Camp Shelby, a sprawling National Guard base in south Mississippi, gets a new leader in a change of command ceremony Friday.

Lt. Col. Robert S. “Steve” Parham will take over command of the training base, where tens of thousands of soldiers have prepared for battles from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Magee native and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi has been a member of the Mississippi Guard since 1986.

He takes over from Col. Earnie Shows, whose long history of service dates back to 1979.