BG William Rapp
Commander, Northwestern Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
NWS Change of Command
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
24 July 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Tribal Leaders, our federal, state and local representatives, valued partners, family and friends of Col. McCormick and Col. Wright, and members of the great Seattle District --- good morning and welcome!
Let me also take a minute to recognize SFC _____ and the First Corps Color Guard, and the First Corps Band under the direction of Warrant Officer, ________
The soldiers of the color guard and band represent thousands of service members across the Northwest who selflessly serve our Nation and rely on Seattle District to provide them with quality facilities.
You in uniform affirm the essential linkage between our District and members of the Armed Forces it serves -- so vital to building and maintaining the foundation of our national defense.
Please join me in a round of applause for the band, the color guard, and especially for the employees of the Seattle District, past and present, who work daily to secure our Nation and serve its citizens.
The beauty surrounding us here is a fitting background for honoring our outgoing and incoming commanders. The Hiram Chittenden Locks are renowned as one of the finest and most frequently visited urban projects in the Nation, passing more than 60,000 boats each year. The locks and these grounds are a fine example of the partnership the Corps enjoys with the American people in stewardship of our waterways and natural resources.
Indeed, there is much to be proud of. Mike McCormick and the talented employees of Seattle District have gone through unprecedented change during his command — Transformation, Centers of Standardization, IT Competitive Sourcing, and back-to-back-to-back flooding to name a few.
Through those opportunities and challenges, Mike and his team made many significant accomplishments during his tenure in our mission areas of emergency response, military construction, environmental restoration, and civil works. Let me give you a few examples:
Flood fighting in June 2006 downstream of Libby, Montana . . . and again in November 2006 on the west side of the Cascades . . . again in December 2007 in the Chehalis Basin . . . and in May of ’08 on the east side of the Cascades.
And with that, critical levee repairs – 13 in FY 07 and 19 more to be completed this fiscal year.
Support to the Global War on Terror. Seattle District has deployed an average of 15 employees at any given time from all areas of the district Contracting, Counsel, Operations, Real Estate, Engineering, Construction, and Project Management.
While the Corps has transitioned to a nationalized Information Technologies and Logistics functions, Mike worked doggedly to see that all employees who wanted to stay in the district found a place.
And in the civil works arena with its FY08 budget of $138 million, huge projects were launched – from flow deflectors at Chief Joseph Dam flow deflectors to improved passage at Howard Hanson Dam.
All this accomplished while overseeing the largest military construction workload ever for the district - $365 million with more to come in 2009!
Mike also understands the tremendous value of doing what we say we will do. He has focused on mission execution and set the course for ensuring that the Seattle District remains responsive to current and future challenges by instituting processes and accountability for getting the job done well and as promised.
He re-instituted a Program Review and Analysis effort, including a new reporting out tool and greater attention to relationship management.
The district now conducts monthly Project Review Board meeting using only data available from P2, the Corps’ Project Management automated info system.
Few know the business of the Corps as well as Mike McCormick. A skilled leader and manager, he built a committed, responsive team.
Mike has long understood the tremendous value of doing what we say we will do--and has focused on mission execution. He set the course for ensuring that the Seattle District remains responsive to current and future challenges, by instituting processes and accountability for getting the job done well and as promised. With the employees of Seattle District engaged and on board, we have witnessed sensational accomplishments in our mission areas of emergency response, military construction, environmental restoration, and civil works.
Few know the business of the Corps as well as Mike McCormick. His management abilities, coupled with technical expertise and tenacity, mark him as one of the Corps best leaders.
It is this ability to get things done as promised that singled out Mike to the Chief of Engineers for his next challenging assignment that of commanding the Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans, Louisiana, soon after we are done here today. Leaving Seattle a year early has not been an easy thing for a man who has come to love this place and these people.
Mike is a great Soldier, dedicated to the Army mission and values. He will be deeply missed because he completely immersed himself in this command and its people. His focus on improving leadership and the flexibility of the workforce will serve the Seattle District well for years to come
Thank you also to Mike’s family, who have stood behind him and supported him from afar during his command. _______
Now let us welcome your new commander, Col. Tony Wright.
Tony brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and abilities, and you’ll be pleased to know he is a native Northwesterner, earning his civil engineering degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology.
Tony Wright is a seasoned leader who knows the Army— he served as Deputy Commander of the 937th Engineer Group during the invasion of Iraq, and Commander of the 70th Engineer Battalion in Iraq from 2003-04 and 2005-2006
His entire career – and his appointment as Commander of Seattle District – ably demonstrates the Army’s faith in his leadership abilities.
Welcome, Tony. This is a time and place that will mark your life by notable adventure and achievement. The employees you will lead possess enormous dedication, talent and heart. I know you will provide the strong, steady leadership and the right mix of guidance, compassion and courage.
Certainly it will be needed. Our Nation, and the civilized world as we know it, faces enormous peril. Our survival is at stake as we increasingly encounter a deadline and determined enemy worldwide.
More than 230 years ago, Thomas Paine penned these lines that so aptly describe our world situation today.
“These are the times that try men’s souls,” he said. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”
Our Army and Corps of Engineers have never been more important. Our Corps’ role in National Defense, Economic Prosperity, and Environmental Quality are huge.
Seattle District’s role is critical to our nation. We must succeed in our key mission areas. I am asking each member of this great District to come together – whatever your rank or job – and re-double your efforts to be a team, to begin anew, and to give your full support to Col. Wright.
I leave you with five charges as a District: These are to Do, Sereve, Protect, Lead, and Communicate. DO- we must execute our programs- as the Chief says “Get ‘er done!”
SERVE- continue your outstanding culture of service
PROTECT- be ready for emergencies
LEAD- revel in being out in front for our nation
COMMUNICATE- with each other, with our partners, and with the people whom we serve.
Thank you all for being here today. May God bless you, our Army, our Corps of Engineers, and the Seattle District.