the Missouri State Penitentiary, including the screams of other inmates being assaulted, and the plight of another wrongfully imprisoned young man who was attacked every day, who ended up being released shortly after him when he was also found to be innocent.

“I didn’t know his story, I didn’t know his case; he didn’t know mine, but we were both innocent men. But that’s what happens in that place, because, when you hurt a woman or a child, they don’t care if you’re innocent or not — they’re going to attack you.”

Burton said he started a letter-writing campaign when the courts were no use.

“I began to write letters, hundreds and hundreds of letters to the United States, to Canada, to Europe. I wrote letters to everybody I could think of — parliaments, presidents, governors, senators. I wrote Oprah Winfrey … I even wrote a letter to this guy named Jesus Christ. Didn’t believe in it, didn’t think it was real, and it wasn’t a prayer or a plea, it was a challenge for me.”

Through a series of what he called signs, someone encouraging him to read the Bible and consider the good things God has done and not just the bad, and learning about Jesus’ teachings to love one’s enemy and pray for them, Burton still pushed back, but his faith also began to evolve.

“One verse in the Bible changed my heart, one verse — Luke 23:34, when Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That was the verse that pierced my heart. That wasn’t human to me. I said, that’s divine. How could this guy do that? They are killing him, and he’s innocent. And I was innocent, and I didn’t understand that.”

Burton said he continued to be filled with rage and hate until he admitted forgiveness was too difficult.

“So, I look back at that verse, and I notice that Jesus, in his humanness, in his humanity, he couldn’t forgive them either, and that’s why he said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ Forgiveness can only come from God through us if we let God use us to forgive those who we hate and who hate and harm us.”

Burton said that realization gave him peace, whether he was free or not.

Ultimately, Burton’s dark skin, which he said he had always been self-conscious about as the darkest of his eight siblings, would help exonerate him when the witness, who had tried to tell officials in 1984 that they had the wrong man, was finally heard.

Since its founding, Burton said Miracle of Innocence has helped several innocent people be released from prison.

“I said, ‘God, you’ve blessed me to save my life through that place before I even believed in you.’ And so now, we can just try to do something, give something back. And that’s part of my legacy, part of my story.”

To learn more about Miracle of Innocence, visit www.miracleofinnocence.org.