On Thursday June 30, 2022, a retirement ceremony was held for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Deputy Commander Colonel Paul Kremer at the Army Reserve Center in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky.
In addition to dozens of family members and friends from across the country, Col. Kremer was also joined by his wife, Amy, and his six children, Maria, Alyssa, Victoria, Kyra, Jacob, and Tara, who showed their support throughout the ceremony.
USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Commander, Col. Kimberly Peeples, opened the ceremony with remarks about Col. Kremer’s long and decorated career, including his final 5 years with the Division.
Col. Kremer enlisted as a combat engineer in 1990, Col. Kremer served in the 478th Engineer Battalion and the 206th Engineer Battalion. Upon commissioning as a second lieutenant, he transitioned to active duty serving as a Platoon Leader, Assault and Obstacle Platoon Leader, Support Platoon Leader, and as Company Executive Officer in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. After promotion to captain, COL Kremer joined the 326th Engineer Battalion,101st Airborne Division, serving as the Battalion Maintenance Officer, Assistant S3, and as Commander of the 887th Engineer Company deploying the unit as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom I.
After graduation from the Command and General Staff College he joined the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) as the Deputy Division Engineer for its deployment to Iraq as Multi-National Division (Center) and then redeployed to Iraq six months later as the Battalion S-3 and subsequently Battalion Executive Officer of the 7th Engineer Battalion. Upon that redeployment, COL Kremer served as the Professor of Military Science at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, where he was responsible for producing 26 lieutenants per year across all three Army components.
In July of 2013, COL Kremer took command of the 30th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Bragg, NC, leading five of the Army’s dive detachments, a topographic company, the Brigade HHC, two firefighter teams, and a construction management team. In July 2015, COL Kremer deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan for a yearlong deployment serving first as the Deputy CJ-Engineer and then as the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan Commanding General’s Executive Officer. Upon redeployment from Kabul, COL Kremer spent a year in the Pentagon as the Chief of the Program Integration Branch, in the Office of the Chief of Engineers.
Col. Kremer’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, NATO medal for Afghanistan, Sapper Tab, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, Army Staff Badge, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Citation and the Superior Unit Award. Col. Kremer has also been awarded the Army Engineer Association’s Silver De Fleury Medal and is a Project Management Professional.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, refreshments were served as attendees shared their appreciation and best regards to Col. Kremer and his family in his retirement.
To view more photos from the ceremony, click here: https://flickr.com/photos/lrdusace/albums/72177720300242259/with/52186967884/