Army Corps of Engineers Change of Command Ceremony Friday morning

WALLA WALLA—The public is invited to attend the Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, change-of-command ceremony set for 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24. The ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/yPcI4jURgIY.

Lt. Col. Richard T. Childers will assume command of the District from departing Commander Lt. Col. Christian N. Dietz, who commanded the Walla Walla District for two years and is moving on to serve as Chief of Engineering Plans and Operations and Deputy Engineer for Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) at Camp Smith in Oahu, Hawaii.

The Walla Walla District, established in 1948, encompasses more than 107,000 square miles in parts of six states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah. It is a multi-faceted district responsible for providing hydropower, environmental stewardship, flood risk management, and recreation opportunities, and for maintaining a navigation channel in the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger, commander of the Corps’ Northwestern Division, will preside over the ceremony.  He is responsible for five districts and their work across an area that includes all or parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota.