U.S. Army Officer Erich Robert Then of Arlington, Va. was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in a Pentagon ceremony on March 6.
Then is the son of Robert and Suanne Then of Campobello, S.C. and the son-in-law of Ben and Glenda Benton of Hendersonville, N.C.  He is a 1991 graduate of Hendersonville High School and a 1995 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Family, friends and fellow officers attended the ceremony.
Lieutenant General Robert P. Lennox officiated, with the Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T. Odierno in attendance.
Lt. Col. Then is currently serving on the Army Headquarters Staff in the Pentagon.  He has served for 17 years as an Army aviator, flying and commanding various UH-60 Blackhawk and Army reconnaissance fixed-wing units across the globe. He is a veteran of the Iraq war and numerous overseas hazardous duty contingency operations.
The Army recently selected Then to command the U.S. Army Priority Air Transport Battalion at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.  The battalion operates a fleet of executive jets, and is responsible for transporting senior Army, defense and government officials across the globe.
He holds a bachelor’s of science in systems engineering from West Point, and a M.A. in management and leadership from Webster University.
Lt. Col. Then counts himself very lucky to be married to the former Kelli Hall Benton of Hendersonville. They have two children, Erich II (8) and Abby (10).
– article submitted by Robert Then