Brigadier General Robert Crear became the 31st Commander and Division Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer Division, Southwestern, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, on May 31, 2002.

The Division is a 3,200-person engineering and construction organization, including four district offices located in Little Rock, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Fort Worth and Galveston, Texas. The division area covers all or part of seven states with annual programs totaling just over $1 billion.

Born in Vicksburg, Miss., he graduated in 1975 from Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He holds a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. His military education includes U.S. Army Airborne School, the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course, Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Army Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Staff Identification Badge, Parachutist Badge, the 1999 Chief of Engineers and Secretary of the Army Award for Small Business Utilization, and the Silver de Fleury Medal for his outstanding support to the Engineer Regiment. He was inducted into the Society of American Military Engineers Academy of Fellows in November 2002.

Prior to his assignment to the Southwestern Division, Crear served as Chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C. Before his selection as the Corps’ Chief of Staff, he served as the Commander, U.S. Army Engineer District, Vicksburg.

He has held various other command and staff positions in the U.S. and overseas. He served as the Assistant Director of Civil Works at Corps headquarters, and as the Military Assistant for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works at the Pentagon. In addition, he commanded the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., where he also served as Executive Officer of the Divisional Engineer Brigade.

Other assignments include Executive Officer, 802nd Combat Heavy Engineer Battalion, Korea; Executive Officer of the U.S. Army Engineer School and Operations Officer, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Instructor and Branch Chief at the U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Belvoir, Va.; Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer, 546th Direct Support Maintenance Company and 66th Maintenance Battalion, respectively, in Germany. His initial assignment was with the 5th Combat Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, where he served as Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer and Company Commander.

Crear and his wife, Reatha, also from Vicksburg, have four children, Kristi, Kimberly, Robert Jr., and Reginald.