Maj. Gen. Merdith W.B. (Bo) Temple, Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), retired from the U.S. Army on Aug. 31 after serving the nation for more than 37 years.
Temple served as Deputy Commanding General since January 2010. Among his accomplishments, Temple served the longest stint as acting commander in the history of USACE June 2011 to May 2012, between the retirement of Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp and the assumption of command of Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick as the new Commanding General and Chief of Engineers.
"I'm happy and proud to have served the Army and the nation with so many wonderful Soldiers and Civilians and in so many different locations," Temple said during his retirement ceremony.
Temple is a native of Richmond, Va., and a 1971 graduate of that city's Thomas Jefferson High School. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1975, and was commissioned a lieutenant in the Engineer Branch of the U.S. Army. He also holds a master's degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.
Temple has had other assignments with USACE. He was Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations and Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations (both at USACE Headquarters in Washington, D.C.), Commander of North Atlantic Division in New York City, and Commander of Transatlantic Programs Center in Winchester, Va.
Other Army assignments include Theater Engineer (C7), Combined Joint Task Force Seven in Iraq; Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations (G3), XVIII Airborne Corps; and he commanded the 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat) (Airborne Corps) and the 307th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne).
Temple's achievements and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two oak leaf clusters), the Bronze Star Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Defense Meritorious Medal and other service and unit awards. He holds the Master Parachutist badge. In 2010, Engineering News Record magazine recognized Temple as one of its top 25 newsmakers.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is comprised of about 37,000 civilian and military employees, who provide vital public engineering services in peace and war to strengthen our nation's security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters.
For more information or to obtain high-resolution images, please contact Bernard Tate at 202-761-4285.
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