CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – U.S. Army Lt. Col. Richard T. Childers took command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division’s Expeditionary District, in an Assumption of Command ceremony, July 21, 2022, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
Maj. Gen. Kimberly M. Colloton, commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Transatlantic Division, presided over the event.
Colloton, in her last official ceremony before she relinquishes her command on July 26, and moves to Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington D.C., transferred the district colors to Childers with the assistance of Sgt. Maj. Joseph Taylor, the Expeditionary District’s senior enlisted advisor.
The passing of the colors is a time-honored symbolic tradition dating back to the 18th century and represents the passing of responsibility and authority from one commander to another.
“As the Transatlantic Division commander for a few more days, I am savoring every last minute,” Colloton said. “I get to preside over this Assumption of Command ceremony, to officially install your new commander for the Expeditionary District, one whom I know personally, and who I know is the right person at the right time for this command. I welcome Rick, and his family, to the Transatlantic team.”
Childers comes to the Expeditionary District following stints as the Commander and District Engineer of the Walla Walla District, and before that, as the Deputy Commander of Tulsa District. He has held multiple military engineer positions in his 23-year career and is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri and a certified Project Management Professional.
“I’m very proud to be the newest member of the Transatlantic Expeditionary team and I am confident that together we will continue making a difference by providing sustainable solutions, that set the conditions for regional security and stability,” Childers said in his remarks. “I look forward to earning my place on your team.”
Childers went on to reassure partners and stakeholders that he was committed to maintaining and building relationships across the area of responsibility.
“I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future and continuing to build relationships as we stand alongside you to solve our nation’s, and allied mission partners’, hardest engineering challenges in resilient and sustainable ways,” Childers said.
The outgoing commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Peter Ammerman, who arrived at the Expeditionary District in Nov. 2021 as the deputy commander, led the district for the past three months following the short notice reassignment of the previous commander.
Ammerman will return to his role as the deputy commander for the district, and thanked the Expeditionary District team, and members of its sister district, the Middle East District, for their support over the past three months.
“You functioned like a well-oiled machine while firing on all cylinders,” Ammerman told the district members and audience. “We’ve grown together over the last few months, and I think of you as brothers and sisters. Keep striving for your goals because we are making a difference.”
Editor’s Note: The Expeditionary District, whose motto is "Always Forward," is the Army Corps of Engineers' only contingency district, dedicated to meeting the challenges of providing theater-wide engineering solutions and expertise in support of U.S., Coalition, and Host Nation efforts throughout the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. Footage from the ceremony is available at the TAE Facebook page: USACE Transatlantic Expeditionary District (facebook.com) and will later be found on the TAE Dvidshub.net page: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USACE-Transatlantic-Exp-D