1st Engineer Brigade bids farewell to Bohrer, welcomes Glaspell during change-of-command ceremony

By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs OfficeJuly 1, 2024

Col. Stephen Kolouch, U.S. Army Engineer School commandant (center), passes the 1st Engineer Brigade guidon to Col. Mark Glaspell, signifying Glaspell taking command of the brigade during a ceremony June 28 in Nutter Field House.
Col. Stephen Kolouch, U.S. Army Engineer School commandant (center), passes the 1st Engineer Brigade guidon to Col. Mark Glaspell, signifying Glaspell taking command of the brigade during a ceremony June 28 in Nutter Field House. (Photo Credit: Photo by Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The 1st Engineer Brigade held a change-of-command ceremony June 28 in Nutter Field House, where Col. Aaron Bohrer relinquished command to Col. Mark Glaspell.

Col. Stephen Kolouch, U.S. Army Engineer School commandant, served as the reviewing officer for the ceremony. He listed some of Bohrer’s accomplishments while commanding the brigade for the past two years, including training more than 15,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors.

“The brigade has been recognized for excellence, ranking No. 1 in retention in the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and No. 3 in the entire U.S. Army. That says a lot about the culture and climate of this organization,” Kolouch said. “You can see how proud Colonel Bohrer is of this brigade. You can see in his eyes, he has a passion for it. You can see how much he has invested in this brigade. He cares.”

Kolouch said the ceremony is serving as a change of command for the brigade, but also a “change of Maneuver Support Center of Excellence chief-of-staff responsibilities,” a position Glaspell has held since June 2023.

Bohrer — who now moves on to be the MSCoE chief of staff — said his last few days of command had been filled with a lot of “reflection.”

“The 1st Engineer Brigade is here to simply train the future of the (Army) Engineer Regiment. We exist only to train. We are focused solely on providing the best Sappers, geospatial, builders, divers, firefighters, maintainers and officers to the joint force,” Bohrer said. “We have provided an environment for our civilians, drill sergeants, instructors and our support staff to become experts in the craft. I have been truly honored to have served with you for two years.”

Kolouch said Glaspell is a respected, seasoned and truly capable leader and “the brigade will remain in very good hands.”

While standing at the podium, inspecting the lines of 1st En. Bde. Soldiers in formation, Glaspell said they looked “outstanding.”

“I promise that I will endeavor to maintain and build upon the standard you have set under Colonel Bohrer’s leadership,” Glaspell said. “I am ready and excited for this challenge.”

More photos from the ceremony are available on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.