The National Park Service ended its weeklong silence Friday regarding management changes at Gettysburg National Military Park with its official announcement that John Latschar has been reassigned to a position in Frederick, Md., and that the park's current chief ranger will serve as superintendent for the time being.

Another announcement will be made early next week about who will serve as interim superintendent while the National Park Service conducts a nationwide search to replace Latschar, who lost his 15-year post as steward of the Gettysburg Battlefield having admitted to viewing sexually explicit material at work.

Latschar will report Monday to the Historic Preservation Training Center as a special assistant to the Park Service's associate director for cultural resources. He will continue to make $145,000 annually in his new position, said NPS spokesman David Barna.

Barna said the search for Latschar's replacement is expected to take between six and eight months. The Park Service will work with Civil War history and preservation organizations to "try to get as broad and diverse an applicant pool as we can," Barna said.

"We're going to take our time," he said.

As for why Latschar has been reassigned, Barna said that government privacy policies prohibit him from commenting.

"I can't talk about anything about him as individual," he said.

Asked why this is the best decision for Gettysburg National Military Park and the National Park

Service, Barna said he is still prohibited from commenting. He said he's not sure the Park Service will ever be able to address those questions publicly.

But, Barna added, Latschar is "free to say whatever - as an individual - whatever he wants to."

In an interview with The Evening Sun this week, the former superintendent said it is his understanding that the decision to demote him was that of Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, though the official letter came Thursday afternoon from the office of Latschar's immediate supervisor, NPS Director for the Northeast Region Dennis Reidenbach.

Latschar lost his position after a government memo detailing the superintendent's use of his office computer to view sexually explicit material was leaked to the media.

The memo - which The Evening Sun has since obtained - from the Department of the Interior's Office of the Inspector General stated that federal investigators had found evidence on Latschar's computer hard drive that he had searched for and viewed significant amounts of sexually explicit material.

Latschar said Thursday night that he thinks the demotion and reassignment to Frederick is "fair" given the circumstances.

"I think that's in the best interest of me and my family and Gettysburg National Military Park," he said.

On Friday - his last working for the National Park Service in Gettysburg - Latschar e-mailed his former employees to "offer you my heartfelt apologies for what has happened."

"My greatest prayer is that you will not let the circumstances of my departure tarnish the magnificent accomplishments you have achieved," he wrote.

Until the Park Service names an interim superintendent, Chief Ranger Brion FitzGerald - now Gettysburg's most senior official - will assume the duties, Barna said.

FitzGerald is a 31-year veteran of the National Park Service who came to Gettysburg in 1995 as chief of interpretation, protection and museum services. He has also had oversight over protection and museum services at the Eisenhower National Historic Site. He holds a bachelor's degree in park management from East Carolina University.

Barna said the interim superintendent will most likely be someone within the National Park Service who does not currently work in Gettysburg.

"Typically, people who are on the staff in the park aren't interested in being considered for the interim job if they're going to apply for the permanent job," Barna said. "We tend to not want someone in the interim job who actually might be considered for the permanent job. We don't want to give them sort of a head start."