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  • October

    Col. Christopher Lestochi (center), commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District, poses with Capt. Robert Weakland (left) and Maj. Eric Marcellus (right) in front of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter on Joint Base Elmendorf – Richardson in June 2013. Weakland and Marcellus are both civil engineers for the Alaska District and serve as aviators in the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment.

    Corps reaches new heights with pilot engineers

    Slicing through the air, the rotor blades spin faster than the eye can see while attached to the body of the aircraft. The smell of exhaust permeates the air above the tarmac and a loud rhythm of dual engines penetrates the ear. Systems – check; avionics – check; crew, passengers and mission equipment – check.
  • Col. Christopher Lestochi (second from left), district commander of the Alaska District, Terry Parks (middle), president of the Fisher House of Alaska board of directors, and 1st Lt. Dan Frederick (third from right), engineer with the 2nd Engineer Brigade, cut the ribbon Oct. 2 to a new storage shed at the Alaska Fisher House located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a dedication ceremony.

    Corps, local Soldiers build shed for good cause

    With the sound of hammers and the smell of sawdust in the crisp fall air, 23 Soldiers, civilians and family members volunteered three Saturdays in September for a cause reminiscent of a modern day barn rising.

  • August

    Tatton Suter, plan formulator in the Alaska District Civil Works Branch, records high water marks that occurred May 29 using a GPS rover system. This phase of the project was coordinated through the Alaska District Floodplain Management Program at the request of the state. High water marks were used by the Corps for a baseline structure elevation study.

    Corps takes on recovery role after Yukon River flood disaster

    While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with the short-term needs of communities affected by spring flooding along the Yukon River, it is also taking steps to mitigate future risk.Alakanuk, Circle, Eagle, Emmonak, Fort Yukon, Galena and Hughes flooded when ice jams created rising waters, which destroyed buildings and caused residents to
  • Performing the dance “Timonya,” Linda Speerstra, project manager in the Regulatory Division at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District, executes a move that requires agility and a strong core. The Russian-folk dance group was started in 1969 to preserve the culture already present in the former capital of the Alaska territory.

    Corps employee shaped by small town in Alaska, Russian-folk dancing

    While serving as a steward of the environment, it has been Sitka, Alaska, that has shaped the Linda Speerstra of today through its fisheries, wetlands and Russian-folk dances.
  • A contractor helps install a mooring point in rural Alaska. To date, the Corps has completed nine of 26 mooring point installations in places such as Chevak, Kwigillingak and Tuntutuliak. The average cost per mooring point is $21,097.

    Mooring points, small projects yield big rewards in rural Alaska

    Pipes and chains sticking out of the ground are hardly a flashy engineering feat, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District is frugally designing and quickly delivering mooring points to some of Alaska’s most rural communities located on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. Since its inception, the project offers strong potential for major transportation, environmental and economic benefits.

  • July

    The Essayons performed a dredging mission for the Corps’s Alaska District from May 12 through June 18 in the Cook Inlet Navigation Channel. The crew dredged 2.8 million cubic yards of sand in 35 days.

    Corps deepens vital navigational channel

    Fuel shortages and empty store shelves are a potential reality Alaskans will not have to face thanks to the work of 45 crewmembers aboard the Essayons, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-owned and operated hopper dredge.
  • Col. Christopher Lestochi, district commander, uncases the colors of the 62nd Engineering Detachment with Capt. Corey Warren, detachment commander, during a ceremony June 26 at the district headquarters building. The team was deployed September 2012 through June 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan.

    Alaska District welcomes home engineer detachment

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District welcomed the 62nd Engineer Detachment home June 26 during a ceremony at the district headquarters building. The team was deployed September 2012 through June 2013 at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

  • May

    Renee Sedlak was born on Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, but considers Hawaii her home after attending high school and spending the majority of her childhood there. Sedlak named her daughter, Rylee (far left), after her mother by giving her the middle name of Nalani, which means “the heavens.” Her son, Dylan (far right), is named after Sedlak’s grandfather with the middle name of Kaupookua, which means “the proud one.” It is tradition to pass the elder’s names to the children with their permission, Sedlak said. Sitting next to Sedlak is her husband, Jeremy, an active duty master sergeant in the Air Force.

    Employee Spotlight: Reflecting on Hawaiian heritage, Corps employee shares her pride

    Though born on Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, Hawaii is home to this self-proclaimed “army brat.” For Renee Sedlak, growing up and attending school during her father’s three separate tours in the Aloha State enlightened her about her heritage.
  • His Excellency Im Sethy, Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, cuts a ribbon to celebrate the completion of Preah Ang Duong High School on April 23 in Prey Veng City, Cambodia. Behind him from left are the Honorable William E. Todd, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, and Lt. Col. Kristin A. Means, Chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia.

    Corps Finishes Largest Humanitarian Assistance Project Ever Built in Cambodia

    A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of Preah Ang Duong High School on April 23 in Prey Veng City, Cambodia.
  • Ed Luteran, quality management assistant for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Alaska District, accompanies Trooper Andrew Gault on a patrol shift as part of the Alaska State Troopers Citizen Academy. Luteran was among 30 local residents who completed the academy’s second session in April.

    Troopers in Alaska Enlighten Citizens With Academy

    While people across the nation can watch the TV series “Alaska State Troopers” in their living rooms, dozens of Alaskans can learn in person about the state's largest law enforcement agency from a classroom.The Alaska State Trooper Citizen Academy in Palmer started in 2012 to increase understanding and enhance awareness about the role of the