Happy Veteran's Day! Every day is a good day to support those who have fought, are fighting, or are preparing to fight for our country, but it is especially important to recognize our heroes today. Please take a few minutes of your day to acknowledge, thank, or pray for a service member.
Although a lot of battles are overseas, there are also a lot of hard times going on in our own backyards. Backyards, which perhaps could use some help from engineers. Citizens of the United States with a four-year degree in Engineering are eligible to use their education after regular military training, such as 9.5 weeks in the U.S. Air Force. Not only are their degrees used for drafting, surveying, and planning (much like we do at Howell Engineering, Surveying and Environmental), but in the Air Force, they are trained for things like explosive ordinance disposal, disaster preparedness, and operation and repair of facilities.
Another fascinating group of engineers started with the "Construction Battalion," which turned into "CB" and finally the "Seabees." The U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF) provides construction support with projects such as roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields, and logistics bases. Their training assignments are with the Underwater Construction Teams (UCTs) in Virginia and California, and they can be sent to places such as the Arctic Icecap, Iraq, Bermuda, and numerous other locations throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Marvin Glenn Shields is the first and only Navy Seabee to ever receive a Medal of Honor, along with three Purple Heart Medals. "We Build, We Fight." is their motto.
In the 1800s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers became its own branch of military service. While they are not military-specific now, all of their senior commanders are uniformed engineers compared to the rest of the civilian employees. One of the most important current projects has recently been started with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Operation Blue Roof. The application has closed, but there was a completely free form to fill out to get roof repairs at no cost to homeowners in response to Hurricane Ian. This mission aims to provide temporary roofing solutions to allow homeowners to remain in their residences while recovering. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' vision statement – Engineering Solutions for the Nation's Toughest Challenges – is constantly proven to be true by acts such as Operation Blue Roof.
To learn more about helping the mission of the U.S. Army Corps or starting a career as a Civil Engineer in the military, please visit https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/, https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/civil-engineer, or https://www.necc.usff.navy.mil/seabees/.
