Past Commanders

Henry J. Thayer, Colonel
August 1979 - May 1982

Biography

Colonel Henry J. Thayer received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from The Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1954. He received his M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College.

Prior to assuming command of the Walla Walla District, Colonel Thayer was Chief of Facilities Engineering Division at Headquarters, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, at Fort Monroe, Virginia. In that position, he was responsible for facility engineering operations at 22 Army posts throughout the United States.

In 1973, Colonel Thayer was selected as Chief of Engineering for the Field Command of the Defense Nuclear Agency at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. In this position, he was responsible for designing underground nuclear test beds and electronic test-result monitoring systems. From 1963 to 1965, as Resident Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Ballistic Missile Construction Office in North Dakota, he was responsible for the construction of 100 Minuteman missile sites and 10 control centers.

Colonel Thayer also held many responsible positions overseas, including Chief, Troop Construction Division, Army Engineer command, West Germany; Battalion Commander, 79th and 94th Engineer Battalions (Construction), West Germany; Battalion Executive Officer and Installation Engineer, 4th Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam; and Chief of Engineering, Military Assistance and Advisory Group, Vietnam.

Colonel Thayer's military awarded include two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, an Air Medal, four Army Commendation Medals, and an Air Force Commendation Medal.