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Author: John Budnik
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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

    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.

  • April

    Christine Morgan, cost estimator technician in the Cost Engineering Branch of the Alaska District, leads a small group of skiers during a 2012 Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Ski League meeting March 7 at the Eagleglen Golf Course. Skiers of all skill levels and from different organizations met twice each week during lunch hours of the winter season. Morgan lost 70 pounds in a six-month period after first learning to cross-country ski during the 2011 season.

    Skiing Shrinks Employee's Impression In Snow

    Overdressed and sweating in the frosty Alaskan weather, she falls over into the snow. Her elongated feet come unglued from the grooves they were sliding back-and-forth in. Standing up on two legs becomes an unexpected challenge when learning to cross-country ski. After solving the puzzle of entangled skis and poles, she presses on.

  • March

    Gene Hubbell, engineering technician in the Geomatics Section, examines a project condition survey of Craig Harbor in AutoCAD Civil 3D. The Alaska District won best project in the “Innovative Use of Civil 3D” category Jan. 11 in the 2012 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BIM Awards.

    District Surveys Upgrade to Future

    An innovative solution using computer modeling is helping to define and manage digital and geospatial data for ports, harbors and navigation channels in Alaska.
  • An American Heritage Girls Troop learns about structural integrity using gumdrops and toothpicks. Bo Wycoff, civil engineer, prepares to test toothpick and gumdrop structures built by the girls. Greg Schmidt, deputy chief of the Engineering Division, serves as an adult leader for the troop and helps them earn their engineering merit badge. Schmidt created the badge for the national organization in 2010.

    Engineers Encourage Study of Hard Sciences

    While promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to Alaska’s youth, employees at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District are getting inspired, too.