Col. Brian Sawser Assumes Command Of Memphis Engineer District

Col. Brian D. Sawser assumed command of the Memphis Engineer District in an assumption of command ceremony July 22.

Mississippi Valley Division Commander and Mississippi River Commission President Maj. Gen. Diana M. Holland presided over the ceremony, held at the Renasant Convention Center in downtown Memphis.

 The assumption of command ceremony is a military tradition that formally signifies the transfer of authority and responsibility from one commanding officer to another, symbolized through the passing of the unit’s colors or flag, according to the Corps.

 In his new role as commander of the Memphis District, Sawser is responsible for flood damage reduction, navigation, environmental stewardship, emergency operations, other authorized civil works and work for others along 610 miles of the Mississippi and White rivers, encompassing a 25,000-square-mile area in six states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. He leads the district in serving and managing effective partnerships with 100 flood control districts, water resource and wildlife agencies from six states, four port commissions, the Lower Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association, as well as eight congressional districts and 12 senators.

Sawser, a native of Salem, Ore., graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers in 1999. His prior command assignments include command of a combat engineer company in the 54th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade and the 39th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division.