Lt. Col. Andrew H. James serves as the Deputy Commander of the St. Louis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Lt. Col. James is originally from Essex, New York and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant from Clarkson University in May of 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Following the Engineer Officer Basic Course, Lt. Col. James was assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, GA. He served as a Mechanized Combat Engineer Platoon Leader for Echo Company, 3rd Battalion 69th Armor Battalion. He further served as Executive Officer of E/3-69 and forward deployed with the task of route clearance in Baghdad, Iraq from December 2009-2010. Following redeployment, Lt. Col. James was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, where he served as a Project Manager in the civil works program. He transitioned to Fort Leonard Wood in May 2013 where he completed the Engineer Captains Career Course and served as the commander for Bravo Company, 169th Engineer Battalion and Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence. Lt. Col. James later served as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at the Pennsylvania State University in Altoona, PA. He then served in the Engineer Directorate for the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) as a Facility and Construction Engineer, Environmental Officer, and Engineer Planner for exercise Talisman Sabre. He deployed as the Deputy Engineer for Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras and to Typhoon Yutu in Saipan as USARPAC’s Joint Task Force-West J44 Engineer under the Defense Support to Civil Authorities, working with the Pacific Ocean Division, USACE. Lt. Col. James served as the Battalion XO for the Support Battalion, 196th IN BDE on Fort Shafter providing training support to Active, Reserve, and National Guard units throughout the Pacific. He then served as the S3 Operations Officer for the Special Troops Battalion, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, overseeing the operation of four Logistic Support Vessels operating throughout INDOPACOM in support of exercises Defender Pacific and Valiant Shield. Lt. Col. James served as the G3, Operations Officer for the Mississippi Valley Division, USACE.
Lt. Col. James’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, certificate of Construction Management and Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri Science and Technology, Rolla, MO. Lt. Col. James has earned the Intern Engineer certificate for New York State and the Project Management Professional certification. Lt. Col. James completed the Route Reconnaissance and Clearance Course and the Joint Engineer Operations Course.
Lt. Col. James’ awards and decorations include the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC), Joint service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), Iraqi Campaign Medal (2 Stars), and the Humanitarian Assistance Medal.
Lt. Col. James is married and has two daughters.