Just days before deploying to Iraq with the 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team, commander Col. Wayne Grigsby Jr. must break in a new battle buddy.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews, who rode shotgun alongside Lt. Col. J.R. Sanderson with the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment during the brigade's 2003 deployment, and then filled the "Hammer Seven" role under Col. Steve Salazar in 2005, has been named the 3rd Infantry Division's top NCO.

His promotion, which is effective immediately, forced a shake-up on Kelley Hill.

Grigsby tapped Command Sgt. Maj. James Pearson from Lt. Col. Jack Marr's staff at the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, to fill Andrews' position. Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Moore, formerly of the Brigade Troops battalion, was quickly named to succeed Pearson.

"All of this came pretty quickly," Andrews said Friday as he hurriedly packed up his office for his move to Fort Stewart. "I'm humbled and excited about the move, but I'm leaving my soldiers in very capable hands."

The 44-year-old Andrews was spending his final leave in his home- town of Lincolnton, Ga., earlier this week when he received a phone call from division commander Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch's office.

"They wanted me to come in Wednesday morning for an interview as brigade command sergeant major," Andrews said. In fact, all of the division's brigade command sergeants major were invited to the interview with Lynch.

"I was told that evening I had the job," he said. "It means that instead of being over about 5,000 soldiers with the brigade, I'll be in charge of 20,000 soldiers."

Andrews, who was married on February 20, is still headed to Iraq. But instead of being with the 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team, he'll be working with Lynch and the rest of the divisional staff in Baghdad.

"I'm very pleased for him," Grigsby said. "He's certainly deserving of the promotion."

Andrews is a 1980 graduate of Lincoln County High School.