(This article by Kimberly Lankford originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members who can log in to access our digital version and archive. Basic members can save on a membership upgrade and access the magazine.)

From overseeing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects around the world to leading a team tasked with creating an Orlando theme park might seem like an improbable career arc, but it was perfect for Col. Christopher Lestochi, USA (Ret).

Lestochi was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1989 and spent the next 30 years in various leadership roles around the world.

Looking back at his military career, Lestochi said he’s most proud of his command and leadership positions.

“Probably the most significant would be command of the 54th Engineer Battalion that was in Germany and Iraq,” he said.

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Among his accomplishments in that 2007-09 role was organizing and leading route clearance operations involving several hundred soldiers enabling freedom of movement of U.S. forces along 1,000-mile main supply routes in Iraq.

He also oversaw efforts to improve infrastructure at several sites in Afghanistan as head of construction for U.S. Central Command, which has its headquarters in Tampa, Fla.; provided oversight of multimillion-dollar projects as commander for the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ Alaska District; and assisted in a $2 billion capital improvement program primarily in South Korea and Japan while serving as deputy commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pacific Ocean Division.

With all that experience in major military projects, Lestochi knew what he wanted in a civilian job.

“I wanted to do something different,” he said. “I wanted to do something that wasn’t necessarily associated with the military, Department of Defense, or even government for that matter.”

Still, serving as senior project director over a team tasked with bringing to life components of the newly opened Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando wasn’t on his radar. He applied for a position after learning Universal was recruiting retiring engineer officers.

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After a monthslong interview process, he was offered a job in Orlando, where they were beginning the design for Epic Universe.

It was an enormous project — overseeing the design and construction of three hotels and one of five themed “lands” in the park.

“It was exciting,” Lestochi said. “It was eye-opening. For me, it was a completely new experience, but the fundamentals of leadership and management and engineering still apply.”

The park opened in May and, rather than signing on for another project, Lestochi decided to retire. He’s still figuring out what that will look like but plans to support his wife, who is still working; try out new hobbies; spend time taking care of his parents; and become more active in MOAA’s Central Florida Chapter and community projects.

“I had a great career in the Army,” Lestochi said. “I loved it. It was time to retire and do something completely different. And I did, and it worked out really well for me. I’ve got a pretty nice theme park to show for it.”

Kathie Rowell is a writer based in Louisiana.