After more than three years as its senior noncommissioned officer, Guy Taylor stepped down as command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 412th Theater Engineer Command in Vicksburg Saturday, turning over his duties to Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Flubacher.

The transfer took place at a change of responsibility ceremony at the 412th’s commanders conference at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville that also marked Taylor’s retirement from the reserves after more than 30 years.

“I’ve served for 35 years, and it’s time,” he said. “We have got people who are more than willing to step in and take my place. They will do a better job than I did. It’s time to get the rust off my golf clubs and my motorcycle and enjoy it a little.”

A native of Albany N.Y., Flubacher joined the Army Reserve in 1981. He served various positions in Army Reserve engineer units, from assistant squad leader to command sergeant major. He comes to the 412th from 411th Engineer Brigade in New Windsor, N.Y. where he was the unit’s command sergeant major.

He said his time in Vicksburg “will be very interesting,” adding that he filled in for Taylor as CSM when Taylor was a member of the 412th’s detachment that deployed to Afghanistan from July 2009 to Nov. 2010.

“I got to spend time there and enjoyed the people,” he said. “I love the politeness of the southern people.”

As the senior noncommissioned officer, Flubacher is the liaison between the unit commander, Maj. Gen. William M. Buckler Jr., and the enlisted men.

“It’s a tough assignment,” he said. “It will be my first under a two-star.”

His duties involve advising Buckler on enlisted matters, enforcing training policies and procedures, standards of conduct, and review policies and recommend adjustments when they are necessary.

“It’s going to be pretty busy,” he said. “I really enjoy being in the field visiting soldiers, but I understand this job requires quite a bit of administration.”

Flubacher has a civilian job as a laboratory coordinator for Momentive Performance Materials, a specialty chemical company in Waterford, N.Y. He said he will split time between Vicksburg and New York. He is now on military leave from his job to get adjusted to the area and the unit.

Taylor, 60, of Smackover, Ark., enlisted in the reserves in 1977 after graduating from college with a degree in education.

“I spent most of the time in the reserve, and some on active duty,” he said.

He added that during his deployment to Afghanistan, he helped the 412th establish the first joint force engineering command in the theater. He said he will remain the 412th’s command sergeant major until Nov. 30, but added that Flubacher will handle most of the duties. “If they need me for something, they’ll call me,” he said.

Like Flubacher, Taylor also has a civilian job, working for Great Lakes Solutions chemical company in El Dorado, Ark.

And when he leaves the 412th, he’ll fall under the command of another general.

Taylor said his wife has her own list of details for him.

“For the past six years, I’ve been gone and working two jobs,” he said. “A lot of things have gone by the wayside, and there are some things I have to catch up on.”