The U.S. Army Engineer School said farewell to Brig. Gen. Joseph Goetz and welcomed Col. Stephen Kolouch during a change-of-commandant ceremony May 31 on the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Plaza.
Kolouch is the 101st commandant of the school.
The reviewing officer for the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, called U.S. Army school commandants “instrumental.”
“Commandants drive change,” Beck said. “They do that within the Army as they contribute to the center’s force modernization priorities. Commandants also develop future generations of leaders through oversight of initial military training, professional military education and their management of personnel efforts for their branch.”
Beck noted the Engineer School and the 1st Engineer Brigade “trained thousands of enlisted Soldiers, NCOs, warrant officers and commissioned officers from the Army and the joint force” during Goetz’s time as commandant. Goetz also oversaw a complete modernization of professional military education and functional courses, directed a leader certification for bridging and improved talent management, resulting in leaders, who are better prepared to immediately contribute to their next unit of assignment.
Goetz’s extensive knowledge of engineer organizations and equipment, his ability to build coalitions and teams, and his steadfast leadership, “ensure that our current and future Army are better prepared to execute their mission more safely and effectively in a complex and multi-domain environment,” Beck said.
“We are very proud to have served with you and proud that you served here,” Beck said, adding every time a leader moves on, the Army selects “the right officer and family to serve behind them.”
Calling the new commandant “broadly experienced,” Beck noted Kolouch has led Soldiers at every level, from company to brigade.
“We are very excited for your leadership as the 101st commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School,” Beck said. “You are the right leader to continue the momentum of the regiment and drive change.”
Goetz next moves on to Hawaii, where he will serve as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pacific Ocean Division.
To his USAES team, Goetz said, “I gave you all I had.”
“I kept nothing back, nothing in reserve, because you deserve that every day — because what reflected back at me from you was your commitment to the men and women we prepare every day to do the nation’s work,” Goetz said. “You are the Engineer Regiment’s asymmetric advantage.”
Goetz also welcomed Kolouch and his family to Fort Leonard Wood.
“Welcome to the greatest job you’ll ever have in a place that I think you will come to love, because this community, this post, will embrace you, and you will, in turn, realize why so many people choose to call it home,” Goetz said.
Kolouch arrives at this assignment from the Pentagon, where he most recently served as the director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. After thanking Goetz for his leadership and service — and for a great transition — Kolouch called his new role “an honor and an absolute privilege.”
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to impact Soldiers, our families, our regiment and our Army, writ large,” Kolouch said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for all the men and women, who are dedicated to train, educate, equip and support the engineer Soldier, and I am excited about the future — for all the opportunities that we’re going to make and take for our regiment.”
More photos from the ceremony are available to view and download on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2024 13:21 |
| Story ID: | 473011 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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