DVIDS – News – U.S. Army Engineers honor rich history, warrior culture during regimental week at Fort Leonard Wood

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — U.S. Army Engineers gathered April 28 through May 2 for Engineer Regimental Week at Fort Leonard Wood, home of the U.S. Army Engineer School since 1988.

This year, engineers celebrated two monumental milestones while working together to shape the regiment’s future — 250 years of the Engineer Regiment and 40 years of the Sapper Leader Course.

Engineer Week officially began April 28 at the finish line of the 18th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition, won by Capt. James Mitchiner and 1st Lt. George Madden, with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“You can draw a straight line from these warriors to lethality on the modern battlefield. They exemplify what it is to have a warrior culture and be lethal,” said Col. Stephen Kolouch, U.S. Army Engineer School commandant.

From there, Soldiers attended leader professional development sessions — one hosted by Regimental Command Sgt. Maj. Zachary Plummer and the other by Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willie Gadsden Jr.

Gadsden said the focus was on Army initiatives, such as modernizing Army Professional Military Education and protection integration.

“The discussions were incredibly valuable,” Gadsden said. “This forward-looking approach will allow us to proactively address future challenges and maintain a decisive edge on the battlefield.”

April 29, Soldiers were invited to attend an Industry Symposium in the Engineer Regimental Room of the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex while many of their spouses participated in Engineer Spouse Day.

The spouse event, designed to build camaraderie and teach more about engineering military occupational specialties, took spouses from the U.S. Army Engineer Museum to the 554th Engineer Battalion’s Horizontal Skills Division, where they used simulators to learn how to operate equipment, such as bulldozers, hydraulic excavators, bucket loaders, scrapers and graders. Spouses also ate lunch at Celiz Hall — an Army Warrior Restaurant, dedicated in 2023 to Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, a combat engineer killed in 2018, while serving in Afghanistan.

May 1, Soldiers met in the Chief of Engineers Grove of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Plaza, where a Mount Vernon Red Maple tree was dedicated to the 55th Chief of Engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, retired Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon.

Before unveiling the tree’s dedication marker, Kolouch said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 250-year history is “a history of the Army itself” with the chiefs of engineers leading the way.

During his remarks, Spellmon said Fort Leonard Wood feels like home to his family and when he served at MSCoE as the chief of staff he used to walk by the grove every day.

“I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this regiment,” Spellmon said. “This is an unforgettable day.”

That evening, Soldiers, Gold Star families and community members gathered in Sapper Grove to honor fallen engineer Soldiers.

“This ceremony is incredibly important to our regiment, to all of us,” Kolouch said.

He went on to explain how engineers are exposed to hazards of war by clearing routes, locating and defeating explosive hazards, and fighting in close combat.

“Jacks of all trades— engineers build fortifications, protective barriers, fighting positions and other structures to protect and defend fellow Soldiers,” Kolouch said. “There are 377 engineers who have died in the war on terror, each memorialized with their name engraved on the wall in Sapper Grove.”

Several panel discussions were also held throughout the week — Task Force Engineer; Engagement Area Development; Transformation; and Industry — with subject matter experts from across the regiment and those who support the regiment.

The week capped off May 2 with an address by the Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr. in Lincoln Hall Auditorium and the Engineer Regimental Ball at Nutter Field House.