Klein Assumes Command Of Vicksburg District

Col. Robert Hilliard transferred command of the Vicksburg Engineer District to Col. Christopher Klein in a formal change of command ceremony June 15 at district headquarters in Vicksburg, Miss.

Klein came to the district from Springfield, Va., where he graduated from the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. He previously served as the military assistant to the chief management officer for the Department of Defense. Klein commissioned in the Corps of Engineers in May 1999.

Klein served two tours in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and one tour as aide-de-camp to the chief, Office of Security Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. His military training includes the Cold Weather Leader’s Course, Joint Engineer Operations Course and U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Science in geological engineering from the University of Missouri. He is also a registered project management professional.

Maj. Gen Diana Holland, Mississippi Valley Division commander and Mississippi River Commission president, officiated the change of command ceremony.

The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The district employs approximately 1,100 personnel.

Caption for photo: Maj. Gen. Diana Holland passes the command flag to Col. Christopher Klein as part of the Vicksburg Engineer District’s change of command ceremony. (photo courtesy of Vicksburg Engineer District)