MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 3, 2007 – The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will
hold a Change of Command ceremony July 13 at 10 a.m. in the ballroom of the DoubleTree Hotel, 185
Union Ave., Memphis. The public is invited to attend.
At the ceremony, Col. Charles O. Smithers III will transfer command of the Corps’ Memphis
District to Col. Thomas P. Smith.
A special feature of the ceremony will include the inauguration of the Corps of Engineers World
War II Engineers Ring Ceremony. A Corps of Engineers logo ring, created during World War II in New
Guinea by the late Master Sgt. Robert Dutton, a Memphis resident, will be presented to Corps of
Engineers Command Sergeant Major Robert Winzenreid. This will establish a tradition in which the
ring will be presented to all future Corps of Engineers Command Sergeants Major.
Mrs. Dixie Dutton Emerson, daughter of the ring’s originator, will be present at the ceremony
and will speak briefly.
The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has served the citizens of the Mid-South
region since 1882. The $100-million annual mission of its 450 employees is to protect Midsoutherners
from flooding, keep America’s most vital inland navigation highway open and preserve our environment for generations to come. The District’s area of responsibility encompasses 25,000 square miles in parts of six states: Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois.
Release no. 07-11