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  • April

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    A Captain's role in an ACF build-out

    Editors Note: April 6, 2020 was the day the Memphis District awarded the contract to build an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in Memphis, Tennessee. The article below was written by Cpt. Alex Burruss, who at that time deployed to the Memphis District to work as an Operations Officer and assist with ACF projects and operations. This is his account of what happened during his few months working here. At the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers. USACE collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for the rapid expansion of COVID-19 treatment spaces. USACE assigned each of its districts an area of responsibility, and the districts integrated into the local and state response agencies within their areas of responsibility. As local civil authorities conducted analysis and projected bed space requirements, USACE developed facility modification options for accommodating additional beds. Districts completed site assessments and provided project management support for converting existing buildings into alternate care facilities (ACFs).  In April 2020, three weeks after the President declared a national emergency, the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, deployed more than 30 Soldiers in support of the USACE response effort; Cpt. Alex W. Burruss was deployed to the Memphis District, USACE Mississippi Valley Division, Tennessee, for more than 60 days.

  • March

    IN THE PHOTOS, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, Maj. Gen. William (Butch) Graham and the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Army (Civil Works), Vance Stewart, visited the Memphis District last week. While there, they had the opportunity to welcome home and congratulate the Revetment Team after completing one of the district's longest seasons in history. Here, the units gather for a ‘welcome home’ brief. Additionally, representatives of each unit are coined for a job well done. (USACE photos by Vance Harris)

    Revetment Team returns after historic season

    The Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Army (Civil Works) Vance Stewart and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. William (Butch) Graham visited the Memphis District last week. While visiting, they had the opportunity to welcome home and congratulate the Revetment Team after completing one of the district's longest seasons in history.
  • IN THE PHOTO, as discussed by the Channel Improvement Team, this graphic demonstrates the future of Memphis District bank grading. The goal is to have this new dragline machine in service in fiscal year 2022. Modernization of the Bank Grading Unit and “Armor One,” a new Mat Sinking Unit (MSU), now under development by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will help recapitalize the river revetment program. Among its many assets, the new MSU promises be more efficient and cost effective, and provide a safer working environment for its crew.

    2021 Channel Improvement Team Meeting a success

    In a virtual get-together held mid-February, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Construction Department, operations leaders from the Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans Districts, project managers, regional team members, environmental partners, and other representatives from the St. Louis District, all came together for their annual Mississippi River Channel Improvement meeting to discuss environmental projects and other current channel improvement issues.

  • June

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    Following in dad's footsteps: A tour of MVM

    Cpt. Alex Burruss was supposed to move to Ft. Hood, Texas, but due to the Coronavirus situation, Army priorities quickly shifted and the captain found himself moving to Tennessee instead. “I was excited, but also a little frustrated,” he explained. “However, I saw Lt. Gen. Semonite discussing the Alternate Care Site mission on the news and knew that we were -are- living in a unique time in history and that it would take a national-level effort to beat COVID-19.”

  • May

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    Metal Shop makings...

    Navigation is one of our oldest missions. We’re mandated by Congress to keep the Mississippi River open for commercial navigation by maintaining a 9-foot-deep and 300-foot-wide channel, and we do that by dredging on an annual basis. So, as one might imagine, our dustpan dredge, the Hurley, gets used quite a bit keeping the Mississippi open, so our talented team at Ensley Engineer Yard have their work cut out for them keeping her running year after year. This brings us to the project Machinist Brandon Almeida is working on – it’s something the Dredge Hurley uses called “propeller rope guards.” He’s also making the mount needed to make the rope guards on – talk about complex work.