Lt. Col. Justin Toole became the Deputy District Commander for the Nashville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on November 6, 2017. As the Deputy District Commander, he assists in directing all the water resource activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers throughout the Cumberland River Basin, and navigation and regulatory matters in the Tennessee River Basin, an area of more than 59,000 square miles, with 49 field offices touching seven states and a work force of over 700 federal employees.
In 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Toole began his Army career at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri serving in 3rd Training Brigade and the 5th Engineer Battalion. He held leadership and staff positions as Company Executive Officer, Sapper Platoon Leader, and Battalion Maintenance Officer. While serving as a Platoon Leader in 2005 to 2006, he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and conducted route clearance operations. From May 2008 to June 2010, he commanded Charlie Company, 2-10th Infantry Regiment with the mission to develop Soldiers through Basic Combat Training.
After company command, Lieutenant Colonel Toole attended graduate school and researched optical properties of aerosols with application in spectroscopy and developing instrumentation. He later served as an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry and Life Science Department at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York from 2012 to 2015. During his tenure at West Point, he served as the Course Director for General Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and undergraduate research courses.
From 2015 to 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Toole served in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This included assignments as the Deputy Division Engineer within the Division Headquarters and the Operations Officer and Executive Officer of the 21st Engineer Battalion within 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Rakkasan). From October 2016 to July 2017, he deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and served as an Executive Officer of a maneuver Combined Task Force. This Coalition unit consisted of U.S. Infantry, Cavalry, Field Artillery and Engineer elements along with a Romanian Infantry Battalion and Bulgarian Company with the mission of protecting Kandahar Airfield and supporting the Afghan advising mission for the Train Advise Assist Command – South.
Lieutenant Colonel Toole’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Army Commendation Medal (two awards), Army Achievement Medal (three awards), Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals, NATO Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation (two awards), Combat Action Badge, Sapper Tab, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Army Engineer Association’s Bronze De Fleury Medal.
Lieutenant Colonel Toole hails from Fayetteville, Georgia. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in May 2003 as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri at Rolla and earned a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia in 2012. Lieutenant Colonel Toole is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic Course, the Engineer Captain’s Career Course (Assistant Commandant’s Award recipient), and the Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) – Intermediate Level Education (ILE).
Lieutenant Colonel Toole is happily married and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.