Message from Division Engineer....3 Wheeler Award........................................4 West Thompson Earth Day................5 Take Your Reese Morgan Retirement..................6 Bruce Daughters Yatsevitch Retirement...........................10 Zawacki and Sons to Charles River Cleanup Plan...............12 Retirement Work Day Ten Mile River..............................................13 Page 8 Page 18 Town Meeting...........................................16 US Army Corps of Engineers New England District Yankee Engineer Volume 40, No. 8 May 2005 District command to change hands in July: Col. Koning will pass District command flag to Col. Thalken Director in the Department of Civil and Col. Thomas Koning will Mechanical Engineering, U.S. Military relinquish command of the Academy at West Point, N.Y. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, From 1996 to 2000 his positions New England District, to Col. included, Assistant Operations Officer (S-3) and then Operations Officer (S-3) Curtis L. Thalken during a for the 130th Engineer Brigade, Hanau, Change of Command cer- Germany; Contingency Plans Officer at emony scheduled for Friday, Headquarters USAREUR and 7th Army, July 8, at 10 a.m., at historical and Assistant Corps Engineer, V Corps, both in Heidelberg, Germany. Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass. Following that tour, Col. Thalken Col. Thalken is a native of Ne- became Commander, 92nd Engineer braska. He is a graduate from the United Combat Battalion (Heavy), Fort Stewart, States Military Academy, at West Point, Ga., and deployed the battalion to Af- with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineer- ghanistan and surrounding countries ing. from November 2001 until June 2002; He received a Masters Degree in he then served as an Experimentation Engineering Sciences from the Thayer Officer, Joint Concept Development School of Engineering at Dartmouth Photo by C.J. Allen and Experimentation Directorate, Joint College and a Masters Degree in Strate- Col. Curtis Thalken will take command in July. Forces Command in Suffolk, Va. gic Studies and International Relations Col. Thalken’s awards and decora- from the U.S. Naval War College. tions include the Bronze Star Medal, His military education includes the ment) and Battalion Maintenance Of- Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced ficer, for the Combat Support Battalion, Meritorious Service Medal (4th OLC), Courses, Combined Arms and Services both at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Joint Service Commendation Medal, Staff College, U.S. Army Command Supply Officer (S-4) and Operations Army Commendation Medal (2nd OLC), and General Staff College, Joint Forces Officer (S-3) of the 34th Engineer Com- National Defense Service Medal (1 BSS), Staff College and the U.S. Naval War bat Battalion (Heavy), Supply Officer Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary College. (S-4), for the 937th Engineer Group, Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Col. Thalken began his military ca- and Commander 55th Engineer Com- Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ser- reer in 1983 as a Platoon Leader and pany (Medium Girder Bridge) all at Fort vice Ribbon, NATO Medal, Parachutist Company Executive Officer, 642d En- Riley, Kan. In 1993, he became an Badge, and the Army Superior Unit gineer Company (Combat Support Equip- Instructor and subsequently as a Course Award. YANKEE ENGINEER 2 May 2005 YYankankeeee Mark McInerney VVoicesoices Information Management District's Congratulations Founder's Day …to Joan Gardner, Chief of Technical Services, Construction /Operations 2005 to be held Division, who has been chosen as the WE Committee’s Employee of the Month June 24 for May 2005. She received the honor for her continuous support and responsiveness to the New England District field offices. The Corps of Engineers, New England District, will hold … to a Regulatory task group that has been chosen as the WE Committee’s its annual Founder’s Day Team of the Month for May 2005. The office of the ASA (CW) decided to request celebration on Friday, June 24, a national data call asking Corps Districts to fill out a 116-page questionnaire on at Castle Park, Hanscom Air how decisions are made and gave a one month suspense. Force Base. The team put in a tremendous effort to complete the mission within the time Festivities will include an allowed and produced a quality product. This was done while the team kept up official awards ceremony, with other work assignments. followed by a catered picnic Team members include Mike Sheehan, Alexine Raineri, Paul Minkin, lunch and fun activities. The John Almeida, Alan Anacheka-Nasemann, Jay Clement, Mike Elliot, Peter cost for the lunch will be $10 for Tischbein, Marty Lefebvre and Paul Sneeringer. adults and $8 for children age 6 and under. Lunch will include boneless Sympathy spare ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers (they will also provide some … to Barbara Ingalls, Basin Assistant, Upper Connecticut River Basin, on the veggie burgers), garden salad, passing of her grandmother, Lyla Stapleton, April 19. potato salad, homemade baked beans, watermelon and …to Donna Vondle, Park Ranger, Townshend Lake, on the passing of her condiments. mother, Aline Vondle, April 24. Those interested in attending should contact their …to the family of Operations retiree John Rathburn, who passed away April office representative. Retirees 14. Rathburn was a Korean War veteran and worked as a Dam Tender first at may purchase their tickets the Corps' Surry Flood Control Dam and in 1967 was the Project Manager at the through Ann Marie Harvie in Edward McDowell Dam in Peterborough. the Public Affairs Office, 978- 318-8777. …to Bob Mirik, Engineering/Planning Retiree, on the recent passing of his wife, Jean. YANKEE ENGINEER is an authorized unofficial Army newspaper under District Engineer .................................................................Col. Thomas L. Koning provisions of AR 360-1 published monthly. Views and opinions expressed Chief, Public Affairs ......................................................................Larry Rosenberg are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army. Contributions from readers are solicited, but publication depends on judgment of the editor. No payment will be made for contributions. Published by the Public Affairs Office, New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 696 Virginia Road, Concord MA 01742-2751, 978-318-8777. Printed by the offset Editor ........................................................................................Ann Marie R. Harvie method on recyclable paper by the Defense Printing Office in Boston, Mass. Media Relations Officer...............................................................Timothy J. Dugan Circulation 1600. The YANKEE ENGINEER can be found on the World Public Affairs Specialist.................................................................Sally M. Rigione Wide Web at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/news/yankee.htm Stay-in-schooler...........................................................................Kimberly Osgerby YANKEE ENGINEER May 2005 3 From the Division Engineer Regional Commander’s thoughts on the FY 2006 budget and beyond Engineering, Construction, Operations and Real Estate. by Brig. Gen. Merdith "Bo" Temple While there is little question Fiscal Year 2006 (and North Atlantic Division Engineer beyond) will present several challenges (tight budgets, potentially large Military Programs, continued USACE We have all heard messages 2012 transformation, etc.), we are postured to meet those about the Fiscal Year 2006 bud- challenges. Thanks to your leaders’ hard work, North get and beyond, some of which Atlantic Division will also be better able to meet our are more alarming than others. customers’ needs. What should we believe? Al- The Division leadership will continue to take care of though the future is not known our most valuable resource—our employees, the people with certainty, the District Com- who make up this great Army Corps of Engineers in whom manders and I believe that we our core competencies lie. However, I would ask that you, can be certain about two things: our NAD workforce, continue to adapt to change. that the Global War on Terror- Time and again, I have seen you respond to challenge, ism could last many years and we from disaster response to supporting the Global War on face tight budgets with little spend- Terrorism to creative engineering and environmental solu- ing discretion. tions. Keep up the good work! Each District Commander Despite this, regionally, the overall workload increased is committed to keeping the workforce informed on the over the past five years, from just under $2 billion to over $2.5 billion, predominantly growing in the Mili- 'Time and again, I have seen you tary Program, while Civil Works, the Environmental missions, and Inter- respond to challenge, from disaster agency & International Support have response to supporting the Global War remained fairly constant. After the on Terrorism to creative engineering Base Realignment and Closure 2005 announcement this month, we will and environmental solutions.' know more about our future - Brig. Gen. Merdith "Bo" Temple workload, and this may require us to consider transferring skills or pursu- North Atlantic Division Engineer ing other alternatives to be success- ful. One of the keys to that success, if not THE key, is being Fiscal Year 2006 budget and beyond. very flexible and agile, both in thought and action. During We are all different, but we are also part of one regional the recent Command Council, made up of the six