Colonel Kent J. Lightner currently serves as the Commander, Contingency Response Unit (CRU), Washington D.C.
He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in December 1993 through the Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, ROTC program. His previous assignments include: Deputy Chief of Staff, G5 (Plans), 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, IL; Engineer Staff Officer, TCEM, Headquarters U.S. Southern Command, Doral, FL; Battalion Commander, 463rd Engineer Battalion, Wheeling, WV; Assistant G3 Operations Officer, 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, IL; Operations Officer (S3), 389th Engineer Battalion, Dubuque, IA; Assistant G3 Plans Officer, 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, IL; Director, National Reconstruction Operations Center, Gulf Region Division, US Army Corps of Engineers, Baghdad, Iraq; Construction Officer, 733rd Facilities Engineer Detachment, Fort Leavenworth, KS; Team Chief, 1-347th Battalion (Training Support), Fort Gillem, GA; Company Commander, Charlie Company, 16th Engineer Battalion (Mechanized), Giessen, Germany; Engineer Officer, 1-4th Infantry Battalion (OPFOR), Hohenfels, Germany; Plans Officer, Theater Support Brigade, U.S. Army South, Fort Clayton Panama; Horizontal Platoon Leader, 518th Engineer Company (Heavy), Fort Kobe, Panama; Horizontal Platoon Leader, Bravo Company, 536th Engineer Battalion (Heavy), Fort Kobe, Panama; Bridge Platoon Leader, 50th Engineer Company (Assault Float Bridge), Camp La Guardia, Korea.
Colonel Lightner earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri, Rolla, MO, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Black Belt. A Joint Qualified Officer, he is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic Course, the Engineer Officer Advanced Course, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the Army Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, and the Joint and Combined Warfighter School.
Colonel Lightner’s military awards and decorations include The Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (3-OLC), Army Commendation Medal (4-OLC), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2-OLC), Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab, Parachutists Badge, and Air Assault Badge.