Major General John W. Peabody assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., November 10, 2011. He also serves as President of the Mississippi River Commission. General Peabody came to MVD from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was the Commander for the Corps’ Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.
As MVD Commander, Peabody is responsible for a $2 billion civil works program. In addition, he plays a vital role in managing the Corps’ water resources program in the Mississippi River Valley.
A northern Ohio native, Maj. Gen. Peabody entered military service in 1980 upon commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, and has spent most of his career as a combat engineer.
Staff assignments include Company Executive Officer and Aide-de-Camp in the 193rd Infantry Brigade, Instructor at the U.S. Army School of the Americas; Assistant S3 in the 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne); the 13th Corps Support Command Engineer, Fort Hood, Texas; the Logistics Support Command Engineer in Somalia; S3 of the 17th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Division; Pol-Mil Division Chief of the J5, U.S. Southern Command in Panama; Senior Engineer Trainer at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., and Programs Division Chief of the Army’s Office of the Chief, Legislative Liaison.
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.
Awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Purple Heart, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Joint Unit Commendation Award, Army Superior Unit Award, Master Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and Army Staff Badge.
Maj. Gen. Peabody is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College with a master’s degree in Strategic Studies. He also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and studied international relations and political sociology as an Olmsted Scholar at El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City. He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The Mississippi Valley Division is responsible for water resources engineering solutions in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing portions of 12 states. Work is carried out by district offices located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and two Canadian provinces.