A Summerside man has taken over command of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Col. Craig Dalton took the reins at the New Brunswick base on Thursday.

He takes over for Col. Paul Rutherford, who after a year at Gagetown, is taking a new assignment in Ottawa.

Dalton was commissioned as an artillery officer in 1990, and his career has taken him all over.

"I grew up around the country following a military father. I don't remember when, but certainly from the age of my middle teens, I knew what I wanted to do and I can't put my finger on why but I don't think there was ever any doubt about what sort of career path I wanted to follow."

"And I think just growing up in that environment and sort of watching how the military operated and what they stood for was something I was drawn to," he said.

Dalton has done tours in Cyprus, Bosnia and Afghanistan.

“To me, a soldier is first and foremost a citizen and a Canadian, and I think most importantly, what sets a soldier apart is the fact that they choose to serve their communities and their country,” Dalton said.

“At the end of the day, they’re all Canadians and I think what’s good about Canada ... is expressed through men and women in uniform.”

His newest assignment brings him from the base in Petawawa, Ont.