VICKSBURG, Miss. - In a formal change of command ceremony, Major General Michael J. Walsh will transfer command of the Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to Major General John W. Peabody, Thursday, November 10. The ceremony will be officiated by the Corps' Acting Chief of Engineers, Major General Merdith "Bo" Temple, and will take place at 10 a.m. in the Vicksburg Convention Center.
Maj. Gen. Walsh, MVD Commander and President of the Mississippi River Commission since February 2008, has been assigned as the Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Maj. Gen. Peabody comes to Vicksburg from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was Commander and Division Engineer of the Corps' Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. Previous commands include the 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division; the 299th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, the Engineer Brigade for the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, and the Pacific Ocean Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
As MVD Commander, General Peabody will be responsible for the Corps water resources programs in a 370,000-square-mile area that includes portions of 12 states; its boundary extends from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. District offices are headquartered in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans.
In addition, General Peabody will be president-designee of the Mississippi River Commission, the presidentially appointed agency that oversees the comprehensive Mississippi River and Tributaries flood control and navigation project, as well as the entire Mississippi River and its tributaries.
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Maj. Gen. Walsh, MVD Commander and President of the Mississippi River Commission since February 2008, has been assigned as the Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Maj. Gen. Peabody comes to Vicksburg from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was Commander and Division Engineer of the Corps' Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. Previous commands include the 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division; the 299th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, the Engineer Brigade for the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, and the Pacific Ocean Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
As MVD Commander, General Peabody will be responsible for the Corps water resources programs in a 370,000-square-mile area that includes portions of 12 states; its boundary extends from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. District offices are headquartered in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans.
In addition, General Peabody will be president-designee of the Mississippi River Commission, the presidentially appointed agency that oversees the comprehensive Mississippi River and Tributaries flood control and navigation project, as well as the entire Mississippi River and its tributaries.
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