Corps' Sacramento District changes command

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Lazo | Col. Thomas C. Chapman addresses the crowd during his retirement ceremony at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium July 27. Chapman retires after commanding the Sacramento District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three years and 26 years of active-duty service in the Army. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Silver De-Fleury Medal (shown) and received letters of appreciation from President Barack Obama, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gen. Robert L. "Van" Van Antwerp, U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps Engineers.  

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES

07.27.2010

Story by Chris Gray 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A new commander is in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, with operations in eight western states.

Col. Thomas C. Chapman relinquished command of the district to Col. William J. Leady in a ceremony at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium here July 27. Leady is the district's 30th commander since its inception in 1929.

Chapman assumed command of the district in July 2007. After more than 26 years of active-duty service in the Army, he will retire to Sacramento.

"Over the last few years, we've executed a program of unprecedented size and pressure," Chapman said in ceremony remarks. "I am convinced there is no mission too difficult for the Sacramento District. It is truly a great organization, and will continue to be."

Leady comes to Sacramento from Fort Lewis, Wash., where he served as deputy commander of the 555th Engineer Brigade, and as a staff officer at I Corps headquarters. A native of Chesterton, Ind., Leady received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 1987.

He has deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Restore Hope (Somalia), Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti), Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and commanded the Corps' Detroit District from July 2006 to July 2008. Leady also holds a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from Purdue University. He is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

"I am humbled to realize the Army has entrusted me with the leadership of this historic and impressive organization," Leady said. "I am committed to leading this world-class team to successfully executing our mission; to build strong civil works projects with innovative engineering solutions and proven standards of excellence; to deliver quality and value to our nation as we construct projects for the military and other governmental agencies; and to provide leadership and a professional work force to respond to national emergencies with our federal, state and local partners."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District is responsible for a $600 million annual program, providing planning, engineering and design, project and construction management, environmental and real estate services to deliver water resource, environmental and military construction services in eight states, including: California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2010
• Date Posted: 07.28.2010 16:36
• Story ID: 53572
• Location: SACRAMENTO, CA, US