6 Apr 2021

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.

28 May 2020

A look back: Marshall’s 40 years of service

“First and foremost, what inspired me was the veterans,” Marshall said. “While serving as a purchasing agent in the Prosthetics Department of the VA, I enjoyed helping the veterans get the products, medicines, home alterations, and equipment they needed. Providing equipment for the blind and handicapped, and seeing their appreciation for the small things filled my heart with joy.  I enjoyed having input in the selection of the equipment provided, and enjoyed informing them of products or services they were unaware that they may have qualified for.”  Contract Specialist Valerie Marshall recently celebrated 40 years of federal service, so we decided to step back and take a look at how she spent those years, as we are very grateful for her service to the Memphis District as well as to this nation.

28 Apr 2020

Thank you: Building a facility of hope

The team of people building a facility made to care for people who contract the COVID-19 virus are working around the clock to make sure that if our local hospitals can't handle the caseload at that time, no one gets turned away. We want to thank all of our workers out there making this alternate care center ha reality. No matter what part of the team a worker is on, each is important and contributes an invaluable knowledge and skill to this facility of hope and care.

21 Apr 2020

Corps electric engineer ‘makes’ much needed shields

It’s no secret our country is experiencing a shortage of face masks. Ever since this virus was declared a pandemic, even those working in hospitals can’t seem to get their hands on the very medical supplies they need to do their day-to-day job. Some hear of the shortage and scramble to get their hands on whatever masks they can find, but not Navigational Electrical Engineer Jeffrey Farmer and the nonprofit group he’s apart of called the “Midsouth Makers.”