Volume 19, Issue 4

Volume 19 Issue 4 October - December 2007 A Quarterly Publication

In this issue: Corps Ranger recovers from gunshot wound

District employee influences change in the arid southwestBy Kelsey Seeger, Public Affairs

Photo by Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public Affairs

Jim Wood, Regulatory Project Manager, receives the Commanders Award for Civilian Service in recognition of his sig-nificant contributions toward the development and implementation of the Arid Southwest Regional Wetland Delineation Supplement.

James Wood, a Regulatory Project Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Al-buquerque District, has been working on the Arid Southwest Regional Wetland Delineation

Supplement since November 2003. If the one-year trial period process that ends in January 2008 goes well, then the supplement will change the face of regula- more Manual page 7

tory procedures that affect soil and hydrology throughout the arid southwest. The Arid Southwest Regional Wetland Delineation Supple-

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District Engineer, LTC Bruce Estok

Public Affairs SpecialistBruce Hill, Jr.

RipRap is an unof-ficial publication authorized by AR 360-1. It is published by the Public Affairs Office, Albuquerque District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of De-fense or the Depart-ment of the Army.

Reader input is welcome. Address mail to:

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersAlbuquerque DistrictATTN: Public Affairs Office4101 Jefferson Plaza NEAlbuquerque, N.M. 87109

Telephone:505-342-3171

Deadline for submissions is the first of every quarter

While serving in Korea in 2003 a tragic situation occurred that left a strong impression on me about the quality of our Soldiers, the importance of training and safety, and the ex-traordinary heroic efforts of people and team’s facing adversity. The short version is a 60-Ton armored vehicle crashed into a truckload of Soldiers when its brakes failed. Amidst the mayhem, I witnessed our Soldiers acting under pressure to save most of the critically injured. In the ensuing days, I saw the organization come together to compas-sionately care for each other and the fallen, while professionally continuing the mission. The recent on-duty shooting of one of our Abiquiu Park Rangers, and the District’s ensu-ing efforts, while equally tragic and fortunately not lethal at the end of the day, reinforces my confidence in our Corps employees and team. Amidst an unfortunate situation, I am proud of how individuals, the Chain of Command, and teams interacted to do the right things at the right time in the right way to care for our Ranger and his family while continuing the mis-sion. There is a saying in the Army that “good units do routine things routinely”. While the Abiquiu incident was far from routine, I submit these efforts were not extraordinary, but rather the ordinary manner of excellent performance by great District folks. First, our Ranger, despite his wound, fought and thought through pain to send a quality ini-tial report and seek help. Second, the reaction by field staff was superb. Our Lead Ranger was on the scene in six min-utes to provide first-aid, comfort, and medical evacuation, and our Operations Project Manager was on site within 30-minutes to initiate HQ reporting and coordinate law enforcement re-sponse – all on their Saturday day off. Leading by example, our OPM made weekend trips to Albuquerque to check on the Ranger, while our

Commander’s Comments“EXTRAORDINARY (OR ORDINARY) ACTIONS IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS” By LTC Bruce Estok

Lead Ranger assisted law enforcement and kept the project operating. Third, District staff experts engaged on security, safety, public affairs, human resources, legal, and financial matters, all aimed at reporting, obtain-ing assistance for our Ranger, or helping authori-ties with efforts to solve the crime. Finally, our District’s closeness and compassion were evident by the many inquiries about, and visits with our Ranger, solicitation of support for his family, and follow-up by our Critical Incident Stress Manage-ment team with project co-workers . . . I almost forgot, despite this unplanned event, Abiquiu hosted visitors from the Regional Dam Safety Conference as scheduled four days after the inci-dent. Beyond the great news response that came out of a potentially very bad situation at Abiquiu, I want to highlight some of the personal good news stories in the District. Welcome returning Chuck Zelinkse, a retired annuitant supporting Logistics Management until March 1, and bid farewell to retiring Jean Manger in Regulatory, and Sam Montoya in Logistics Management. And thanks to those who joined us for extended temporary duty for key programs and other support like Izzy Pastrano, a retired annuitant supporting Logistics Management through Jan 28, and Mike Love from Tulsa District and Ashley Klimaszewski from Nashville District who are temporarily assigned to our Real Estate office. I hope every District member had a joyous holi-day season and a Happy New Year. Please keep up the great work you do every “ordinary” day as we serve the public; you never know when the training, technical expertise, safety consciousness, teamwork, and leadership inherent in this District will be put to the test in “extraordinary” circum-stances. Relevant, Ready, Responsive, and Reliable – One Corps, One Team Serving Our Nation – Essayons!

Quote of the quarter

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” - Sidney Greenberg

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Commander’s Comments“EXTRAORDINARY (OR ORDINARY) ACTIONS IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS” By LTC Bruce Estok

Balloonist conjures up coffee, culture, and… kilts?Story and top photo by Kelsey Seeger, Public Affairs

a hot air balloon called Twist of Fate and are the co-owners of another hot air balloon named Sunset Rise. This makes

owning a balloon take on a whole new meaning. She and her husband’s hobby have taken her to Los Lunas, Angel Fire, Raton, Deming, Elephant Butte, White

“Hmmm… It’s definitely not the waking up at 4:30 in the morning on weekends. It’s probably not the heavy lifting or the expense (of the hobby)... I’d have to say it’s the people,” said Joan Coffing, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Albuquerque District Project Engineer, as-signed to the Northern Area Office at Kirk-land Air Force Base, N.M. What is this hobby that would require someone to rise early, lift heavy objects and spend a decent amount of money just to par-ticipate? Here’s a big hint.It involves two gigantic balloons, each with a big basket hanging from them, open skies, and thousands of tour-ists that flock to Albuquerque every October. It is hot air ballooning, with the culture of it and its people keeping her waking up before the dawn. And although a hot air balloonist herself, she prefers to chase the balloon rather than fly in it. “The balloons are beautiful and people love to watch them, but there is an entire culture that exists beneath the surface at a ballooning event. Most people don’t experience it unless they come out and crew or fly. We have competitions, tailgate parties, customs, ceremonies, clubs, and costumes,” Coffing said. Coffing has been ballooning for the past ten years, and these balloons are not the kinds that are filled with helium. She, along with her husband Steve who is a commercial rated pilot, both own

Sands, Socorro in New Mexico as well as El Paso and Plano in Texas/Juarez, Mexico. She has also flown in rallies in Chihuahua, Leon, and Guanajuato, Mexico. She has also repeatedly par-ticipated in the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, which always seems to turn out to be a memorable event for her every fall. “Every Balloon Fiesta is incredible. The magnitude of the event is hard to fathom unless you crew for a balloon for the entire week. Trying to find plac-es to launch and land, trying to compete in the flying events while juggling pas-senger, sponsors, crew, tailgating, and visitors, for nine days, all while waking up at four every morning and staying up till eleven or so on the nights when there are glows is pretty wild,” said

Coffing. “Balloonists and their crews are an incredibly diverse group of people. They come from all walks of life, have different educational backgrounds, different careers, differ-ent philosophies in life, but share this one love of ballooning,” said Coffing. “We often hang out with a group who call themselves the Wicker Clan,” she said. “They do ballooning with a Celtic twist. They wear kilts for big events and do their post flight ceremonies in a nice brogue. They also have great tail gate par-ties.” So while others sleep

in on the weekends, Coffing is sipping coffee with people in kilts while chas-ing after hot air balloons, and apparent-ly enjoying every single sleep deprived minute of it.

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” - Sidney Greenberg

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District exceeds goal through the power of giving

The Albuquerque District cer-tainly captured this years’ Combined Federal Campaign theme, “Capture the Spirit of New Mexico”, by again exceeding this year’s monetary goal. The district goal for this year was $24,884. After the final pledge was tallied, the district achieved a gener-ous $27,509, exceeding the goal by nearly 10 percent. Key workers within the respective offices and organization provided campaign brochures and pledge forms to facilitate the donation pro-cess, which ended November 16. The CFC campaign provides us the opportunity to offer help and hope to those in need who live around the corner, across the Nation, and throughout the world, said Lt. General Robert Van Antwerp, Com-

mander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “District members were asked to listen to their heart and determine what could be given to the charities of their choice,” said Carolyn M. Mould, Management Analyst for the Albuquerque District. “Those who were new to the campaign that may have never before contributed to CFC got to experience the true power of giving.” The CFC provides each of us with an annual opportunity to help others by voluntarily donating to commu-nity, national or international ser-vice organizations. There are over 3,600 charities included in the CFC Catalog of Caring. They include organizations serving the military, arts, education, environment, health,

medical research, shelter, community improvement, and human services. The Catalog of Caring contains information on all these eligible charities and can be obtained from your designated CFC volunteers. “Regardless of the contribution, everyone can make a difference to achieve the greatest reward – the power of giving,” said Mould. As the Albuquerque District did last year, the district again surpassed its goal through compassionate generos-ity. A special note of thanks goes to those who helped execute CFC this year: Margie Torres-Nunez, Lo-retta Gonzales, Ellen Rule, Jacqui Valdez, Lisa Lopez, Robert Grimes, Monique Chisholm, Willa Prato, and Ronnie Anderson.

Winter months = increased driving risksThe winter months are filled with holidays and vacations, which means increased traffic on our nation’s roads and greater driving risks. Our military and civilian personnel need to heed these risks. Each year, the military alone loses the equivalent of one battalion to mostly preventable traffic mishaps, many of which involve alcohol. Keep in mind that the choices you make at holiday outings and other winter activities can impair vision, affect judgment, and disrupt reac-tion times, all essential skills for safe driving. This winter, don’t en-danger your life or the lives of oth-ers by making poor decisions. Be

aware of potentially hazardous road conditions, watch your speed, don’t drink and drive, use your seatbelt and other personal protective equipment, and pull over if you feel fatigued. The Department of Defense contin-ues its support of the national drunk driving awareness campaign, The Over the Limit, Under Arrest Campaign, to prevent the unnec-essary loss of life of our servicemen and women on the

highways. Let’s all enjoy the winter months and all it has to offer, but be smart and be safe.

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It’s 5:15 a.m. as three Corps employ-ees rub their eyes and gulp coffee to clear away the fog of sleep while they head down to the Isleta Reach of the Rio Grande, Sunday, August 12. Justin Reale and Philip Alarcon from Logistics Manage-ment, and Champe Green from Environ-mental Studies knew the night before that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) and New Mexico Fishery Resources Office had requested assistance from the Corps to rescue and salvage a number of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow from isolated and drying pools in the channel bed of the now broken Rio Grande. In tow, behind their Corps’ Tahoe, is a shiny new all terrain Polaris Ranger UTV on its maiden trip to the mud and sands of the renowned river. The machine, purchased by Albuquerque District’s Operations Division would assist them in meeting the Corps’ responsibility in the collaborative min-now rescue and salvage effort. Under the 2003 USFWS Biological Opinion (BO) on the Effects of Actions of Water and River Maintenance Op-erations by the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), and the Corps on the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, the BO’s term and condition specifies that the Corps and USBR will assist in seining isolated pools during river recession. As the Corps team meets up with the USFWS team, a swarm of UTVs quick-ly head up river to the first drying pools

Accounting of events and photos by Champe Green, Senior Ecologist, Albuquerque DistrictCorps and minnow meet again

they encounter. Just as the sun slowly rises above the Monzano Mountains, four by 10 foot seine nets are unrolled and dragged over the soft bottom of

the pools with minnow being quickly extracted from the net and placed in an oxygenated and cooled fish tank for transport. Before the long day is over, countless dozens of seine hauls would produce 213 adult and young endangered fish, rescued and relocated to reaches that do not dry. Over the course of the next five

days, other District employees, Erica Quinn from Planning Branch, and Clint Moore from Hydrology and Hydraulics would join the effort. By week’s end, nearly 1,600 endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow would be rescued and salvaged from the drying pools. The rescue and salvage efforts con-tinue until the irrigation season ends in the fall, or sooner if monsoonal rains make the river whole again. Overall, the District’s efforts this year to col-laboratively support the rescue and salvage of the federally endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow from the drying reaches of the Rio Grande were a success. Thanks to other District employees who helped with this year’s salvage

effort: Ben Bowline from Construction Contracts, Lorenzo Santana from Hy-drology and Hydraulics, Don Gallegos from Reservoir Control, Sarah Gallegos from URGWOM, and Mathias Mayer-hofer from Cost Engineering.

Justin Reale and Phillip Alarcon from Logistics Manage-ment seine an isolated pool containing Rio Grande Silvery Minnow during a river recession along the Rio Grande.

A typical seine haul of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

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“You quickly realize that you are a part of something that is much, much larger than any individual effort you have done before...” Curt Heckelman, Deputy for Programs and Project Management, Gulf Re-gion NorthDistrict. Throughout U.S. his-tory, Army Corps of Engineers civilians have had a proud tradition of stepping up to volunteer for worldwide deploy-ment in support of mili-tary operations. Continuing that tradi-tion, many more have deployed overseas in support of the Global War on Terror. This criti-cal mission is not over, and both the Afghanistan Engineer District (AED) and the Gulf Region Divi-sion (GRD) are still seeking Corps civilians to fill a multitude of posi-tions. “At the present time there are over 300 vacancy announcements that are listed on both the Army Civilian Personnel Online and USAJobs websites,” said Helen Lenahan, Chief, Headquarters Deployment Team. Many of these announcements are listed as “Open Continuous” because of the need to recruit talented, experienced people on an ongoing basis. “Why volunteer?” said Lena-han. “Serving in Afghanistan or

Volunteering for GWOT tours; rewarding, challenging, enrichingBy Ron Eschmann, USACE Headquarters

Iraq presents a unique opportunity for professional growth and per-sonal enrichment. Many volunteer because they believe in the Corps rebuilding mission in these coun-tries, or they may volunteer out of sense of patriotic duty, or wanting to help people build a better life and future.” Additional volunteer benefits and incentives for Federal employees may include temporary promotion opportunities; post differential, danger and overtime pay; and sepa-rate maintenance allowance among others. Lt.Col. Kari Otto, AED Deputy Commander said, “No matter why you volunteer, it’s very rewarding to be part of such a worthy cause.

The projects are fast-paced in Af-ghanistan, and it’s not uncommon to see a major construction project completed during a six or thirteen month deployment.” AED maintains its headquarters in Kabul, but there are Area and Resident Offices located through-out the country to support the mis-sion. Deployments in Afghanistan offer a wide range of experiences for volunteers to choose from, “and there’s something for every-one,” according to Bruce Huffman, AED Public Affairs Officer. Corps employees based in Afghanistan might work out of Kandahar, Ba-gram, Gardez, Qalat. GRD headquarters is located in more Volunteers page 9

Photo by Lora Greer, USACE Public Affairs - IraqSteve Thomas, Lanette Chavez, and David Bond, all assigned to the Albuquerque District are seen looking at an issue of the district’s quarterly news publication, RipRap, while de-ployed to Iraq. The publication was found among several goodies sent to them in a care package, courtesy of coworkers from back home.

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Manual... continued from cover

ment came into existence when the corps was recommended to regionalize its supplements. The original Wetlands Delineation Manual from 1987 covered the United States as a whole, but was seen as a mistake by many members of the en-vironmental com-munity. By having one single Wetland De-lineation Manual, a “cookie cutter”, for the entire United States, the manual would effectively fail to address region-specific issues like sea-sonal wetlands that are located along waterways in the arid southwest and wetlands that form in sandy soils. “The new supple-ment will be re-quired for use in wetland delinea-tions throughout the southwestern U.S. and other arid climates,” said Eddie L. Paulsgrove, a Regula-tory Project Manager and Special Emphasis Program Manager. Wood, as part of an interagency team composed of Corps and other state and federal agency representatives who were actively engaged in organizing and putting the straight-forward supplement

together, worked with botanists, hydrologists, and many other people with certain specialties relevant to the arid southwest

from many different other organi-zations. “The manual was developed in cooperation with the Environmen-tal Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other State, Federal and parties with a vested interest,” said Paulsgrove. “Thus, it was due to Jim’s mul-tidisciplinary knowledge, along

with his teambuilding skills, that made the supplement a success.”“My favorite aspect was meeting all the different people involved

in this process,” said Wood. “Hopefully it will allow people to make more accu-rate delineations of wetlands in the Arid West.” “In working with Jim, the thing I admire most is his attitude or approach of mak-ing it work,” said Kenneth Scheffe, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conser-vation Service State Soil Scientist for New Mexico who also helped review the new manual. He is easy going and an active listener. He makes whoever is speaking or ask-ing questions feel valued.” The Arid South-west Region Wet-

land Delineation Supplement will be the second regional supple-ment with Alaska having been the first. It is currently undergoing a one-year trial period whereby the public can submit comment and recommendation to the Corps until January 2008.

Photo by Jim Wood, Regulatory Project Manager

An interagency group, pictured above, physically came together for the first time at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico in the spring of 2005 to test the arid west wetlands supplement at various sites in New Mexico. The group consisted of members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service, and New Mexico Environment Department.

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Corps park ranger shot, survivesSubmitted by Abiquiu Field Office Staff

ABIQUIU, N.M. - It appeared to be a typical Saturday morning patrol in December for Abiquiu Lake Park Ranger, Alfred Chavez. Chavez was near a group shelter at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ recreation area when he noticed the door to a well house swung wide open. The well was fairly new and it wasn’t uncommon to see contrac-tors at the well house. Chavez approached the well house when he noticed two men inside. As he greeted the men and asked what they were doing, one of them pulled out a handgun and made threats to shoot him. Chavez immediately took off running toward his vehicle with the two men in pursuit of him. Sud-denly there was a gun shot. A bul-let whizzed by Chavez’s head.A second shot was fired that struck him behind the right knee, taking him to the ground. Pretending he was dead, Chavez lay motionless on the ground while the gunmen encircled him. They then casually made their way back to their truck and left the area. Chavez still conscious, phoned 911 and requested assistance. The Rio Arriba County Sheriffs’ Office dispatcher requested Emergency Medical Teams to the scene and notified the lake’s Supervisory Park Ranger, Eric Garner. Garner who lives nearby the recreation area was first on the scene within minutes. Providing basic aid to his col-league, Garner remained in contact with the dispatcher while comfort-

ing Chavez. EMT’s arrived on the scene and took Chavez to a landing site so he could be air-lifted to the University of New Mexico Hospi-tal in Albuquerque.Upon arrival, he underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his leg. Within four days, Chavez was released from the hospital and is re-covering from his wounds at home. His kneecap and lower part of his femur were both struck by the bullet. Chavez, who actively rides horses, raises cattle and sheep on his ranch will need physical thera-py. Aside from the show of support from his colleagues who often visit him, he is personally determined to make a full recovery.

As for the gunmen, they are still at-large. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Ranger has not been shot since the early 1970s when two rangers were shot, one fatally and the other locked in the trunk of a car. The Federal Bureau of Investi-gation is in charge of the investiga-tion, and together with the Corps of Engineers, and Albuquerque Crime Stoppers, have contributed reward monies totaling $11,000 for infor-mation that leads to the arrest and conviction of the assailants. The Corps of Engineers looks forward to their capture just as the FBI slogan puts it, “We always get our man”.

Photo by Tina Serrano, Administrative Specialist Albuquerque District at Abiquiu Lake

Ranger Alfred Chavez stands in front of the Abiquiu Lake front office in 2007, prior to the December shooting incident.

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Baghdad and has three District of-fices located in Tikrit, Tallil, and at Baghdad International Airport. Each district office has multiple locations that are co-located with Coalition forces across Iraq. While deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq, Corps employees will work with Coalition partners, the State Department, and the host coun-try to build health care clinics, schools, roads, power distribution facilities, and other infrastructure projects. Col. Gary Pease, Chief of Staff, Gulf Region Division, stated, “GRD is great personal and career experience. People assigned here have a level of responsibility and authority well beyond any job they have ever had before.” GRD employees work complex projects and interface with a wide variety of stakeholders, to include Iraqi contractors, Iraqi govern-ment officials, Coalition partners, U.S. Department of State and US Agency for International Develop-ment employees. “Most impor-tantly,” said Pease, “is that they leave Iraq feeling they have made a vital contribution in the birth of a free and democratic nation, which is essential to the future security of the United States. Addition-ally, they will grow personally and professionally, and return with a real feeling of satisfaction that comes from participating in such an important mission,” he added. “Our work here in Afghani-stan is touching people’s lives in a positive way, and you can see that everywhere you look,” Otto said. “We are doing far more than

building structures; we are creat-ing a better future and quality of life for a country that has been at war for over 30 years.” The Corps is providing Afghans with things most people take for granted, such as roads, clean water and adequate health care, noted Otto. “You re-ally gain an appreciation for the possessions and opportunities you have as an American when you see someone drink clean water or get health care for the first time in their life,” she said. One question that is frequently asked is: What will my home away from home be like? “Living conditions in GRD are excellent,” said Pease. All em-ployees get their own room which usually has a television, DVD player, and a bathroom. Also, food and transportation are free. Most GRD locations have gyms, librar-ies, movies, and other opportuni-ties to rest and relax. Also, civil-ian employees are now authorized three home leaves during a one year tour. Leave transportation is paid by the government. Addition-ally, communications with fam-ily and friends is “very easy and convenient,” added Pease. Similarly, Huffman with AED, responded, “Accommodations in Afghanistan are quite nice, with modern dining facilities, and nicely equipped gyms, and living quar-ters, although some forward oper-ating locations can be a bit more rustic.” There are many opportuni-ties for R&R leave and recreation while deployed, and most Corps employees in Afghanistan have phone and internet access in their

individual rooms. “This has been the most reward-ing personal and professional experience I have ever had,” said Curt Heckelman, Deputy for Pro-grams and Project Management, Gulf Region North District. “You quickly realize that you are a part of something that is much, much larger than any individual effort you have done before now and for me, it has been a great honor. Heckelman said that every person works at a higher intensity and learns very quickly how to execute at a different level. “The pace is unrelenting, but it is also engergizing,” said Heckelman. “My most memorable experience is having the ability to teach, coach, and mentor individuals.” Currently, both AED and GRD are in need of area, resident, and project engineers. However, other mission support positions are also available for administrative sup-port, budget analysts, contract specialists, program managers, public affairs specialists and many others. Applicants can self nomi-nate through the Army Vacancy Announcement Board: http://cpol.army.mil or at USAJOBS.opm.gov. USACE officials said that in the near future, AED (http://www.aed.usace.army.mil) and GRD (http://www.grd.usace.army.mil) will be producing videos that will be available online that highlight civilian employees living and work environments. For first hand accounts of Corps member’s tours, please visit: http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/postcards/index.asp

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ThanksgivingPhotos by Isidro Pastrano and Bruce Hill

BBQ

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Halloween

LTC Bruce Estok as Captain Jack Sparrow, Commander of the Black Pearl (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District), addresses the “ship mates” at Town Hall the day after Halloween.

Photos by Val Kane, Derrick “DJ” Johnson, and Bruce Hill

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Corporate board or secret society?By Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public Affairs

“The Albuquerque District’s Corporate Board appears to be a secret society and ...” “...is not concerned with the District’s employees...” “Little is known about the Cor-porate Board...” Where does it meet? Who is on it? What are the outcomes of its meetings?” These are just some of the com-ments from a recent anonymous Command Climate Survey. If you’ve ever heard of the Albuquerque District’s Corporate Board and wondered what it is and does, you may very well have concluded that it is the District’s secret society. But in actuality, that is not what the Corporate Board is

about at all. “The Corporate Board does exist and our employees need to understand what it does for them and the District,” said Major Mark Jernigan, Albuquerque District Deputy District Engineer. Many successful organizations throughout the world have corpo-rate boards comprised of a diver-sity of company executives who regularly meet on issues concern-ing the organization, its employ-ees, its customers and clientele. The District’s Corporate Board was established to serve as the se-nior leadership team and executive decision making panel for the Dis-trict in strategic and operational matters affecting the employees of

the District, its customers, and the Region to ensure effective organi-zational planning, resource man-agement, and support of District and Regional objectives. “The variety of District leader-ship on the Board brings diversity to the table,” said Danny Hamp-ton, Chief of Resources Manage-ment Branch. “Diversity helps serve our purpose as a District, which is to increase the personal and professional effectiveness of our employees to meet organiza-tional goals.” Many different issues are dis-cussed at the monthly Corporate Board meetings. Recurring issues such as proposed hiring actions,

Photo by Jim Jaffe, Albuquerque District Safety OfficeMembers of the Albuquerque District Corporate Board convene at their monthly meeting held in the Albuquerque District Engineers’ conference room, December 13. From left to right is Carrol McKinney (sitting in for Gary Gamel), Danny Hampton, Mark Yuska, Jorge Colberg, and Major Mark Jernigan. Not pictured are Lt. Colonel Bruce Estok and Rick Totten.

more Corporate page 13

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Corps Quarterly CalendarJanuary1st = Happy New Year (Holiday)

21st = Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Holiday)

February2nd = Army Nurse Corps authorized, 1901

7th = Town Hall

12th = President Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

14th = Valentine’s Day

18th = President’s Day (Holiday)

22nd = President George Washington’s Birthday

March9th = Daylight Savings Time Begins

(Spring forward)

17th = St. Patrick’s Day

20th = First Day of Spring

position upgrades, and overhead budget execution are commonly addressed, and at times in conjunction with anonymous employee surveys that can raise new issues or concerns. Corporate Board decisions are also in-part made based on employee input through the Employee Ad-visory Council (EAC), aforementioned surveys, and information sharing up and down both formal and informal chains of command. “Employee input is an important part in the Cor-porate Board decision-making process,” said Major Jernigan. “Being responsible stewards for the public and our employees is our single most important ac-tivity.” Recent examples of issues addressed by the Cor-porate Board include employee survey comments that indicated a need to improve supervisory perfor-mance, which led to more focused supervisory train-ing, said Hampton. Surveys also apprised the Board of employee interest in fitness, which led to the implementation of in-house fitness facilities and the purchase of fitness equipment for the project offices in the field. The Corporate Board is comprised of seven key personnel from within the District that intention-ally make up a diversity of opinion, knowledge, and background. Current Board members are: Lt. Colonel Bruce Estok, Albuquerque District Commander, Maj Jernigan, Jorge Colberg, Deputy District Engineer for Programs Management, Gary Gamel, Chief of En-gineering and Construction Branch, Hampton, Mark Yuska, Chief of Operations and Management Branch, and Richard Totten, The Chief Office of Counsel. Ultimately... we try to work on the employee’s behalf,” said Hampton. “Whether it is about pro-motions, pay or fairness within the NSPS pay pool process, we want to make certain employees are sup-ported and treated fairly overall, and that we do the right things for the District and our customers.”

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Congratulations to the Fitzgeralds!The family of Capt. James D. Fitzgerald and his wife Mindy grew with the birth of Thomas Ryan, September 14. He weighed in at seven pounds, twelve ounces and measured 20 inches. Capt. Fitzgerald is assigned to the Albuquerque District Military Construction Branch.

AcopyoftheCorporateBoardCharterdatedSeptember2nd,2005canbefoundonthefront

pageoftheintranet.

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TravelCardHoldersBeware Be aware that there is a scam E-mail that is being sent to cardholders which appears as if it is coming from the Bank of America. This E-mail is sent with a web link (ex-ample: military/bankon-line.bankofamerica.com) asking card holders to open the link and type in personal information. Please DO NOT click on the link, delete the E-mail immediately. Do not give out any personal information about your-self. Bank of America al-ready has your informa-tion and will not ask you to provide it again. If you have any ques-tions contact Linwood Wroten at 342-3297.

Travelers/TravelCardholders: There is a new Con-tract Travel Office (CTO) Fee that Carlson will charge for booking flights. The new fee is $27.90 and has already gone into effect as of 1 Oct 07. This is a temporary fee that may change again in the near future. Please remember to put in the new rate when filing your vouchers for reim-

News Bitesbursement to your Travel Card. Linwood Wroten, at 342-3297, will inform you when that change takes place. Speaker’s Bureau reminder If you do any speak-ing engagements for an organization, church, or other group, please send Bruce Hill in the Public Affairs Office an email or call him at 342-3171 so he can record your ef-forts for our Community Involvement Program records.

ColdWeatherHotline Winter is here and it is time to remind you about the District’s Emergency Weather Hotline infor-mation. Inclement weather information will be posted by 0600 notify-ing employees whether there are any delays or closures for the Albu-querque District Head-quarters Employees are re-minded to use their own judgment about driving regardless of the infor-mation posted - safety comes first. The District’s Weath-erHotlineis342-3184.

Carepackages;keepthegoodscoming For those interested in forwarding items to deployed corps em-ployees, below is a listing of suggested items. If you wish, cash contributions are acceptable and a Family Readiness Support As-sistant will plan a shopping trip to purchase items on your behalf.

Suggested and specifically requested items:Paper PlatesMusic CDs and Movie DVDsBlank Greeting Cards and Thank You Notes, StationeryPostage StampsBoard Games (Clue, Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, etc.)Decks of CardsCrossword and Sudoku Puzzle BooksMovie DVDsColored Pens and Pencils Lipton Green Tea To Go Packets (Diet and Regular), Kool-Aid Singles (Diet and Regular), and Crystal Light On the Go SinglesHot Cocoa MixesFlavored Coffee CreamersNutsRed Chili Pistachios Beef JerkyRice Crispy TreatsHard CandyChocolatesChewing/Bubble GumSpam Singles (Yes, someone specifically requested this!)Wet WipesQ-TipsBody WashBody LotionBaby ShampooWaxed Dental Floss (Cinnamon Flavor specifically requested)ChapstickAA and AAA Batteries

Movies and snacks seem to be most popular. Rice crispy treats and beef jerky go fast. Alcohol, tobacco, aerosol products and flammables (alcohol-based products like perfume, colognes, aftershave, hairspray, mouthwash, cleaning agents and detergents, fingernail polish and remover, bug sprays, etc.) are prohibited. For a complete listing of forbidden products please refer to the U.S. Postal Services’ homepage. For questions contact Carolyn Mould, the District’s Family Readiness Support Assistant at 342-3260.

FreeSpaceAddyourNewsBiteherebycalling

BruceHillat342-3171.

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Who’s Who around the District

In the Spotlight

Photo by Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public AffairsGary Gamel, Chief of Engineering and Construc-tion Branch, follows through with his driver in a four-man best ball golf tournament benefiting the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) at Kirtland Air Force Base in October. The team, comprised of Gamel, Glenn Roybal, and Bruce Hill from the district office, and John Hoffman, a former Air Force Crew Chief, placed fourth with a score of ten under par. Sponsored by the Air Force Inspection Agency, the tournament raised almost 2,000 dollars for the campaign.

Photo by Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public AffairsGlenn Roybal, Chief of Cost Engineering takes the advice of Lieutenant General Van Antwerp, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander and reads a number one best seller called “Good to Great”. The book uncovers the uni-versal characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great, and is noted by the general as one of his best reads.

Courtesy PhotoBruno Quirici, a deployed district employee had just returned to his post after being in Kabul, Afghanistan for an engineering conference and was very happy to find a care package with lots of thoughtful items in it.

Photo by Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public AffairsCarolyn Mould, below, and Erica Quinn, standing, are seen at the district office here loading up care packages with items that were generously provided by Corps members and their families from through-out the district.

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Awards & AppreciationPhotos by Bruce Hill, Jr., USACE Public Affairs

Commanders Award Appreciation Certifi-cates were given out by Lt. Colonel Bruce Estok at a Town Hall held here in October. Left to right are Frances Williams, Resources Manage-ment, Lt. Colonel Estok, Maria Romero, Resourc-es Management, Ta-mara Massong, and Jeff Lindemann, Resources Management.

Nadine Taylor, Engineering Technician with General Engi-neering, poses with Lt. Colonel Bruce Estok, Albuquerque District Commander. Nadine won this years’ Command-er’s Award for the overall best photo in the 2007 Albu-querque District Photo Drive.

Phillip Roybal is knighted in jest by Lt. Colonel Estok for assistance he provided the office of counsel in liti-gation support recently. The actual award he received was the Commitment to Excellence Award.

Albuquerque District Employees of the Year this year are Linda An-derson, left, from Contracting, and Gary Robinson, Mechanical Engi-neer with Facilities Section. Each earned a plaque, their own respec-tive parking spaces for one year and one million dollars cash. Well… they didn’t exactly get money, but they certainly deserve to feel like a million dollars.

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Awards & Appreciation

WageGradeEmployeeoftheYear:Daniel Martinez

DistrictMemberoftheYearnominees:Linda Anderson Albert BranchDon Gallegos Eric Garner Brian Jordan James Marshall Daniel Martinez Willa Prato Gary Robinson Mark Yuska

CommandersAwardforCivilianServiceJulianne Curado for human resources performanceMargaret M. Torres-Nunez for adminis-trative supportCandice D. Kjobech for Geographic Information System team supportJim Wood for developing the Arid West Manual SupplementClark Hulce (Legal Representation)

Corps Store Certificates & DECoin:Linwood WrotenDebra Gallegos

Executive Officer Coins for LasChipasprojectwork:Stephanie WhatleyJorge Lugo Donna Russell Elaine Johnson Mark Paulus

LeadershipDevelopmentProgram Tier 1 Certificates:

Cheyenne Hollow Horn Candace Kjobech

TopConstructionPhotoAwardJoan Coffing

RunnerupConstructionPhotoAwardJoan Coffing

ConstructionPhotoMeritAwardJoan Coffing

TopNaturalResourcePhotoAwardCraig Lykins

RunnerupNaturalResourcePhotoAwardWenche Zimmerman

NaturalResourcePhotoMeritAwardWenche Zimmerman

TopCorpsatWorkPhotoAwardCraig Lykins

RunnerupCorpsatWorkPhotoAwardGreg Carpenter

CorpsatWorkPhotoMeritAwardBecky Miner

TopRecreationPhotoAwardCraig Lykins

RunnerupRecreationPhotoAwardCraig Lykins

RecreationPhotoMeritAwardGreg Carpenter

TopScenicPhotoAward2007DistrictPhotoDriveWenche Zimmerman

RunnerupScenicPhotoAward2007DistrictPhotoDriveGreg Carpenter

ScenicPhotoMeritAwardWenche Zimmerman

TopPotpourriPhotoAwardMark Mendenhall

RunnerupPotpourriPhotoAwardMark Mendenhall

PotpourriPhotoMeritAwardMark Mendenhall

CommandersAwardforoverallbestphotoNadine Taylor

PhotoDriveAwards2007

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Hails & Farewells

Newarrivalsnotpictured:

Monique Chisholm

Lloyd Foster

Carol Wies

Chelsea Reale

Jacquelyn Valdez

Madeline Livermore

Michael Zumstein

Richard Gatewood

Francesca Thomas

Henry Crosby

Stephen Kissock

Troy Wallis

Photos by Bruce Hill, Jr., Public Affairs

Daniel Curado, Contract Specialist

Charles Agee, Electrical Engineer

Dana Price, Botanist

Danny R. Leep (right), Park Ranger at Cochiti Lake per-manently transferred to Louisville District, KY and began performing park ranger duties at Buckhorn Lake November 26. A ranger by day and an artist by night, Leep poses with one of his most recent art works. Currently untitled, it is his first mixed media piece made with magic marker, color pencil and Gouash paint. He has had previous artwork showcased at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia.

Thomas Benton - Cost Engineering, accepted a fulltime position with the New Mexico Air National Guard. His last day was September 15.

Zdenka Hvezda - Contracting Office, retired September 30.

Gary Lopez - Military and IAS Project Management Branch, accepted a corps position in Germany. His last day was September 29.

David Holladay - Transferred to the Fort Worth District. His last day was October 13.

Departing

New Faces

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The 1104th had been activated in March 1943 and landed in Normandy on 11 June 1944. It advanced with the Allied forces through France, Belgium, and the Nether-

lands and entered Germany. The unit constructed the first bridge over the Roer River and built similar structures over the Rhine and Weser rivers and the Lippe and Aur-Oker canals. It also destroyed pillboxes and cleared roads. By the end of the war in Europe the 1104th was conduct-

ing a reconnaissance of the Harz Mountains. Soon after graduating from high school in 1944, sev-enteen-year-old Melvin Kaminsky enlisted in the U.S. Army. Raised in poverty by his widowed mother in tough Brooklyn neighborhoods, the future Mel Brooks was now to experience the stern realities of war—unlikely preparation for a life in comedy. Ranking high in intelligence testing, Private Kaminsky was placed in the elite Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and sent to Vir-ginia Military Institute to be taught skills such as military engineering, as well as horsemanship and saber-wielding. When the combat arms complained that ASTP deprived them of the brightest enlisted men, the Army terminated the program after young Kaminsky had received twelve weeks of training. He then went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for regular basic training. Shipped to Europe in late 1944, his first duties were as a for-ward artillery observer. Next he was assigned to the 1104th Engineer Combat Group in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge (although he would later state that he was not at the center of the most heated action). “War isn’t hell,” he ob-served. “War is loud. Much too noisy. All those shells and bombs going off all around you. Never mind

Did You Know? Mel Brooks was a Combat Engineer in World War II

death. A man could lose his hearing.” Asked by his son if during the war he thought about “what it would take to rebuild postwar Europe,” he replied “You thought about how you were going to stay warm that night, how you were going to get from one hedgerow to another without some German sniper taking you out. You didn’t worry about tomorrow.” The group, like other Engineer combat units, was fre-quently in advance of the front lines. It was often under artillery, mortar, and sniper fire. Five times it fought as in-fantry and suffered several casualties. Melvin Kaminsky’s main responsibility was the harrowing business of deacti-vating enemy land mines. He also endured—and not always passively—the anti-Semitism of some of his fellow soldiers. The teenager/sol-dier did not see the Nazi death camps but he recalled large numbers of refugees:

“They were starv-ing. It was hor-rible,” he said. Discharged as a corporal, he soon found work as a comedy writer in

the infant medium of television and adopted the name Mel Brooks. His career expanded into acting, directing, and producing. His achievements include classic films such as “Blazing Saddles”, “Young Frankenstein”, and “The Producers”—in which he skewered his old foes Hitler and the Nazis. Sources: James Robert Parish, It’s Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks (2007); U.S. News and World Report website (August 12, 2001); Max Brooks, Saving Mel Brooks.

Heavy pontoon bridge over the Roer River, Julich, Germany

“I was a Combat Engineer. Isn’t that ridicu-lous? The two things I hate most in the world are combat and engineering.” - Mel Brooks

Former Corps employee turns 100Story by Sue Hill, Information Management

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Ella Pierce celebrated her 100th birthday at a local Albuquerque restaurant with eight of her friends and fellow retired Corps employees De-cember 13. Ella was born in Cambridge, Iowa, December 13, 1907 and moved to Albuquerque when she got married. Beginning in 1946, Ella worked for the Corps for 31 years until she retired from Pro-gram Development Branch in December 1977 at the age of 70. Ella has one daughter, four grandsons and three great grandsons. She enjoys crossword puzzles and solitaire. She can still drive, but not too far she says. She gets around very well and her mind is sharp. When asked about her memory… “I’m 100 years old,” she said. “You expect me to remember that far back?” Lt. Colonel Bruce Estok, Albuquerque Dis-trict Commander, called and wished her a happy birthday. She described the call as “just wonder-ful” that he would take time to do that.

file photoThose celebrating retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee Ella Pierce’s 100th birthday December 13 are from left to right, June Gregg formerly from Planning Branch, Ella Pierce, Sue Hill from Information Management, Joan Acoya formerly from Flood Plain Management Branch, Edwina Tabares formerly from Real Estate (with her granson), and Alice Stark, Marie Farnsworth, and Mary Jo Loftus formerly from the Office of Administrative Serices. Not pictured, Lucy Ster-ling formerly from Finance and Accounting.

Photo by Sue Hill, Information Management