G STRONG sMBUILDING STRONGsM Engineer UpdateSee more articles and potos awww.hq.usace.army.mil/cepalpubslupdate.htm Vol. 32 * No. 11 * November 2008

USS Intrepid now at permanent homeNew York

District helpsmove historicaircraft carrier

By JoAnne CastagnaNew York District

It was World War II and FelixNovelli, a 19-year-old airplane main-tenance man at the time, was servingaboard the aircraft carrier USS In-trepid. One day out at sea, Novelli waswalking on the fantail of the carrierwhen he saw a shipmate sobbing andasked him, "What's wrong, Mack?"

He responded, "I'm going home."Novelli replied, "You should be

happy.""What about the guys I'm leaving

behind," asked the sailor.The USS Intrepid has sailed a long

II

Workboats escort the USS Intrepid, now the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum,to her permanent berth in Manhattan. (Photo courtesy of New York District)

voyage since then, but on Oct. 2 shesafely berthed at her permanent home.Originally slated to be scrapped, theUSS Intrepid was instead decommis-sioned and converted into a museumdocked in New York City. The oldwarship recently received a two-yearbow-to-stern renovation in New Jerseyand Staten Island. Its pier in Man-

hattan was also renovated.On Oct. 2, Novelli and other Intrepid

veterans remembered their lost broth-ers as they stood on the carrier's flightdeck while she was towed bow-firstback to her home at Pier 86 on theHudson River on Manhattan's westside.

The aircraft carrier has been berthed

at Pier 86 since 1982 after she was de-commissioned and became the IntrepidSea, Air & Space Museum. The mu-seum receives more than 750,000 visi-tors each year and is managed by theIntrepid Foundation, a charitable or-ganization started by the Fisher con-struction and real estate family basedin New York City.

Today, Novelli is 83 and lives inSouthampton, N.Y., and believes theship's restoration is important for fu-ture generations. "Kids need to knowwhat happened. Ninety-nine percentdon't know what went on," Novelli said.

The renovation holds great personalmemories for him. Portions of the shipthat were renovated were areas neverseen before by the public, including theship's lower decks where he spent timewith his shipmates.

In addition, renovations were per-formed on the anchor chain room, liv-ing quarters, machine shop, and themuseum's collection of aircraft, as wellas the pier where the ship is berthed.

The USSIntrepid is one of the mostdistinguished warships in naval his-

Continued on page two

249th Soldiers support Task Force SAFEBy Lt. Col. Paul Olsen

249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power)

Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom,16 U.S. personnel have been electrocuted in Iraq -10 Soldiers, five Marines, and one Department of De-fense contractor.

In response to these fatalities, Multi-NationalForce-Iraq (MNF-I) stood up Task Force Safe Actionsfor Fire and Electricity (TF SAFE) Aug. 1 to miti-gate the risk of accidental electrocution.

TF SAFE is a unique partnership among MNF-I,the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA),and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This part-nership highlights the technical skills of its first re-sponders, the noncommissioned officers (NCOs) of the249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power).

Scoping the problem

Engineers and planners for TF SAFE are chargedwith examining the electrical safety of about 4,500buildings, 85,000 temporary facilities, and about 250contingency operating locations used by MNF-I per-sonnel. USACE did not build any of the facilitiesthat must be inspected.

To establish an immediate safety mindset amongservicemembers in theater, the commander of TFSAFE, Maj. Gen. Tim McHale, also initiated a the-ater-wide awareness program to stop the use of un-authorized electrical equipment such as "daisychained" power strips and illegal hot plates.

In addition, TF SAFE purchased tens of thousandspieces of certified equipment such as fuse-protectedpower strips and outlet adaptors. Servicemembers

This is an example of the substandard wiring thatinspectors from the 249th Engineer Battalion(Prime Power) are finding in Iraq. (Photo courtesyof 249th Engineer Battalion)

can exchange their old non-certified equipment fornew certified gear at no cost.

Bonding and grounding

Most reported electrical shocks occurred whileservicemembers conducted daily tasks in containerexpress units, containerized housing units, and ab-lution units (hygiene facilities). In some cases, thoseshocks could have been avoided by placing properelectrical bonding and grounding systems.

A safely wired facility is bonded and grounded witha wiring system that permanently joins all metallicparts, and provides a safe path for electrical currentto travel back to its source, or to the ground.

Therefore, it was imperative for Soldiers from the

249th to inspect the electrical wiring in facilitiesthroughout Iraq with a focus on grounding and bond-ing to ensure that they met applicable building andsafety codes.

Technical competence

The 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) is aversatile power generation battalion assigned toUSACE to provide commercial-level power to mili-tary units and federal relief organizations during full-spectrum operations.

When ordered to deploy to TF SAFE, the battalionwas experiencing an extremely high operationaltempo. The battalion had just eight active platoons,and seven were operationally committed.

The equivalent of one platoon was supporting Op-eration Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, includ-ing an emergency power plant installation. Fourplatoons were committed to Operation Iraqi Freedom,two already deployed and two replacing them. Theequivalent of one platoon was preparing to deploy ona separate overseas mission, as well as other mis-sions all over the world. One platoon was in reservefor Stateside natural disasters.

So the 249th had one remaining platoon availablefor TF SAFE.

On Sept. 6, 14 NCOs from Alpha Company trav-eled from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to Winches-ter, Va., to attend a week-long deployment prepara-tion course, plus an initial bonding and groundinginstruction.

The platoon arrived in Kuwait Sept. 14 to certify

Continued on page six

......... 1" • -=i -- I--=t

2 ENGINEER UPDATE November 2008 BUILDING STRONGsM

Insights

History leads us from good to greatBy Col. Hanson Boney

Chaplain, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

"Good to great" implies significant improvement.For most people, doing a good job is all that is ex-pected. Anything else is foolish or unnecessary, andwe often label excellence as overkill. I recall someyears ago that I questioned one of my students abouthis lack of interest in class. He answered, "If theminimum wasn't good enough, it wouldn't be theminimum."

There are others in the world that content them-selves with past accomplishments, thinking that theyhave already achieved their ultimate goals. WhenAlbert Einstein developed his theory of relativity, theworld was enraptured with his explanation of howthe universe began. No one bothered to question hispresuppositions and virtually accepted his theory asthe answer to the space-time continuum.

Then a few years later, an unlikely source, a priestnamed Lamatre who happened to be a physicist, de-veloped the theory that the universe started smalland is in a constant state of expansion. He applaudedEinstein, but he argued that his theory of relativity

IntrepidContinued from page onetory. She began service during World War II. Atthat time Novelli witnessed numerous attacks.

"The sky was blackened with kamikaze," he said."They wanted to sink a carrier and they kept on com-ing left and right, 200 or 300 each day. She was hitfive times by kamikaze and by a suicide bomb."

The 925-foot-long ship saw action in the Koreanand Vietnam wars. Just before the Vietnam War,Senator John McCain served on the Intrepid. Theship tracked Soviet submarines during the Cold War,and served as NASA's prime recovery vessel for Mer-cury and Gemini space capsules in the 1960s.

In 2006, the Intrepid Foundation decided to reno-vate the ship and rebuild Pier 86 where the ship isberthed. In the summer of 2006, the museum re-ceived a federal permit from New York District todredge an access channel from the berthing area outto the main federal channel of the Hudson River tofacilitate the moving of the vessel away from the pierto its renovation site.

That fall the dredging was completed, removingriver mud that had accumulated around the ship.Soon after, an "Intrepid on Leave" celebration gavethe ship an elaborate send-off to its temporary home.The vessels of several public service agencies wereinvited to escort the ship down river, including fourUSACE workboats that would lead the flotilla.

The decommissioned warship no longer has en-gines. So seven tugboats hooked up their towlines,throttled up their engines, and pulled the aircraftcarrier stern-first all of 15 feet before the 27,100 tonship literally got stuck in the mud.

Its four giant propellers, each 16 feet in diameter,dug into the river sediment and plowed up a "speedbump" of mud under the ship's fantail that preventedany further movement.

Museum officials immediately called numerousgovernment agencies for help and a multi-agencyteam quickly formed including the Intrepid Founda-tion, state and city agencies, New York District, andNaval Sea Systems Command because of their unique

did not go far enough. As the years passed, we havefound that Lamatre's theory has proven more accu-rate than Einstein's.

Going from good to great is nothing new. Twentycenturies ago, a man named Saul of Tarsus thoughtthat he had reached spiritual perfection. Concerningthe Jewish law (Torah), he considered himself per-fect, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. By all spiritual mea-surements, Saul was an outstanding individual - agood man. He was so righteous that he persecutedthose who differed in their assessment of the spiri-tual life.

It was not until the road to Damascus, when JesusChrist challenged Saul to a life of faith, that he be-gan to see just how short he was of spiritual perfec-tion. Until Jesus called on him to change, Saul hadmissed out on the human capital necessary for a vi-tal life, and he was in danger of wasting the few giftsand talents that he had on the pretense of self-pro-claimed superiority.

Saul had failed to grasp the immensity and com-plexity of love's dynamic strength because he thoughthe was already there spiritually. So, where are you?Most of you will be tempted to say, "I'm a good per-

The USS Intrepid during World War II with her fullcomplement of aircraft. (Photo courtesy of NewYork District)

knowledge and experience in freeing large ships.The team quickly executed a unique, highly vis-

ible dredging operation to remove compacted sedi-ment from around the propellers and shafts. Theyworked around the clock, seven days a week until itwas done. They only had 29 days to perform thework because then the next high tide would occurand provide an extra few feet of water to float In-trepid out.

The team devised a three-phase execution plan.First, dig the existing driveway deeper and wider,and add an access trench on the south side of thevessel from the stern to beyond the trapped propel-lers and shafts. Second, use a drag bar to rake sedi-ment from under the stern. Finally, remove the re-maining mud from under the ship's fantail.

After almost three weeks of work and removingabout 39,000 cubic yards of river mud, the ship wasagain ready to be moved.

In December 2006, after fighting with high windsand swift currents, the 63-year-old ship was extracted

son, a valued employee, and a wonderful companion.I'm there."

Do you truly believe that you are at the pinnacle ofyour career, your success, your spiritual maturity?Think again! Like Saul, perhaps you need to be chal-lenged to exceed the requirements of your job, yourcareer, your spiritual development.

Saul, after considering all that his conceit had de-nied him, allowed himself to envision the possibili-ties afforded him in faith. Through faith in whatGod could accomplish through him, Saul went frombeing an obscure Pharisee to the greatest apostle ofthe Christian church. He transformed from Saul, agood man, to Paul, a great man of Christ.

Remember that great people are often obscure in-dividuals who fill a great need or who bridge a greatchasm at the right place and at the right time. Letus strive to move from good to great. Let's make adifference.

(The opinions expressed in this article are thoseof the writer and do not reflect the official policy orposition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, theDepartment of the Army, the Department of Defense,or the U.S. government.)

with both great force and finesse by McAllister tug-boats and escorted gracefully downriver by USACEharbor workboats, and New York City police boatsand fireboats.

Now, two years later, Intrepid made its grand re-turn back home.

To get her back, the multi-agency team joinedforces again. USACE surveyed the 10-mile route forobstructions and cleared the pier's berth area. Col.Nello Tortora, New York District commander, saidthe Corps had the Navy's contractors clear a spaceabout 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep alongside therebuilt pier. The ship needs 30 feet of water to float,and the depth was 35 feet at high tide when the car-rier docked.

In addition, U.S. Army divers currently trainingat the USACE Caven Point Marine Terminal in NewJersey assisted in surveying the ship's path for ob-structions that would block her way home.

On Oct. 2, a gusty cool day, the aircraft carriermade its way back home, led by U.S. Coast Guardand USACE boats, and the same McAllister tugboatsthat freed it two years ago. Novelli, along with 230other veterans, stood on the same deck where heserved 60 years ago.

After leaving Staten Island, the carrier made aleisurely 10-mile voyage across New York Harborand up the Hudson River to the rebuilt pier. Thehistoric ship passed the Statue of Liberty as city fire-boats sprayed streams of water dyed red and blue.

The carrier paused at Ground Zero, former loca-tion of the World Trade Center twin towers. Theveterans unfurled a 60-by-30-foot American flag tosalute those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, while New YorkPolice Department buglers played "Taps" and theNYPD band played "Eternal Father, Strong to Save,"often called the "Navy Hymn."

A short time later, the tugboats guided the USSIntrepid into her permanent berth at Pier 86.

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum officiallyopened to the public on Nov. 8. To learn more, pleasevisit www.intrepidmuseum.org

ENGINEER UPDATE is an unofficial publication under the provisions of AR 360-1. It is publishedmonthly by offset for the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Editorial views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Corps of Engineers or the

Address mail to: EDITOR, ENGINEER UPDATE, CEPA-C, Washington, D.C. 20314-1000. Telephone(202) 761-4285. Photographs are U.S. Army photos unless otherwise credited. Available on theInternet at http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepalpubs/update.htm.

Department of the Army. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Commander, USACE................... ......................................... Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van AntwerpChief, Public Affairs.................. .................................................. Suzanne M . Fournier

Deadline for submitting articles is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Subscriptions are Chief, Command Information................... .............................................. Walter E. Pierceavailable free of charge but m ust be requested in writing. Circulation: 35,000. Editor...................................................................................................................Bernard W . Tate

November2008 ENGINEER UPDATE 3

Fire escapeGood planning helps family survive devastating blaze

Article by Becky ProapsPhoto by Walter Zange

U.S. Army Engineering andSupport Center, Huntsville

It only takes a few seconds for a fireto destroy everything you own, but ifyou have an escape plan, your familywill survive to tell the story. Just askWalter Zange, a safety and occupa-tional health specialist in the Environ-mental and Munitions Center of Ex-pertise at Huntsville Center, who lostmost of his family's possessions in adevastating house fire in September.

A short in an unused electrical out-let in the living room likely caused aspark and caught the couch, curtains,and wall on fire. Zange's wife Shirleyand 3-year-old daughter Elizabeth wereupstairs on the third floor when thesmoke detector went off.

Fortunately, because Zange had anescape plan, they all got out unharmed.

"You need an escape plan and youhave to practice it," Zange said. "Ibought a fire ladder about six monthsago and checked all the smoke detec-tors. Two of the three smoke detectorsdidn't work, so I replaced the batter-ies. If the smoke detector hadn't beenworking in the living room, by the timethe smoke reached the bathroom wheremy wife was, it could have been toolate."

Zange stressed that just having theladder and smoke detectors aren'tenough. It is important to have mul-tiple plans for different situations, and

By Doug GarmanHeadquarters

Encouraging children and theirfamilies to spend more time outdoorsis the goal of a new national campaignlaunched Oct. 14 by the eight federalland and water management agencies,including the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers.

The new "Get Outdoors, It's Yours!"campaign will strive to raise aware-ness of the opportunities for America'syouth to re-engage with nature on fed-eral public lands and waterways. Stateand local land managers and nonprofitorganizations from across the nationhave also joined in supporting the cam-paign and to assist in spreading theword about the benefits of outdoor rec-reation, education, and stewardship.

The "Get Outdoors, It's Yours!" cam-paign launch included the signing ofan interagency pledge of cooperation byUSACE, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bu-reau of Land Management, Bureau ofReclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

It took only seconds for the fire that started in Walter Zange's living room tosweep through the house. Fortunately, he had an escape plan that savedthe lives of his wife and daughter.

to practice the emergency scenarios.The family had a plan that could ap-ply if everyone was home, and they hada plan for the times Zange might notbe home.

It happened that Zange was at workand his 6-year-old son Walter was atschool when the fire occurred.

It is also important to know howeveryone will react in a crisis.

"You have to find out if someone isgoing to freeze on the ladder," Zangesaid. "My wife is terrified of heights soI had to coach her into getting onto thatladder when we practiced. If someonecan't do it, you have to figure out an-

other way to get them out of the house.The children also have to know exactlywhat to do.

"One night after the children wentto bed, I set off the smoke detector andwe practiced," Zange said. "We actu-ally went down the fire ladder, downthe side of the house. My daughter didexactly what she was supposed to dowhen this happened. As soon as shegot down she went straight to the mail-box and waited for her mom."

Zange reiterated several key pointsin developing an escape plan and pre-paring for such an event. He said find-ing the correct window for the fire lad-

A Gorp of Engineers park rangerleads a group of children on a naturehike. (USACE file photo)

Service, National Park Service, U.S.Forest Service, and U.S. GeologicalSurvey.

The campaign launch also includedairing a public service announcementin more than 10,000 movie theatersnationwide and the posting of a newWeb site www.getoutdoorsitsyours.gov.This site links to agency Web sites and

to information on destinations, pro-grams, special events, and opportuni-ties for education adventures.

As the nation's largest federal pro-vider of outdoor and water-based rec-reation, the Corps' lakes, beaches, andother areas will play an important rolein supporting this initiative by provid-ing a wide array of opportunities to chil-dren and their families to experiencenature firsthand.

USACE is no stranger to youth-in-nature programs. For the past 30years, USACE and its many partnershave conducted a number of youth-re-lated programs, such as junior rangerprograms, ranger camps, wildlife andnature walks and shows, outdoor wa-ter festivals, eco-meets, school fieldtrips, and various stewardship and in-terpretive programs, to name a few.

The "Get Outdoors, It's Yours!" ini-tiative will provide greater awarenessfor these programs and others, as wellas encourage future environmentaleducation opportunities at Corps lakesnationwide.

der is important. It should be hungfrom a window above a flat, straightportion of the house because it is diffi-cult to climb out over a garage.

If you have small children, keep agood rope with the ladder. You can tiethe rope around their waists to lowerthem down if they are to small to climb,or as a safety precaution if they canclimb down on their own.

Have a place to meet after each per-son gets out of the house. If everyonemeets in a central location, account-ability is much easier.

Also take inventory of personal be-longings, furniture, and other valuableitems in the house and keep it in a safeplace. A CD or photographs in a safedeposit box, a fire-proof safe, or withrelatives will make the inventory pro-cess with the insurance company mucheasier.

Unfortunately, Zange isn't the onlyHuntsville Center employee who hasexperienced such a tragedy. BrandonHunt, contracting specialist in theContracting Directorate, lost almosteverything in an apartment fire a fewmonths ago that started with a ciga-rette, cardboard boxes, and packingpaper in his neighbor's apartment.

"I will never forget that day," Huntsaid. "It was about 3 or 3:30 in theafternoon. I was in a rush to try to getsomething done when my cell phonekept ringing. I was hoping it couldwait, but after three or four calls I de-cided I'd better call back. It was theapartment management office callingme saying there had been a fire andthere was lots of damage.

"My heart sank," Hunt said. "Noth-ing in my apartment was burned, butmost things were destroyed by waterand smoke, which was everywhere.The roof above my apartment did burnin places, and there were many placeswhere the ceiling caved in with fallentile and insulation everywhere. I lostabout 95 percent of my things. All thatwas salvageable were bicycles and someCDs, records, audio, and video tapes.I went in the apartment later to find afew things such as family heirlooms.Luckily I found most heirlooms,though not all."

Hunt strongly recommends thatanyone living in an apartment pur-chase renter insurance.

"It's not that expensive, but replac-ing lost furniture is," Hunt said. "Also,if you smoke, please be vigilant aboutthe possibility of starting a fire. It's adevastating experience and whenWalter Zange came to thank me forthe donation, I could sense the pain inhis voice, because it was in mine.

"I'm slowly getting over the pain,"Hunt said. "It's like you also lose apiece of your heart and soul when thingsyou have purchased and treasured overthe years are suddenly gone. The endof the fiscal year rush is helping takemy mind off of it. But I wouldn't wishthis on my worst enemy."

New campaign encourages kidsand families to get outdoors

4 ENGINEER UPDATE November 2008 BUILDING STRONGsU

NWD has Afghanistan recruiting missionSomeday, our grandchildren will ask us, "Grandpa

(or Grandma), what did you do in the great GlobalWar on Terror?"

That's when we can look them in the eye and saywith pride, "Well, I helped rebuild Afghanistan."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asks for volun-teers to assist its districts around the nation duringall manner of disasters, the most visible being hur-ricane relief. But USACE also taps its people to helpwith America's missions overseas. One of these isthe rebuilding the Afghan infrastructure through theconstruction and reconstruction of roads, irrigationsystems, power generation and utilities, police andborder patrol stations, medical facilities, schools, andother infrastructure.

'We need your talents...' "NorthwesternDivision is now the Corps' lead for coordinating vol-unteers from NWD, Pacific Ocean Division, and thecenters and labs to fill deployment needs for thisimportant work," said Brig. Gen. Bill Rapp, NWDcommander. "I'm asking our professionals to stepup for a tour of service in Afghanistan Engineer Dis-trict. We need your talents and you'll make a posi-tive difference in the world through your service."

AED currently has seven area offices, 22 residentoffices, and six project offices, and will manage morethan $2 billion in construction projects this year,which is twice as much as fiscal 2007. There areseveral hundred billets in which NWD employees arequalified to operate.

"The folks in Afghanistan Engineer District aredoing great work building Afghan engineering andconstruction capacity, and helping establish a stableAfghan national government," said Col. MiroslavKurka, deputy commander of NWD and former com-mander of AED. "This effort will greatly improve

the lives of Afghan citizens and improve our nation'ssecurity."

Rewarding. "The year I spent in Afghanistanwas by far the most rewarding experience in my ca-reer and the great adventure of my life," Kurka said."I was part of history and I encourage anyone withskills and heart to volunteer for a tour with AED.I'm sure you'll find an assignment with AED chal-lenging and rewarding."

Kurka's sentiments are echoed by Tracy Bell, whomanages Portland District's emergency operationscenter.

"I encourage anyone who can deploy to Afghani-stan for six-to-12 months to take advantage of theopportunity," said Bell, who served in-country fromJune to August. "Not only did I get the satisfactionof serving my country by supporting our reconstruc-tion mission in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan citi-zens I met were grateful for the efforts that USACEis putting forth to not only assist them, but to edu-cate them.

"The most difficult thing I did there was leave,"Bell said. "I developed a strong friendship with manypeople. I felt secure the entire time I was in Afghani-stan, and hope to deploy again soon."

Life changing. Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp,chief of engineers, visited AED in late July to wit-ness the progress being made thanks to Corps work-ers.

"This is a very important mission, and our partof it is to build facilities and capacity," Van Antwerpsaid. "Anyone who has deployed to Afghanistan orto Iraq will tell you that this changed their life.You get outside yourself and focus on working witha team that feels like a family, which is an incred-

ible experience.

Growth. "AED is going to grow, and we're try-ing to get out in front with a workforce that can takeon growth," Van Antwerp said. AED currently has72 military and 229 civilian volunteers, and is pro-jected to reach nearly 400 total by the end of 2008.

"We're at a place in time where we're writing thebook," Van Antwerp continued. "We're using triedand true practices, but we're adapting those prac-tices to a new environment that doesn't have time towait. We need to do it now!

"Talk to an AED employee and ask, 'Why did youcome, and why did you stay?' and you'll find out thatit's something special," Van Antwerp said. "So comejoin them and be part of it."

Workers in NWD, POD, and the centers and labsare encouraged to join this historic undertaking andmake a lasting contribution to getting Afghanistanback on its feet after years of hardship.

Persuasive. There are three persuasive rea-sons to step up:

First, the Corps has hundreds of jobs in a widevariety of specialties, so it is likely your specialty isrepresented.

Second, it's easy to apply. Just go to http://cpolwapp.belvoir.army.mil/coe-gwot/

Third, serving in Afghanistan Engineer Districtpresents a unique opportunity for professional andpersonal challenge, adventure, and national service.Volunteers will experience a unique and differentculture and serve overseas while being handsomelycompensated for their efforts.

(Article written by Bruce Huffman of AfghanistanEngineer District and Bernard Tate of Headquar-ters.)

Why We Volunteer -- The Army Reservist

Engineer wanted to make a differenceBy LuAnne Fantasia

Gulf Region North District

Lt. Col. Mario Trevino wanted tomake a difference, so he volunteeredfor a year in Iraq, arriving for dutylast March.

Trevino is an Army reservist fromNokesville, Va. He is an engineer of-ficer with the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers Contingency Response Unit, aReserve unit based at USACE Head-quarters in Washington, D.C. In hiscivilian life, Trevino is the lodging pro-gram manager at the Navy Installa-tions Command's Fleet and FamilyReadiness in Washington, D.C.

"The Corps is the most importantpart of the reconstruction efforts herein Iraq," Trevino said. "Since the timewhen U.S. troops arrived, rebuildingthis country has required the expertand proven methods of constructionthat USACE offers, in addition to theexpert and professional skills of morethan 400 civilian and military volun-teers who have answered the call ofduty in our northern district."

Since Gulf Region Division's activa-tion in 2004, the Kirkuk Area Officeand its two resident offices have over-seen project and construction manage-ment of 284 reconstruction projects inthe Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah Prov-inces, totaling more than $446 million.

Lt. Col. Mario Trevino with some of the children at the dedication of a newschool in Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Gulf Region Division)

"The predominant projects in ourKirkuk area have been 40 border fortsalong the Iraq/Iran border in neighbor-ing Sulayminayah Province, 74 schoolsin both Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyahprovinces, and the recently completedKirkuk-to-Bayji pipeline exclusionzone," said Trevino.

Begun in January 2007, the pipelineexclusion zone is 80 kilometers (about50 miles) of razor wire, fence, and anti-vehicle ditches and berms that imme-diately reduced theft, attacks, andsabotage on the pipeline from the oil-rich fields of Kirkuk to the Bayji oilrefinery. Today the project benefits the

government of Iraq to the tune of $30million daily.

On a more personal level, Trevinowanted to help make a difference forthe Iraqi people, and he feels that hehas. "I see that our efforts in Iraq haveprovided better facilities, new roads,and new water systems," Trevino said."Those projects have given many Iraqipeople a better life. I see joy in thechildren when we complete their newschools. They'll be the next genera-tion for this country and I believe edu-cation is the key to their future."

Trevino said it has been his pleasureto meet and work with the local eldersof many of the smaller villages, pro-vincial governors and director gener-als in Kirkuk and Sulayminayah, andthe Iraqi military leaders.

"The commanding general of theIraqi military forces in theSulayminayah Province recentlyasked our Gulf Region Division com-manding general to help them developa plan for an Iraqi equivalent of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers,"Trevino said. "I hope I can help com-plete a written plan for that before Ileave in January."

"It has taken a long time for the coa-lition forces to build capacity withinthe Iraqi government and military,"Trevino said. "We're still working atit, but we're getting closer than ever."

November2008 ENGINEER UPDATE 5Why We Volunteer-- The Civilian

'It's great to be part of this effort.'By John Connor

Gulf Region South District

"People back home ask why do we do it," said TonyaMyrick, a project manager in Iraq with Gulf RegionDivision. "Why do we give up our comfortable livesto come to a place where the norm is a seven-daywork week, 12 hours a day most days?"

Why indeed! As Myrick noted, the temperaturecan soar to 130 degrees or more in the summer insouthern Iraq where she works, feeling "like you'rewalking with a hair dryer pointed at you," and vi-cious dust storms can roar out of the desert withoutwarning.

That's just the weather. There have been innu-merable other challenges during her 22 months inIraq including mortar and rocket attacks, which aremuch rarer these days than during her first deploy-ment.

"Why do we do it?" asked Myrick, who is nearingthe end of her second Iraq tour. "I think for me theanswer would be to give the Iraqis a chance for thingswe take for granted - clean drinking water, elec-tricity, drivable roads, and even a good education. Ifind it rewarding to see a project go from start tocompletion in only a few months.

"Don't get me wrong," Myrick added. "It takes acertain kind of personality to give up everything tocome over here and endure these environmental andworking conditions. But if you possess that person-ality, the rewards can be tremendous."

Back home Myrick works for Vicksburg Districtin the Regulatory Branch. She spent both of herIraq tours with Gulf Region South (GRS) District,which provides reconstruction services in the ninesouthern provinces of Iraq. She said there is "a hugedifference between my tours, both in job position andliving conditions."

During her first tour in 2005, Myrick worked as aproject engineer at Camp Echo in Qadisiyah Prov-ince with a staff of seven people. They had a smalloffice on what is mainly a Polish army base. "We

Tonya Myrick, a project manager in Gulf RegionSouth District, is nearing the end of her secondtour in Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Gulf RegionDivision)had nothing to start with - no desks, no chairs, nopaper, no ink pens," she recalled. "Our hooches werethe bare necessities, and the nearest bathroom andshower were a walk across the camp.

"At Camp Echo, we were the boots on the ground,"Myrick continued. "Our job was to start construc-tion on projects once they were awarded at headquar-ters and see them through to completion."

For her second tour, which will total 17 monthslater this fall, Myrick works at GRS headquartersin Tallil on a former Iraqi airbase near Nasiriyah.She is a project manager for the Transportation andCommunication Sector.

"I oversee all road, bridge, and telecommunicationconstruction projects in Gulf Region South," she said."We work directly with the Iraq officials, provincialreconstruction team engineers, military brigades, andfield offices to develop scopes of work and awardprojects needed by the Iraqi people. Project manag-ers are involved with the projects from the designphase until the project is completed. Being able tooversee a project from an idea to its actual construc-tion is truly a great feeling."

Myrick said the living conditions on the GRS com-pound in Tallil "are as good as they get in Iraq. Inow have a queen-sized bed, refrigerator, TV, micro-wave, and, most important, a private bathroom."

Working on the vocational training (votech) cen-ter rehabilitation program has been particularly re-warding for Myrick. She said there were severalvotech centers in the GRS area that were barely func-tioning due to years of neglect by the Saddam Husseinregime.

Rehabbing the centers became a focus of the U.S.Army's 360th Civil Affairs Brigade. Myrick said thebasic idea is that educating Iraqis in constructiontrades would help them get jobs and support theirfamilies without turning to militias for financial aid.

"After rehabilitation, the centers went from offer-ing one or two classes per semester helping 30 or 40students to a curriculum with 20 or more classesinvolving more than 1,000 students," Myrick said."Upon graduation, these students are using their newskills to get steady employment."

Myrick is also acting program lead for GRS' CivilWorks and Energy Sector with a total program valueof $458 million.

"So why do we do it," Myrick repeated. "We'remaking a difference here and it's great to be part ofthis effort."

Why We Volunteer-- The Former Marine

'I continue to hear the call to serve.'By Patrick Swan

Northwestern Division

"Once a Marine, always a Marine,"they say. While most former Marinesnever wear a uniform again, Tracy Belldid. Bell, who retired from the U.S.Marine Corps in 2002 after a 25-yearcareer, volunteered for service in Af-ghanistan Engineer District.

At home, Bell manages PortlandDistrict's emergency operations center.In AED, she worked in the training andoperations section from June to August.She helped write the standard operat-ing procedure for the new civilian secu-rity contract.

Service was Bell's main motivationfor volunteering for duty in Afghanistan.

"As a retired Marine, I continue tohear the call to serve our country," Bellsaid. "I also volunteered so that per-haps others serving on longer deploy-ments would have an opportunity totake leave or an R&R that otherwisewould leave a vacancy."

But there are other good reasons fordeploying halfway around the world.

"There are financial incentives, suchas 35 percent danger pay, 35 percentpost differential pay, overtime, and soon," Bell said. "But there are many in-tangibles as well, such as patriotism,and the pride of belonging to a unique,skilled group of professionals, plus op-portunities to improve your professionaldevelopment.

"Not only did I get the satisfaction ofserving my country by supporting ourreconstruction mission in Afghanistan,the Afghans I met were grateful for theeffort that the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers is putting forth to not only as-sist them, but to educate them," Bellsaid. "I believe the smartest thing thatwe're doing in Afghanistan is we arenot rebuilding the country for them.We're mentoring and showing the citi-zens how to rebuild their country."

For those considering deployment,

Tracy Bell with two Afghan friends. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Bell)Continued on page eight

Viva Technology promotes science,engineering for Hispanic students

By Richard Gallegosand Fidel Rodriguez

The districts in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersare often actively involved in numerous activities atlocal high schools to stimulate student interest andawareness in science, technology, engineering, andmath (STEM). Our nation is fast approaching a po-tential crisis in our ability to meet engineering andenvironmental challenges, so the need for a morecomprehensive, structured approach to the promo-tion of STEM awareness among American youth iscompelling.

USACE has a vital role to play in meeting thischallenge. Working cooperatively with the privatesector; other federal, state and local agencies; anduniversities, USACE has recently embarked upon amore structured and corporate approach toward pro-motion of STEM awareness through active involve-ment in the Hispanic Engineer National Achieve-ment Awards Corporation's (HENAAC) Viva Tech-nology program.

Manual Arts High School near Los Angeles Dis-trict had the pilot program for Viva Technology. Theprogram engages inner city and rural middle andhigh school students, their parents, and teachers inthe application of technology to stimulate interest,awareness, and improve academic achievement inSTEM, which helps students succeed in college andenter STEM careers.

Understanding the importance of parent andteacher support, Viva Technology incorporates sepa-rate parent and teacher orientation modules as partof its program in both English and Spanish. The

Task Force Safe

parent orientation explains what their children willlearn from participating in the program; encouragesan interest in STEM to positively impact theirchildren's future; demonstrates how to successfullyapply, navigate, and pay for a college education; andshows the potential career opportunities in the STEMfields.

The teacher orientation acquaints the targetedschool's professional teaching staff with the goals andmission of Viva Technology through a review of theprogram's hands-on STEM competitions, activities,and speakers. Teachers also receive multi-mediaSTEM teaching materials, designed by the FuturesChannel, for use in their classrooms.

In the actual Viva Technology student event, se-lected students participate in hands-on team com-petitive activities that require them to design, build,and often operate physical models. Engineering stu-dents from local colleges and universities serve asstudent team coaches and mentors. Engineeringprofessionals from sponsoring agencies also partici-pate in the Viva event as speakers, presenters, androle models.

USACE has served as a formal Viva Technologypartner in five separate Vivas, including ourgroundbreaking Viva Technology event at RooseveltHigh School in East Los Angeles (Los Angeles Dis-trict) in January 2005. Other USACE Viva Tech-nology events include those held at the John F.Kennedy Magnet School in New York City (New YorkDistrict), Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Fla.(Jacksonville District), and the 2004 HENAAC Con-ference Viva event in Pasadena, Calif. (South PacificDivision).

The Corps' most recent Viva Technology event, co-sponsored by Fort Worth District, was held Sept. 25at the Highland High School in San Antonio. Eighty-five 9th grade Highland and Jefferson high school stu-dents were tasked with building a model nuts-and-bolts bridge under limited time constraints. Duringthe competitive exercise, a real world situation wasintroduced requiring the execution of a design modi-fication by the student teams.

The second exercise, "Dream Challenge," involvedbuilding a futuristic team product using commonbuilding materials from local home improvementstores (electrical light switch, PVC pipe, a paint pan,and so on). Each team had to present and sell itsproject before the assembled group, with Corps rep-resentatives serving as judges.

Viva Technology has expanded its program nation-wide, and has held STEM awareness activities inmore than 13 states, touching the lives of more than35,000 inner city and rural middle and high schoolyouth.

Its sponsors have included Shell Oil, Chevron,IBM, Motorola, Lucent Technologies, NASA, theDepartment of Defense, Raytheon, the CIA, BritishPetroleum, the Bureau of Reclamation, and USACE.

The Corps' next Viva Technology event will be atThe Rice School in Houston, co-sponsored by GalvestonDistrict. Contact Fidel Rodriguez or Richard Gallegosif you want to implement a Viva Technology projectin your district.

(Richard Gallegos is a member of human resourcesin South Pacific Division. Fidel Rodriguez is chiefof Facilities Division at Headquarters, and HENAACproject delivery team program manager.)

Continued from page oneon theater-required warrior tasks and arrived atCamp Victory, part of the Victory Base Complex inBaghdad, on Sept. 19, one day ahead of schedule.

Two senior NCOs from Bravo Company at FortBragg, N.C., Master Sgt. Paul Vedros and Sgt. 1stClass Christopher Shetland, augmented TF SAFEto form its operations cell.

Electricians from industry and from USACE dis-tricts and divisions followed the 249th EngineerBattalion's Soldiers. Under a refined deploymentplan, all inspectors first travel to the USACE De-ployment Center in Winchester, Va., where they areuniformed, equipped, and given refresher trainingon bonding and grounding before deploying to theVictory Base Complex.

The 249th Soldiers and USACE government civil-ians are providing assistance until 70 master elec-tricians and more than 30 fire protection specialistsarrived as part of a task order contract awarded tothe joint venture Stanley Baker Hill LLC (SBH).

USACE, through its Transatlantic Programs Cen-ter in Winchester, Va., awarded the $59.5 millioncontract to SBH Sept. 12 to support theater-wide elec-trical and fire safety inspections throughout Iraq.

These contracted electricians and fire protectionspecialists were in Iraq by the end of October, andwill perform electrical system and fire protection as-sessments on existing facilities.

Organizational competence

While the platoon from Alpha Company and theinitial USACE electricians were deploying to theater,

Sgt. Shane Basler (left) and Sgt. TimothyFlorentino determine if a panel box is incompliance with applicable building and safetycodes. This is part of their training for Task ForceSAFE. (Photo courtesy of the 249th EngineerBattalion)

TF SAFE wasted no time in preparing to begin com-pliance inspections. Although the inbound inspec-tors were up-to-date with current bonding andgrounding requirements, additional theater-specifictraining was required to prepare them for what theywould see in the field.

A second one-week training course taught by JimChilds, master electrician and certified inspector, andA1 Patchin, DCMA electrical engineer, prepared theinspectors for what they would soon encounter. OnSept. 25, TF SAFE graduated its first class of 14

inspectors from the 249th Engineer Battalion.The 14 Soldiers were divided into two groups to

better address the two categories of TF SAFE inspec-tions. Ten Soldiers would respond to facilities underthe Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP)contract to ensure contractor compliance with theNEC. Four would respond to facilities not underLOGCAP contract to oversee the repair of non-com-pliant electrical systems. CW3 Francis Belliard, the249th's liaison officer, oversaw command and con-trol, with assistance by Vedros and Shetland.

Using a 21-point inspection checklist, the NCOsfrom the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power)inspected a large group of containerized housing unitson Victory Base. They found that most of the unitswere not properly bonded -- they were missing a bond-ing jumper wire common to most compliant distri-bution panels.

Although this fault requires a 10-minute fix, itmay be a common problem in the thousands of con-tainerized housing units in theater.

Early inspection results from non-LOGCAP con-tingency operating locations suggested a more seri-ous problem. Some electrical work at these smallstrategic bases was not in compliance with any elec-trical inspection code.

The mission of the 249th prime power Soldiers andthe other USACE electrical inspectors and fire pro-tection specialists is to identify the problems so thatthey can be corrected by the contractor responsiblefor the facility.

(Lt. Col. Paul Olsen is the 249th Engineer Battal-ion (Prime Power) commander. Bernard Tate ofHeadquarters contributed to this article.)

6 ENGINEER UPDATE November 2008 BUILDING STRONGsm

November2008 ENGINEER UPDATE 7

Around the CorpsGeneral officer news

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Dorko was promoted to hispresent rank on Oct. 9. Dorko, previous commanderof Gulf Region Division, will be the deputy command-ing general for military and international operationsat Headquarters.

Presidential Rank AwardsEach year, the president recognizes a small group

of career senior executives and senior career employ-ees with the Presidential Rank Award. Recipientsare leaders, professionals, and scientists who achieveresults and demonstrate strength, integrity, indus-try, and commitment to excellence in public service.

Six USACE senior executives have received the2008 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Se-nior Executives. They are:

* Lester Dixon, director of Division Programs atSouth Atlantic Division

* Karen Durham-Aguilera, director of Task ForceHope

* Dr. Jeffrey Holland, deputy director of the Engi-neer Research and Development Center

* Wesley Miller, director of Resource Management,Headquarters

* Patricia Rivers, chief of Military Programs Pro-gram Integration Division, Headquarters

* Michael White, director of Division Programs atGreat Lakes and Ohio River Division

Big catfishOn Oct. 5, Randy Fell, a deckhand on the motor

vessel Mississippi and an avid fisherman, caught a64:6t id atflkh. .. .

The MVMississippi was moored to load barges ofconcrete mattresses just south of the Mississippi RiverBridge near Memphis, Tenn. Fell put out hisShakespeare rod and reel with a 50-pound-test lineand a No.1 Eagle Claw hook. Fell discovered he hadhooked a fish after the crew completed a practice firedrill. It took Fell and five crew mates to haul in the

huge catfish.It was the biggest fish Fell ever caught. "It will be

cut into steaks and frozen," he said.

CorrectionIn the October Engineer Update, the new surgical

hospital in Maysan Province is about 675,000 squarefeet. (A square meter is 10.76 square feet.)

Kisuk Cheung passes awayKisuk "Charlie" Cheung, former chief of engineer-

ing at USACE Headquarters, died Oct. 2 in Hono-lulu following an extended illness.

Cheung, 79, first joined USACE in 1958 in FarEast District. He worked in Korea 14 years, Alaskaone year, and Honolulu for 21 years before going toHeadquarters. He became a member of the SeniorExecutive Service in 1979 and retired from federalservice in 1998 after 40 years of service with USACGE.

Funeral services were held on Oct. 15 at theNuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary in Honolulu.

Foreign military salesConstruction is scheduled to begin at the end of

this year on the first foreign military sale (FMS)project in Iraq. It will build new piers and a seawallat Umm Qasr in Al Basrah Province.

Leaders from Gulf Region Division, the Iraq navy,Iraq Ministry of Defense, contractors, and supportstaff met Oct. 16 to discuss the design for the firstFMS project for USACE in Iraq. Foreign militarysales is a program that allows the host country topay the U.S. government for construction and sup-plies related to its military.

Representatives for the contractor, CCI Inc/PolyEarth Construction, International, provided abriefing on the design for the piers and seawall atUmm Qasr. The team agreed to meet again to makecertain all parties are aware of the process and toensure construction will meet the delivery of newIraqi navy ships scheduled for late 2009.

Jefferson HallOn Sept. 24, officials at the U.S. Military Acad-

emy at West Point cut the ribbon to open the newThomas Jefferson Library and Learning Center. Itis the first new academic building at the USMA in36 years. The academy's existing library was builtin 1964 and has undergone many renovations. Theexisting library also only had four meeting rooms.

After 10 years of planning, cadets began using the$61 million facility at the start of the 2008 academicyear. It is north of the existing library at the centerof the Cadet Academic Zone. The building's site inthe academy's historic district required architects totailor its exterior to match the granite facing of thesurrounding structures.

The new facility will integrate library and learn-ing center functions such as collections, user ser-vices, administration, collection development, tech-nical services, staff support, public services, and sup-port services. There are 10 meeting rooms, and wire-less access to allow cadets to log onto the library'snetwork with a laptop.

The old library will still be used. A renovationwill convert the first floor and basement into anarchive and special collections area. The rest of thebuilding will be incorporated into Bartlet Hall nextdoor, West Point's science and physics department.

Border Patrol stationNew England District officials and their congres-

sional and Border Patrol partners cut the ribbon onthe new 50-agent Van Buren Border Patrol Stationin Van Buren, Maine, Sept. 25.

The Architect-Engineer Resource Center in FortWorth District initially requested NED to provide anew 25-agent Border Patrol station to replace theone in Van Buren. Changes during design resultedin the 50-agent station.

Building the station was not easy. The contrac-tors had to contend with severe weather conditionsthat included temperatures 20 degrees below zero,and 200 inches of snow accumulation that year.

Park rangers receive bravery awardsArticle by Bruce HillPhotos by Jim Jaffe

Albuquerque District

Shooting victim Alfred Chavez and his lifesavingfriend Eric Garner, both park rangers in Albuquer-que District, received top awards for bravery Oct. 11from Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, chief of engi-neers, during a ceremony in Albuquerque District.

"I have the distinct honor and privilege of award-ing two of our park rangers the Meritorious CivilianService Award for Bravery," Van Antwerp said. "Thisis one of the most satisfying moments of my career."

Chavez returned to work in August, eight monthsafter suffering gunshot wounds while investigatinga pump house intrusion at Abiquiu Dam in Decem-ber 2007.

"It feels good to be able to go back to work and seeif I can handle it," Chavez said. "I looked forward toreturning to my friends at the office because they'relike a second family to me."

Chavez was performing his routine duties near oneof the dock areas at the lake when he noticed thatsomeone had broken into one of the secured pumphouses. As he investigated the intrusion, he encoun-tered two men exiting a pump house. When he askedwhy they were there, one pulled a revolver from hiswaistband and fired two shots at Chavez.

Chavez felt the first round pass near his head, butthe second round struck him just above the rightknee. He stumbled to the ground and lay motionless

Park rangers Alfred Chavez (left) and Eric Garner receive the Meritorious civilian Service Award forBravery from Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, chief of engineers, as their families watch.while his attackers approached. Apparently assum-ing he was dead, the attackers fled the scene in apreviously stolen vehicle.

Chavez then phoned for help and, with only mini-mal details received from the call, Garner sprang toaction. Placing himself in an unknown degree ofdanger, Garner provided valuable lifesaving supportto his friend and colleague, all while not knowing ifor where the assailants lurked.

Chavez was airlifted to the University of NewMexico Hospital where he underwent surgery.

'These two rangers are the best examples of think-ing less of themselves and more about others, andserve as models to all of us about the value of selfless

service," Van Antwerp said. "They show the truecharacter of the men and woman of the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, and we're proud to serve along-side of them."

Many people attended the ceremony, including theAssistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works JohnPaul Woodley, Jr., commanders of South Pacific Di-vision and Albuquerque District, many AlbuquerqueDistrict and project employees, and the families ofboth Chavez and Garner.

A combined reward from the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation and Corps Watch still stands at $20,000for the capture of the two assailants, who remain atlarge.

8 ENGINEER UPDATE November2008 BUILDING STRONGsm

Courthouses bring rule of law to IraqArticle by Kendal Smith

and Polli KellerPhoto by Kendal Smith

Gulf Region Division

"Iraq was the first country to introduce laws to theworld, and now it is important to bring the rule of lawback to Iraq," said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sept. 10 during the opening ceremony ofthe Rusafa Justice Palace in Baghdad.

Justice and law are advancing throughout Iraq withthe construction of courthouses and other judicial fa-cilities. Two were dedicated in September.

Rusafa Justice Palace

"This is rightly called the Palace of Justice," saidU.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker during the RusafaJustice Palace ceremony. "It was built by Iraqis forIraqis. But as great as this building is, what it willbe used for is even greater. In this palace the com-mon man will receive justice."

The $11.3 million facility will serve about 1.2 mil-lion people in Rusafa Qada and adjacent areas east ofthe Tigris River. Local Iraqi construction companiesbuilt the project, with quality assurance by Gulf Re-gion Central (GRC) District's Loyalty Resident Office.

The compound consists of a courthouse, a witnesssecurity facility, and 16 additional structures. Court-rooms, offices, and conference rooms for the High Ju-dicial Council of Iraq are located in the two-story,10,200-square-meter (109,140-square-foot) courthouse.Secure, apartment-style living quarters for about 150witnesses, and offices for the judges and other legaladvisers are located in the 4,000-square-meter (42,800-square-foot) witness security facility.

A crowd gathers for the opening ceremony at theRustafa Justice Palace.

The two buildings are joined by an enclosed corri-dor that allows witnesses and court officials to movesafely between the facilities. This structure is basedon a generic courthouse design that serves as themodel for all new courthouse construction in Iraq.

The compound also includes closed-circuit television,security cameras, and an outer force-protection wallwith an entry control point and secure parking. Ad-ditional security measures include walk-thru metaldetectors, ion detectors, and X-ray machines.

Anbar Judicial Complex

Rusafa is one major GRC judicial project. The otheris phase one of the $21.5 million Anbar JudicialCompex in Ramadi, completed in October.

In the past, no Iraqi would have mistaken the Hur-

ricane Point section of the Eurphrates River as astronghold of justice. It was the site of palaces ownedby Saddam Hussein and his sons, Uday and Qusay.

But times have changed.The $21.5 million renovation and new construction

at the Anbar Judicial Complex in the provincial capi-tal of Ramadi is underway, and courtrooms and judges'chambers will be located in the palaces.

"Construction of the Anbar Judicial Complex willcreate a point of strength for security and law in Iraq,"said Cmdr. Edward Danek, officer in charge of GRC'sRamadi resident office. "It's a profound moment tocontemplate the changes in this province in the pastyear that make this construction possible. I'm grate-ful that we're a small part of this historic event."

The phase 1 renovation will transform two formerpalaces into individual 1,000-square-meter (10,700-square-foot) courthouses. Each one will contain a cen-tral courtroom, investigation offices, bathrooms, andjudges' chambers. A smaller 500-square-meter (5,350-square-foot) courthouse will be a juvenile courtroom.

The renovation includes a pre-trial detention build-ing, two 440-square-meter (4,708-square-foot) officebuildings, and a cafeteria.

Phase 2, to be completed by the end of next June, isnew construction. Housing for the justices and bar-racks for security guards will enable them to live in asecure environment. Also in this phase are plans forstudent billeting and classrooms to incorporate train-ing for court reporting and paralegal workers. Train-ing units for the guards and housing for the detaineeswill provide additional support structures.

Life support systems to be built include an electri-cal generator facility, a water treatment plant, a sew-age treatment plant, plus facilities for refrigeration,laundry, a supply warehouse, and equipment storage.

Roads, bridges inspected in TanzaniaBy Michael Fletcher

Omaha District

Four members of Omaha District traveled to Tan-zania in June to inspect existing roads and bridges forthe Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Theteam members were Danny Klima, civil engineer,Mark Huckle, civil engineer, Lyle Peterson, struc-tural engineer, and Luke Wallace, biologist.

MCC is a federal agency that provides developmen-tal assistance to qualifying countries that rule justly,invest in their people, and encourage economic free-dom. MCC has three interagency agreements withthe Corps, which provides expertise in environmen-tal, engineering, and other related services.

President George Bush and Tanzania PresidentJakaya Kikwete signed a five-year, $698 million MCCcompact last February for the United Republic of Tan-zania. The grant is intended for projects that willreduce poverty, stimulate economic growth, and in-crease household incomes through investments intransportation, energy, and water.

Technical services for supporting MCC with assess-ment of road designs for the transport sector projectof the MCC compact with Tanzania were initiatedthrough Transatlantic Programs Center (TAC) inWinchester, Va. To fulfill this tasking, TAC engagedOmaha District as the primary member of the projectdelivery team for providing expertise to perform thetechnical details of the work for MCC Tanzania.

The projects included upgrading more than 200miles of dirt roads to Tanzania Trunk Road standards.During the rainy season from December to April, theroads are impassible. During the dry season, trucksand buses create large clouds of dust.

The Omaha District team, along with representa-tives from MCC and the Tanzanian Road Agency, flewfrom Dar es Salaam to the city of Songea in south-

western Tanzania. The team traveled for seven daysin 4x4 Land Cruisers inspecting roads and bridges,making environmental assessments, and meetingwith regional government officials.

'The roads we traveled were mostly unimproved dirtwith a few short sections of paved two-lane road throughtowns," Klima said. 'The roads are used as much forpedestrian traffic as for commercial trucks and smallbuses. Few people owned cars and many didn't evenhave a bicycle. The bicycles we did see were for carry-ing loads, often a huge load of firewood."

Kikwete has acknowledged that Tanzania has aninadequate transportation network to meet the needsof the country's widely dispersed population and thatroads are essential for commerce and trade.

An improved road system would connect communi-ties with schools and health clinics, and reduce trans-port costs of local farmers.

"In addition to reviewing the construction plans,we also conducted a social impact assessment,"Wallace said. "I was there to review the impact towetlands, vegetation, fish, wildlife, and the impact oflarge camps for road workers."

The MCC projects will upgrade three trunk roads.It is estimated that the compact will benefit about 4.8million Tanzanians, either directly or indirectly.

After returning, the Omaha members prepared adue diligence report certifying that design plans weresufficient for the type of road construction and ter-rain.

Former MarineContinued from page fiveBell says living conditions are good.

'The weather varies depending on where you are,"she said. "In Kabul, where AED headquarters is lo-cated, you will experience four seasons due to it being5,000 feet above sea level. It's warmer in the southaround Kandahar and to the west near Kunduz.

"Those coming from a military background prob-ably won't see much difference from what we had onany military base," she added. "The living conditionsat Qalaa House (AED Headquarters) are great, andmost USACE project sites offer one-person rooms forbilleting. We had three hot meals a day, and fitnesscenters or equipment are available as well."

Bell also felt safe in Afghanistan."I felt secure the entire time," she said. "From the

moment we left the airport in Kabul we had militaryprotection. On the compound we also had local na-tionals who guard the compound and provide inter-

pretative services. For employees who go to construc-tion sites, they had contract security personnel andinterpreters who traveled with them.

"Civilian personnel aren't authorized to be armed,so there would never be an instance where we wouldengage in combat," Bell said. "In AED, we're the cli-ents and the Soldiers and local security provide pro-tection. And although we're uniform, we are nottreated as Soldiers. Mutual respect is shown to mili-tary, civilian employees, and contractors.

"I would encourage anyone who can to deploy toAfghanistan for six to 12 months to take advantage ofthe opportunity," Bell said. "Don't limit yourself tothe published taskers, either. Talk to other deployeeswho have returned or are currently serving. Thereare a lot of opportunities - let AED know what youcan do for them. I developed a strong friendship withmany people and hope to deploy again soon. The mostdifficult thing I did in Afghanistan was leave."