The Quiet Heroes - The Corps of Engineers

Many governmental agencies and organizations get a lot of notice, both positive and negative. When the tragedy at Waco occurred several years ago in which the ATF worked to save the lives of so many innocents trapped in the Branch Dividian compound, the ATF took a lot of criticism when that episode ended badly. And yet it is the ATF that works so tirelessly to assure that we can be a nation that enjoys the rights we do but do so safely and within the laws.

FEMA the FBI, CIA, The IRS, Congress, The Supreme Court and of course, the Presidency all get lots of public attention, both bad and good because what they do touch the lives of all Americans routinely. But one small agency that works under the Department of the Army has a tremendous influence on the quality of life for all Americans. And yet it goes about its good business quietly as quiet heroes. That agency is the Corps of Engineers.

Most of us think of the Corps of Engineers in regard to the phenomenal works that were accomplished In the building of the many massive dam projects and other public works that do so much to control natural resources both to protect communities against natural disaster such as flooding or hurricanes and to exploit the natural environment such the drawing of energy from the natural elements such as the waters with dams.

But few of us know the details about how much the Corps of Engineers do for the citizens of this country. The Corps of Engineers is actually known as The United States Army Corps of Engineers or the USACE for short. The USACE employs over 34,000 civilians and approximately 650 from military personnel to pursue a three-pronged mission which is to

. Plan, build, operate, maintain and upgrade dams and other civil engineering projects for the public good.
. Build and take care of all military instillations for the Army and the Air Force.
. Be of service to all defense and other federal agencies when there is a need for design or management of construction projects.

You probably associate the Corps of Engineers with some of the big public works projects that were done during the great depression or the building of such huge dams as the Hoover Dam. But the Corps of Engineers actually dates back to the early days of the life of this country. In 1775, the first congressional order that evolved into the Corps of Engineers came when the Continental Congress gave authorization for the building of the Bunker Hill fortifications near Boston. In 1779, Thomas Jefferson formally created the Corps of Engineers when they were given the assignment of building the nations first military academy at West Point which the Corps of Engineers also operated and headquartered out of until 1866.

In addition to West Point and the dam projects we already know the Corps of Engineers for, some of its other notable achievements are

. The original fortification of New Orleans after the war of 1812.
. The planning and building of the Washington Monument in Washington DC in 1888.
. The planning and building of the Pentagon.
. Assistance with The Manhattan Project which did so much to bring World War II to an end.

These quiet heroes have actually had a major role to play in virtually every important event or development in the history of the country. And to this day, we all depend on the Corps of Engineers to assist the government at the federal, state and local level to assure that construction projects are carried out correctly. They may not be the most dramatic agency we have, but they have been steady servants of the country for centuries and will continue to serve in that role for centuries to come.

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