Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick relinquished command as the 53rd U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) May 19, 2016, in a change of command and retirement ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (JBMHH), Virginia. He had served as the Chief of Engineers since May 22, 2012, and retired with 38 years of service in the U.S. Army.
Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite became the 54th Chief of Engineers and assumed command of USACE during the same ceremony.
As the USACE commanding general, Bostick served as the senior military officer overseeing most of the nation's civil works infrastructure and military construction. He was responsible for more than 32,000 civilian employees and 700 military personnel who provide project management, construction support and engineering expertise in more than 110 countries around the world. USACE has a key role in supporting overseas contingency operations, with thousands of civilians and Soldiers having deployed to support military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"USACE is composed of extremely loyal and competent civil servants. I am consistently impressed by our personnel at the locks and dams, and our park rangers, program and project managers, attorneys, scientists and, of course, our engineers," Bostick said. "I have seen the completion of vital civil works projects thanks to collaborations among USACE employees, contractors, federal, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations and private citizens.
"Take Superstorm Sandy, for example, which killed at least 117 people, caused more than $50 billion in damage, and stranded millions of people for days without water, fuel, and electricity. USACE quickly mobilized more than 800 personnel to help with relief and recovery operations. In just nine days, we removed 85 million gallons of water -- enough to fill the Rose Bowl -- from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, the longest vehicular tunnel in North America. We could not have accomplished that mission without the help of two other great teammates, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy."
Bostick was also responsible for USACE's diverse missions such as the operation and maintenance of the nation's inland waterways and coastal ports and harbors; the nation's largest hydropower and federal recreation programs; environmental protection and restoration projects; the regulatory permit program to protect, restore and enhance thousands of acres of wetlands; and emergency response missions to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of natural or manmade disasters.
As the Chief of Engineers, Bostick advised the Army on engineering matters and served as the Army's topographer and the proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs. During his tenure, Bostick strengthened ties between USACE and the Army and Combatant Commands, and also expanded opportunities with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Department of Energy. USACE has started a $5 billion program to build hospitals for the DVA for the first time since the post-World War II era.
Before commanding USACE, Bostick served as the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, Personnel, responsible for developing, managing, and executing manpower and personnel plans, programs, and policies for more than 1 million Soldiers and 300,000 Army civilians.
Other command and staff positions that Bostick held during his 38 years of service include Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; Director of Military Programs in USACE with duty as Commander of the Gulf Region Division in Iraq; Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), later Assistant Division Commander (Support), 1st Cavalry Division during the deployment into Operation Iraqi Freedom; Commander, Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Commander, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized).
Bostick also served as Executive Officer to the Chief of Engineers, Executive Officer to the Army Chief of Staff, and Deputy Director of Operations for the National Military Command Center, J-3, the Joint Staff in the Pentagon from May 2001 to August 2002, including the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Bostick was also an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at West Point and was a White House Fellow, serving as a special assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Bostick graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds a master's degree in both civil engineering and mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.
Bostick and his wife Renee will reside in Arlington, Virginia.
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