National Engineers Week: A Second in Command Salute

Photo By Cheryl Moore | Reflecting to the Transatlantic Afghanistan “Team of Teams”, LTC Paul Sipe thanks the team for providing him the support, making it possible for being the recipient of his awards as he redeploys back to the U. S. following a successful tour with the USACE District and partners in theater. (Photo by Rick Benoit)  

AFGHANISTAN

02.24.2021

Story by Cheryl Moore 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Afghanistan District

“The fundamental tenet of every Soldier, Department of the Army Civilian, or Army unit is to ‘Meet our obligation to the Nation and to each other by completing our assigned mission’”, as stated in the command philosophy of the Afghanistan District.
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Paul D. Sipe, Deputy Commanding Officer from June 2020 through February 2021, has done just that managing a $600M Program, earning him the coveted Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal on February 2 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, along with the Bronze Star Medal on February 4.
His citation read in part, “In recognition of superior service with the United States Army Engineer Regiment as it supports the Army to assure mobility, enhance protection, enable expeditionary logistics, and build capacity in order to provide commanders with the freedom of action required for full spectrum operations in an era of persistent conflict. These efforts have significantly contributed to the overall readiness of the Army and reflect great credit upon the United States Army Corps of Engineers”.
Coming to the Transatlantic Afghanistan District from the Charleston District where he also served as the Deputy Commander, Sipe made a huge impact during his deployment being there to support and lead a myriad of professionals to include Project, Resident, and Area Engineers.
“LTC Paul Sipe has been the fulcrum for establishing our Kuwait Project Delivery Platform from the ground up,” said COL Mark A. Geraldi, Afghanistan District Commander.
Sipe, second in command of Soldiers, civilians, and contract employees who are providing engineering solutions and expertise in support of the U. S. efforts to help build a stronger, self-sustaining Afghanistan, also managed and supervised the Special and administrative staff.
“Instead of telling you how to manage and organize your workload, he would ask how he could help”, said Executive Administrative Support Specialist Nicole Griffin. She went on to say that he had trust in his employees to make sure the job got done.
His background in the Army helped lay the foundation for his current successes. Sipe was a former Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer with the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division in Giessen, Germany who deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
And he was no stranger to the footprint of Afghanistan as he commanded Alpha Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, controlling Forward Operating Base (FOB) Connelly, Nangarhar, Afghanistan. In a subsequent train-up for deployment to Afghanistan, Sipe also commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division.

“The people are what matters most, said Sipe when he first met his Executive Admin. The happier the people, the better performance and the more successful the mission,” Sipe said.
A native of Manchester, TN Paul Sipe earned a Bachelor of Science Degree, International Relations at Middle Tennessee State University, TN where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Engineers.
His military awards and decorations already include the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster and others. He will now add to this with an additional oak leaf cluster on his Bronze Star, and the Bronze de Fleury Medal.
“A genuine leader who cares about the Engineer Regiment and those that serve in the Corps of Engineers, Sipe is a true representation of what leaders should inspire to be, said Deputy Commanding Officer, LTC Stephanie Radford, “and the de Fleury is well deserved.”

• Date Taken: 02.24.2021
• Date Posted: 02.24.2021 14:32
• Story ID: 389720
• Location: AF