1
00:00:00,604 --> 00:00:03,271
(intense music)

2
00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:07,650
- [Mark] U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Nashville

3
00:00:07,650 --> 00:00:10,420
District Commander Lieutenant
Colonel Sonny Avichal

4
00:00:10,420 --> 00:00:13,430
welcomed Major General
Retired Brian Watson

5
00:00:13,430 --> 00:00:16,010
and Army Combat Engineers
from Fort Campbell's

6
00:00:16,010 --> 00:00:20,240
326th Engineer Battalion,
101st Airborne Division

7
00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:21,880
for an overview and tour

8
00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:23,850
of the Kentucky Lock Addition Project.

9
00:00:23,850 --> 00:00:26,670
Colonel Avichal gave the
group an extensive overview

10
00:00:26,670 --> 00:00:30,500
of the USACE mission and
Nashville's role as a district

11
00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:33,690
which includes flood risk
management, navigation,

12
00:00:33,690 --> 00:00:37,060
hydro-power, emergency
management and recreation.

13
00:00:37,060 --> 00:00:38,790
- It just chose from a different path.

14
00:00:38,790 --> 00:00:41,120
You know, so a lot of these engineers

15
00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,210
are technical engineers.

16
00:00:42,210 --> 00:00:44,930
They come in, they're
really smart scientists

17
00:00:44,930 --> 00:00:47,670
and engineers and you know

18
00:00:47,670 --> 00:00:49,990
they want to be able to
use that technical degree.

19
00:00:49,990 --> 00:00:52,210
And this is a place within
the Corps of Engineers

20
00:00:52,210 --> 00:00:53,980
that they can make use of their skills

21
00:00:53,980 --> 00:00:55,640
that they learned in college.

22
00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:57,090
- [Mark] The group visited the U.S. Army

23
00:00:57,090 --> 00:00:58,810
Corps of Engineers Nashville District

24
00:00:58,810 --> 00:01:01,470
to learn more about
USACE's civilian missions

25
00:01:01,470 --> 00:01:03,690
as part of their professional development.

26
00:01:03,690 --> 00:01:07,380
More than 25 Fort Campbell
Company and Field Grade officers

27
00:01:07,380 --> 00:01:09,330
interacted with civilian engineers

28
00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:12,660
and asked questions and learned
about the unique challenges

29
00:01:12,660 --> 00:01:14,830
of maintaining aging infrastructure

30
00:01:14,830 --> 00:01:17,020
and about the mission of
the Nashville District.

31
00:01:17,020 --> 00:01:20,110
- Every engineer just
has to have this sort of

32
00:01:22,263 --> 00:01:24,310
this curiosity about how things work.

33
00:01:24,310 --> 00:01:28,200
And to be able to solve problems
like they're solving here

34
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:29,360
at the Kentucky Dam.

35
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,870
And so for these young officers to see

36
00:01:31,870 --> 00:01:33,990
not only what goes on here in the side

37
00:01:33,990 --> 00:01:35,230
of the Corps of Engineers

38
00:01:35,230 --> 00:01:36,910
but then to be able to take that back.

39
00:01:36,910 --> 00:01:40,610
Because we have to be the
world's problem solvers.

40
00:01:40,610 --> 00:01:42,810
We solve the problems for the Commander.

41
00:01:42,810 --> 00:01:44,460
Doesn't matter whether
we're on the battlefield

42
00:01:44,460 --> 00:01:46,580
or here at the Kentucky Lock Dam.

43
00:01:46,580 --> 00:01:47,890
And so for them to be able to see

44
00:01:47,890 --> 00:01:50,640
that part of our profession,
just really important.

45
00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:51,473
- [Mark] The group walked

46
00:01:51,473 --> 00:01:53,360
along the new concrete lock walls

47
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,590
trekked across the massive miter gates

48
00:01:55,590 --> 00:01:58,250
and stepped down hundreds
of scaffold steps

49
00:01:58,250 --> 00:01:59,900
onto the construction site

50
00:01:59,900 --> 00:02:03,370
and into the depths of the
partially constructed lock.

51
00:02:03,370 --> 00:02:05,330
They descended into the water intakes

52
00:02:05,330 --> 00:02:07,480
which are giant, 100 foot wide

53
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,400
by 20 foot foot wide high tunnel ways

54
00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,970
that are possible to fill
within 60 million gallons

55
00:02:13,970 --> 00:02:16,050
of water in 17 minutes.

56
00:02:16,050 --> 00:02:17,990
- I think it's great information to use

57
00:02:17,990 --> 00:02:20,470
especially looking at
the Corps of Engineers

58
00:02:20,470 --> 00:02:22,920
different side of the
house than we're used to

59
00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:25,400
as Combat Engineer and being
in a combat organization.

60
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,260
So looking at the lock here

61
00:02:28,260 --> 00:02:30,520
and being able to
experience the engineering

62
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,940
that goes into this is
pretty breathtaking.

63
00:02:32,940 --> 00:02:34,480
- [Mark] Resident engineers on hand

64
00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,340
explained about the current
concrete shell placement

65
00:02:37,340 --> 00:02:40,670
construction and even
explained engineering issues.

66
00:02:40,670 --> 00:02:41,790
- There is so much diversity

67
00:02:41,790 --> 00:02:45,110
so much that the Engineer
Regiment has to offer.

68
00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:49,911
And showing these young
officers Kentucky Lock

69
00:02:49,911 --> 00:02:52,660
is just, is just an amazing experience

70
00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:54,910
and it shows them that
the Corps of Engineers

71
00:02:54,910 --> 00:02:56,550
does a whole lot for this nation.

72
00:02:56,550 --> 00:02:57,650
- [Mark] I'm Mark Rankin reporting

73
00:02:57,650 --> 00:03:01,299
for the Nashville District
from Grand Rivers Kentucky.

74
00:03:01,299 --> 00:03:03,966
(intense music)