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  • March

    The new $14.2 million education center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., replaces a 60-year-old elementary school campus, which was used as the education center for more than 40 years.

    Vandenberg Education Center officially opens

    Officials ceremonially cut the ribbon officially opening the Vandenberg Air Force Base education center Feb. 27. The $14.2 million building replaces a 60-year-old facility and includes 20 classrooms, a computer lab, a testing center, and a 75-seat auditorium.

  • January

    YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. – Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District participated in a dedication ceremony for the Master Sgt. George A. Bannar Vertical Wind Tunnel facility held on Yuma Proving Ground Jan. 24. The new facility, named for Bannar who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013, will host more than 1,500 students annually and can allow up to eight fully-loaded Soldiers, Sailors, Marines or Airmen to practice their skydiving techniques.

    LA District helps dedicate new vertical wind tunnel facility at YPG to fallen hero

    Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District participated in a dedication ceremony for the Master Sgt. George A. Bannar Vertical Wind Tunnel facility held on Yuma Proving Ground Jan. 24. The facility is named for Bannar, a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013.
  • The Corps' Los Angeles District contributed $37,900 to the 2013 Combined Federal Campaign, exceeding 75 percent of its goal.

    “… because we can: 50 years of making a difference”

    Contributions to the Combined Federal Campaign make a huge difference to local charities, said representatives from Union Rescue Mission, Shriners Hospital for Children and City of Hope at a Jan. 9 event at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Headquarters.
  • Maj. Gen. John Peabody addresses members of the Society of American Military Engineers at their 28th annual joint breakfast meeting Jan. 17 in Montebello, Calif. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations said the country needs to work on the four "R's;" roads, railways, runways and rivers. Repairing aging infrastructure, he said, is an investment in the future.

    Corps deputy updates SAME on Civil Works transformation

    Maj. Gen. John Peabody addressed members of the Society of American Military Engineers at their 28th annual joint breakfast meeting Jan. 17 in Montebello, Calif. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations said the country needs to work on the four "R's;" roads, railways, runways and rivers. Repairing aging infrastructure, he said, is an investment in the future.
  • South Pacific Division’s three districts maintain 33 ports and harbors in California, from massive industrial complexes to smaller recreational havens. The Port of Long Beach, which is in the Los Angeles District's area of operations, has a colorful history that parallels the growth of the metropolitan Southern California area. Starting from salt marshes and sloughs, the Port has sustained continuous growth both in usable port area and in facilities and equipment. Historically, the Port of Long beach was the home of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and the Long Beach Naval Station. Both facilities have been decommissioned and the land transferred to the Port of Long Beach for development into additional cargo facilities. The Port of Long Beach is operated by the City of Long Beach Harbor Department.

    Navigation conference looks for solutions

    Budget constraints, climate change and environmental responsibilities will continue to impact the Corps’ ability to meet the maritime industry’s constantly changing needs and capabilities, Maj. Gen. John Peabody told attendees at the winter meeting of the California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference held here Jan. 16.
  • The District's Deputy for Programs and Project Management Division Ken Morris (center) will retire Jan. 10, after spending 26 years working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles.

    District bids farewell to Programs and Project Management deputy

    LOS ANGELES — In preparation for his retirement Jan. 10, the District’s Deputy for Programs and Project Management Ken Morris, who began his federal career in 1974 when commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, answered some questions about the 26 years he has spent as a federal civilian employee in the Los Angeles District.

  • December

    PHOENIX -Jonathan Stratton (left) and Joe Derungs, both with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District's Arizona/Nevada Area Office, speak with business representatives during the first Business Opportunities Open House held Jan. 29 at the District's downtown Phoenix office. Nearly 300 business owners and operators spoke with District representatives during the event designed to let business people learn about contract opportunities and gain insight on how to do business with the Corps.

    LA District helps lead USACE small business goals

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District received two awards in December for its efforts at ensuring USACE exceeded its small business goal for the fourth year in a row.
  • Daryll Fust, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s assistant chief of staff, presents Theresa Koontz, wife of District Security Manager Jeff Koontz, the Commander’s Award for Public Service at the Arizona-Nevada Area Office during the Dec. 18 Holiday Luncheon as John Keever, the District Construction Division chief, stands with her. Koontz received the award for her efforts in assisting the family of Col. Pete Jordan, who served as the executive officer for the Arizona-Nevada Area Office, after he passed away in a Sept. 7 automobile accident.

    District family member receives award for public service

    Theresa Koontz, wife of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Security Manager Jeff Koontz, received the Commander’s Award for Public Service at the Arizona-Nevada Area Office during the Dec. 18 Holiday Luncheon.
  • District Engineer Steve Dwyer, chief, Navigation and Coastal Projects Branch, stands in the Harvard Architecture School on Dec. 13. The school is built like half of a pyramid and has six floors tht are open to each other, so a person can stand on the top level and look down. He said it is one giant studio.

    Corps' engineer invited to critique Harvard students’ design projects

    Steve Dwyer, chief, Navigation and Coastal Projects Branch, was asked to participate as an engineering advisor for a graduate-level Landscape Architecture Studio at Harvard University. Per Harvard's invitation, he visited the school Dec. 13 to sit on a panel organized to review and judge the students' design projects, which all related to the Los Angeles River. Dwyer, who was the District's chief of operations for 25 years had the responsibility of maintenance for the Los Angeles River and wrote the Los Angeles County Drainage Area Project's operation and maintenance manual.
  • Los Angeles District leaders gathered for a seminar at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in downtown Los Angeles Dec. 10-12 to discuss future goals and process improvement. Everyone met in front of the hall's Christmas tree for a group photo on the final day.

    District leadership chart future during planning seminar

    Los Angeles District leaders gathered for a seminar at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in downtown Los Angeles Dec. 10-12 to determine future goals and the work necessary to achieve them.
  • Staff Sgt. James Harris, a military policeman with the California National Guard, currently serves as a security coordinator at the District's security and law enforcement office in downtown Los Angeles. Harris sustained injuries while serving as a MP platoon sergeant in Northern Afghanistan in 2012 and is participating in the Federal Internship Program, which affords him an opportunity to put his experience to work while providing him with the flexibility to complete medical treatment for his combat injuries.

    District’s Wounded Warrior program a ‘win-win’

    The Los Angeles District is supporting the U.S. Army’s Wounded Warrior Transition Program and it’s paying off in big ways—both for the District and the warriors themselves.
  • A view into the fog from atop Painted Rock Dam on the Gila River, upstream of Yuma, Ariz.

    Sand, solitude and sunshine equate to satisfaction for dam tenders at Painted Rock Dam

    In the late 1950s, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed Painted Rock Dam on the Gila River, upstream of Yuma, Ariz., to help minimize flooding and protect water rights according to a treaty with Mexico. However, most of the year, the dam’s basin is completely dry. The hearty souls who keep the place operting stay in "stand by" mode in case there is heavy rain.
  • The Los Angeles District was tasked with a seemingly impossible mission in the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on Dec. 7, 1941: To camouflage acres upon acres of Los Angeles real estate where military aircraft were being built. Lockheed Aircraft’s Burbank factory before the District was done with its groundbreaking camouflage project. (Photos courtesy of Lockheed via thinkorthwim.com)

    In WWII LA, no task was too tough for District

    Many people understand the engineer’s role in society. Among the definitions of engineer, the Oxford Dictionary lists one as “(verb) to skillfully or artfully arrange for an event or situation to occur.” This is certainly the definition most befitting of the myriad of challenging missions the Los Angeles District undertook in the days after Japanese forces bombed the Pearl Harbor Naval Air Base on Dec. 7, 1941.

  • November

    District counsels recognized for outstanding performance

    LOS ANGELES – The Chief Counsel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recognized Elizabeth Moriarty
  • Corps officials brief EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy (left) on Los Angeles County Drainage Area projects during her visit to a Los Angeles River overlook point in Elysian Park Nov. 21. The newly appointed EPA chief visited Los Angeles to get a first-hand view of LA River revitalization efforts.

    EPA chief visits LA River

    Newly appointed EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy visited Los Angeles Nov. 21 to see first hand plans for the LA River's restoration. The EPA chief said she was pleased to view the work that's been done to connect the community to the natural world.
  • More than 40 retired District employees responded to an invitation from Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kimberly Colloton to attend a “State of the District” presentation and lunch at the District headquarters Nov. 12.

    District inducts two into its ‘Distinguished Civilian Employee’ cadre

    More than 40 retired District employees responded to an invitation from Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kimberly Colloton to attend a “State of the District” presentation and lunch at the District headquarters Nov. 12. It also presented an opportunity to unveil the names of two retirees who were chosen to be honored as Distinguished Civilian Employees.
  • This student's card was included in a pile of 1,400 handmade holiday cards received by the Los Angeles District meant for deployed troops and civilians. The card drive was initiated by the Veterans Advocacy Group of America and sponsored by Skanska.

    Local students wish deployed USACE employees ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ with handmade cards

    More than 1,400 cards were delivered to the Los Angeles District headquarters by the goodwill program’s sponsoring agency, the Veterans Advocacy Group of America, on Nov. 1. The cards will be forwarded to employees and others serving in temporary assignments in Afghanistan.
  • View of Santa Fe Dam after storm event.

    Dam operators play essential role in public safety

    Michael Moran is a dam operator at Santa Fe Dam and Reservoir, which is a flood risk management project constructed and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. Built in 1949, the project is located on the San Gabriel River about four miles downstream from the mouth of the San Gabriel Canyon, near Irwindale, Calif. It is one of 13 dams in the District.

  • October

    Bill Peters, a fire prevention specialist with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, spoke to Corps employees about the dangers of wildfires during a lunch and learn session at the District's headquarters Oct. 16.

    Wildfire preparedness talk helps ready Corps employees

    Bill Peters, a fire prevention specialist from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, spoke with District employees on the dangers of wildfires in Southern California during a lunch and learn session at the District's headquarters in Los Angeles Oct. 16.
  • General George S. Patton worked with the Los Angeles District in 1942 to develop the first iteration of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, then known as the Desert Training Center-California Arizona Manuever Area. The official history of the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, which was among the first units to train at DTC-CAMA, described the area as: "The world's largest Army post and the greatest training manuever area in the U.S. military history. Eighteen thousand square miles of nothing in a desert designed for Hell." More than one million men experienced the Desert Training Area's version of "hell" before the post was closed in 1944. This illustration by Bill Fleming, appeared in "Did You Know? Vol. II," a historical guide developed by the District historian in 1975.

    Did You Know? LA District has a long history with Fort Irwin

    LOS ANGELES--The National Training Center was officially activated on Oct. 16, 1980, making the current incarnation of the sprawling Fort Irwin 33 years old. But did you know that the Los Angeles District worked under the direction of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. to procure the land to build an early and more vast version of NTC—then known as the Desert Training Center-California-Arizona Maneuver Area—in 1942?