Col. Bryan S. Green and his wife got a warm welcome to our community Thursday during a change of command ceremony at one of the country’s premier engineering centers.

It was fitting since Green seems like a perfect fit for the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center.

Green, who described himself as a “geek at heart” seemed destined for the command. During his time with the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory he asked his commander “Wouldn’t it be cool to be the commander of ERDC?” and most recently when Green was commander of the Corp’s Far East District in South Korea he cemented the job when his commander asked him what his next move would be.

“I said ERDC sounds interesting but let’s talk about the other options. We never got past ERDC,” Green said.

Green also seems like the perfect mix of businessman and engineer to lead one of the Army’s most unique commands made up of both military personnel and civilian researchers. In South Korea, he led a workforce of more than 750 people with an overall program in excess of $15 billion. There was no reason for him to seek more funding, yet he brought in another $150,000 to the district.

“I’m one of these commanders where I have a sense of business and business opportunity like you wouldn’t believe,” Green said.

The change of command also highlighted ERDC’s importance to our country. During a keynote address, Maj. Gen. Richard L. Stevens, the deputy commanding general and deputy chief of engineers for the Army, told of how ERDC designs saved lives during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

“What many folks don’t know and will appreciate is the role that ERDC played in saving lives that day. The wedge that the plane struck was the first that had been renovated in an ongoing 10-year renovation plan,” Stevens said.

The overhaul design included many elements developed at ERDC including interlocking beams, ballistic cloth lining the walls and blast resistant glass. Under Green’s command, we are certain ERDC will continue to make life-saving achievements. Good luck, and welcome to our community.