FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Col. Stephen Kolouch pinned on the rank of brigadier general in a frocking ceremony held May 29 in Fort Leonard Wood’s Lincoln Hall Auditorium; he would relinquish his role as the U.S. Army Engineer School’s 101st commandant the following day.
Frocking is the process where a commissioned, or non-commissioned officer, selected for promotion wears the insignia, or rank, of the higher grade before the official date of promotion. Frocked officers are positioned to perform duties of the higher grade and are afforded all privileges, customs and courtesies associated with the next higher rank.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, presided over the ceremony and said this promotion is all about potential, the future and what the officer can do for the Army moving forward.
“Steve fosters the warrior spirit inherent in our profession of arms. I’ve never seen him turn down a challenge, and he is always ready to serve in whatever capacity the Army, the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and the Engineer Regiment required,” Beck said. “For the past 28 years, he has been entrusted with some of the toughest roles, tasks and requirements, and has excelled in all of them. Steve is a patriotic American.”
His spouse, Jennifer, along with daughters Emma and Ava, removed his colonel insignia, engineer castles and unit insignia, signifying the transition to becoming a general officer. His family then pinned on the one-star insignia of a brigadier general, prior to Beck administering the oath of office.
Kolouch told guests he was humbled, honored and understands the amount of responsibility that comes with the rank.
“I have taken service as it came — experience by experience, good and bad. The Army Engineer branch has provided me a wonderful and diverse career. I couldn’t ask for a better profession,” he said. “My hope is that along the way I’ve helped some people.”
Since commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1997 in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, he as earned a Master of Business Administration from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri; a Master of Military Art and Science in Operational Art from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas; and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is also a graduate of the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in Washington, D.C.
Kolouch became the U.S. Army Engineer School’s 101st commandant May 31, 2024. Prior to coming to Fort Leonard Wood, Kolouch served at the Pentagon, where he was the director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers.
More photos from the ceremony may be viewed on Fort Leonard Wood’s Flickr page.
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