With a mission that primarily encompasses engineering and construction for the U.S. military and allied nations in the Middle East, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District stands apart from the Corps civil works, waterway management, and disaster response efforts.
However, with recent wildfires in Hawaii and California and flooding in NC, employees across USACE wanted to help, and Middle East District employees were no different. The Corps motto, “Essayons,” means “Let Us Try,” so when given the opportunity to volunteer to deploy that’s exactly what district employees decided to do.
Lt. Col. Jerry Andes, a contracting officer with the district who normally works on engineering and construction contracts between USACE and allied partner nations in the Middle East, said that his transition to wildfire response was seamless.
“I was able to provide contracting support to the Los Angeles District issuing services contracts for things like debris removal, said Andes. “I was amazed how fast military and civilian personnel across many districts were able to sync efforts and successfully execute the mission within a couple of days of arriving. Most of the USACE personnel I worked with daily, I had never met before, but we became like a well-oiled machine surprising quickly. As personnel rotated in and out as their 30–45-day rotations began/ended, we lost very little continuity.”
One of those civilians was Zachary Roberts, a program analyst in the Middle East District’s construction division. Unlike Andes, his job as a quality assurance inspector while deployed was completely different from what he usually does. He said that, in addition to the satisfaction he felt knowing he was helping in some way; the mission also gave him perspective on his current position.
“Normally, I’m providing funding for labor codes or issuing purchase requests for contract modifications for projects but never see where that money is going. While deployed, I was literally at the ground level where the dollars were being spent, seeing the excavator load the trucks.”
Roberts, who like almost everyone supporting the effort, was working 12 hours a day or more, said that he was surprised by how fast the time went by and attributed that to the feeling that he was making a difference in some way.
“It wasn’t just homes it was every aspect of the community: schools, the library, grocery stores, churches, gas stations, banks, and restaurants. Everything a community needs to function was just gone. The drastic difference observed after just 29 days and how many properties were cleared or turned back over to the homeowner, it felt good to know I was a part of that.”
Megan Hoover, a design quality manager with the district who worked in quality assurance while deployed, also noted the length of time she was gone, and encouraged other USACE civilians to volunteer if they could.
“This was my first deployment. The duration set at 29 days was the ‘selling point’ when considering the role – not too long to be away from my family, yet not too short to miss out on a great learning experience. It was great exposure to understand the enormous impact USACE has on such significant events throughout our country. This is what fascinated me and propelled me to work for USACE to begin with.”
While Roberts, Hoover, and Andes deployed for a relatively short period of time, Tony Sirna, a geographical information systems (GIS) specialist with the district, has spent over six months out of the last 15 supporting USACE response efforts around the country. During disasters, GIS work is critical to mapping out and analyzing the response areas, providing data that helps prioritize efforts. Sirna, like the others said he felt it was his duty to help.
“Over the 15 months, I’ve gotten onto a short list of personnel who are name requested at the start of these sorts of missions. I really appreciate the recognition that I have received for my expertise and performance in my field, but I don’t go on these missions for recognition. I feel that since I am willing and capable, I have an obligation to serve the public in times of crisis.”
While things like the amount of debris removed or areas mapped are tangible ways to measure the impact of the work they were doing, each member of the group said it was the personal stories of those they were helping that made the most impact on them.
Roberts shared one such story.
“The best part of the job was getting to meet and spend time with the homeowners and listening to their stories and being a source of comfort during such a painful process.
One homeowner was there with my crew and I every day. In his professional life he spent the last 30 plus years as a Contractor specializing in building homes on slopes. His home was also built on a slope which went into a small ravine and had a small creek that ran year-round. He mentioned one of his favorite things to do when he was home was to sit outside in the evenings and listen to the frogs in creek. On the last day of our cleanup, he approached and said that he hung around after the crew finished for the previous day and was just sort of sketching his plans for the rebuild when he heard it. After things had quieted down and the evening was approaching the frogs started singing. “They’re still here!”, he said with a big smile. “After all of this, they are still here.”
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