Col. Christopher D. Klein transferred command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District to Col. Jeremiah A. Gipson in a formal change of command ceremony Friday at district headquarters in Vicksburg. 

USACE Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) Commander and Mississippi River Commission (MRC) President Brig. Gen. Kimberly Peeples was the reviewing officer of the ceremony.

During Friday’s ceremony, Gipson said he looks forward to serving in Vicksburg.

“These are historic milestones,” Gipson said, mentioning the ceremony being held on the U.S. Army’s 249th birthday. “I’ve got to share a little bit from heart. When we received orders, we were stationed in Boston. This has been a journey of discovery. We experienced the heart of Southern hospitality; how welcoming and charming life in the South truly is. There is a reason Vicksburg’s motto is Key City. What Vicksburg represents, in terms of culture, tradition, and geographic importance to the nation, cannot be overstated.”

Gipson’s most recent assignment was as the deputy commander of the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) and as the secretary of the Mississippi River Commission (MRC).

Gipson received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 2002. His previous assignments include Commander, 4th Engineer Battalion; Executive Assistant to the USINDOPACOM J3 Director for Operations; Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and environment; Operations Officer for the 130th Engineer Brigade and 84th Engineer Battalion; District J3, USACE Afghanistan Transatlantic – North; Project Manager, USACE Honolulu District; Commander, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment; Chief of Tactics, U.S. Army Engineer School; and he also deployed twice to Iraq with the 54th Engineer Battalion.

He was a U.S. Army War College Fellow for the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from West Point, and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. He is a graduate of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School; U.S. Army War College Defense Strategy Course; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and the U.S. Army Engineer Officer Advanced and Basic Courses. He is also a registered Project Management Professional.

His awards include the Presidential Unit Citation; Joint Unit Meritorious Award; Navy Unit Commendation; Army Superior Unit Award; Bronze Star Medal; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals; Sapper Tab; Air Assault Badge; German Armed Forces Efficiency Badge; and the Army Staff Badge.

Klein, who will now transfer to Virginia, said living and working in Vicksburg has been a privilege he and his family will carry with them to their next post.

“You are the ones who make this a world-class place to work and a world-class place that I have had the privilege to serve in,” he said. “I am so proud the Vicksburg District is now part of my story.”

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. 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 Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.