Childers

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The new head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District office will be installed Friday, July 24.

Lt. Col. Richard T. Childers will assume command of the district from Commander Lt. Col. Christian N. Dietz, who is leaving after two years for a new assignment at Camp Smith on Oahu, Hawaii. There he will serve as chief of engineering plans and operations, and deputy engineer for Indo-Pacific command.

The change of command ceremony will be livestreamed on YouTube at 10 a.m. July 24 at youtu.be/yPcI4jURgIY.

Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger, commander of the Corps’ Northwestern Division, will preside over the ceremony, according to a release.

“The change of command is a military custom dating back to the Roman era and perhaps earlier,” Public Affairs Chief Joseph Saxon said. “It formally acknowledges the change in commanding officers whereby we say farewell to the previous commander and welcome the incoming one.”

He said the colors or flags involved signify a tie to the past and a sense of continuity. Flags were rallying points for soldiers going into combat.

“The passing of the unit flag from one officer to the next represents the transfer of command and authority and responsibility,” Saxon said.

The Walla Walla District encompasses more than 107,000 square miles in parts of six states — Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah.

The district provides hydropower, environmental stewardship, flood risk management and recreation opportunities, and maintains a navigation channel in the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Childers was commissioned into the Corps as an engineer officer following graduation from Georgia Military College in 1999, according to Saxon.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering from Mercer University and was awarded a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri and a certified project management professional.

Childers most recently served as the deputy commander for the Corps’ Tulsa District in Oklahoma.

During his career, he served operational deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and 2008 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2012.

His awards and decorations include the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals, the NATO Medal, two Bronze Star medals, four Meritorious Service Medal awards and numerous others.

He earned the Combat Action Badge and Parachutist Badge, according to Saxon. He is also the recipient of the Bronze Order of de Fleury Medal from the Army Engineer Association.