WEBVTT

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(intense music)

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- [Mark] U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Nashville

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District Commander Lieutenant
Colonel Sonny Avichal

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welcomed Major General
Retired Brian Watson

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and Army Combat Engineers
from Fort Campbell's

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326th Engineer Battalion,
101st Airborne Division

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for an overview and tour

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of the Kentucky Lock Addition Project.

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Colonel Avichal gave the
group an extensive overview

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of the USACE mission and
Nashville's role as a district

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which includes flood risk
management, navigation,

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hydro-power, emergency
management and recreation.

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- It just chose from a different path.

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You know, so a lot of these engineers

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are technical engineers.

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They come in, they're
really smart scientists

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and engineers and you know

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they want to be able to
use that technical degree.

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And this is a place within
the Corps of Engineers

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that they can make use of their skills

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that they learned in college.

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- [Mark] The group visited the U.S. Army

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Corps of Engineers Nashville District

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to learn more about
USACE's civilian missions

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as part of their professional development.

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More than 25 Fort Campbell
Company and Field Grade officers

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interacted with civilian engineers

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and asked questions and learned
about the unique challenges

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of maintaining aging infrastructure

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and about the mission of
the Nashville District.

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- Every engineer just
has to have this sort of

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this curiosity about how things work.

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And to be able to solve problems
like they're solving here

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at the Kentucky Dam.

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And so for these young officers to see

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not only what goes on here in the side

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of the Corps of Engineers

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but then to be able to take that back.

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Because we have to be the
world's problem solvers.

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We solve the problems for the Commander.

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Doesn't matter whether
we're on the battlefield

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or here at the Kentucky Lock Dam.

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And so for them to be able to see

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that part of our profession,
just really important.

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- [Mark] The group walked

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along the new concrete lock walls

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trekked across the massive miter gates

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and stepped down hundreds
of scaffold steps

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onto the construction site

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and into the depths of the
partially constructed lock.

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They descended into the water intakes

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which are giant, 100 foot wide

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by 20 foot foot wide high tunnel ways

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that are possible to fill
within 60 million gallons

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of water in 17 minutes.

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- I think it's great information to use

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especially looking at
the Corps of Engineers

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different side of the
house than we're used to

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as Combat Engineer and being
in a combat organization.

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So looking at the lock here

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and being able to
experience the engineering

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that goes into this is
pretty breathtaking.

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- [Mark] Resident engineers on hand

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explained about the current
concrete shell placement

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construction and even
explained engineering issues.

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- There is so much diversity

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so much that the Engineer
Regiment has to offer.

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And showing these young
officers Kentucky Lock

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is just, is just an amazing experience

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and it shows them that
the Corps of Engineers

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does a whole lot for this nation.

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- [Mark] I'm Mark Rankin reporting

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for the Nashville District
from Grand Rivers Kentucky.

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(intense music)