Engineering in the Army Corps: Engineering the restoration of hurricane Katrina
Brigadier General Crear will discuss the activities of the Army Corps of Engineers that are critical to the restoration efforts following hurrican Katrina.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Brigadier General Robert Crear is Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division, located in Vicksburg, Miss. He assumed command June 23, 2004. He also serves as President designee of the Mississippi River Commission. The Presidentially-appointed Commission is responsible for the comprehensive river management program known as the Mississippi River and Tributaries project.
As Division Commander, General Crear is responsible for a $1 billion civil works program in a 370,000 square mile area. The boundary of the Mississippi Valley Division extends from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and includes portions of 12 states. The programs and activities overseen by the Division and Commission are conducted by six district offices located in St. Paul, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans, La.
General Crear’s previous assignments include Dallas, Texas, where he served as Commander of the Corps’ Southwestern Division; Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was Commander of Task Force Restore Iraqi Oil during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; Washington, D.C., where he served as Chief of Staff for Corps Headquarters; and Vicksburg, Miss., where he was Commander for the Corps’ Vicksburg District.
General Crear was born in Vicksburg, Miss. He graduated in 1975 from Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss., where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He also earned a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. His military education includes U.S. Army Airborne School, the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course, Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He has received numerous military awards and decorations including the Silver de Fleury Medal for his outstanding support to the Engineer Regiment and the 2004 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement in Government. Gen. Crear is married to his high school sweetheart, the former Reatha Hall. They have four adult children: Kristi, who lives in Lorton, Virginia, and Kimberly, Robert, Jr., and Reginald, who all live in Jackson. Miss.
