Army Corps to welcome New Commander

Col. Marvin L. Griffin takes command of the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from Col. Thomas J. Tickner, in a formal ceremony at 10am on June 19. Brig. Gen. C. David Turner, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ South Atlantic Division, officiates at the formal change-of-command ceremony in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Savannah’s Historic District. The Savannah District maintains the deep-water harbors in Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, and it leads the effort to deepen the Savannah harbor. The District manages a multi-million dollar military construction program at 11 Army and Air Force installations in Georgia and North Carolina, and oversees water resources and development activities in Georgia and portions of South Carolina. The District also oversees civil projects including dams and lakes Hartwell, Russell, and Thurmond on the Georgia-South Carolina border; and environmental and regulatory permits for Georgia. The Savannah District supports worldwide missions related to real estate, master planning, and construction of barracks and other facilities to enhance overseas contingency operations. The Savannah District traces its heritage in Savannah to 1829. Griffin comes to the Savannah District from a Senior Service College Fellowship with the Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellowship Program. His previous assignments including deployments to Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo. He has served as an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy, (West Point) where he also earned his bachelor’s degree and commission. Griffin previously served in the Corps of Engineers as the deputy commander of the Little Rock District in Arkansas. Tickner took command of the Savannah District in July 2013. He will next be deployed to Afghanistan.