LTC William C. Graves

Lieutenant Colonel William (Chris) Graves graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry and subsequently completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, Airborne School, and the Infantry Mortar Leader Course.

Upon completion of his initial training, Chris was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While stationed at Fort Campbell, Chris served as a rifle platoon leader in A Company, 2-506th and later as a light infantry scout platoon leader for the entirety of a combat deployment to Baghdad, Iraq. After returning from his first combat tour, he attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection, the Maneuver Captain's Career Course, and the Special Forces Qualification Course, after which he was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell. During his time at 5th Group, Chris commanded two Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha teams and conducted multiple deployments, including a combat tour to Iraq and a combat tour to Afghanistan. At this point, Chris was selected to return to the United States Military Academy to serve as an instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. 

En route to his USMA teaching assignment, Chris earned his Master of Science in Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology from Stanford University. While assigned to West Point, Chris taught classes in thermodynamics, hydrology and hydraulic design, and introductory solid mechanics, and he also served as the Assistant Coach of the USMA Target Pistol Team. After his first tour at West Point, Chris was assigned to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he led a research and development program that developed novel technologies for combating terrorism. 

Chris is a graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he received his PhD in structural engineering before returning to West Point, where he currently serves as an Academy Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. 

Chris continues to teach courses in statics, mechanics of materials, and construction management while conducting ongoing research projects related to residual capacity assessment of damaged infrastructure via remote sensing technologies.