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  • February

    An aerial view of San Angelo during the floods of September 1936. This flood, and others like it over the previous decade, led to the authorization of O.C. Fisher Dam and Lake by the Flood Control Act of 1941. Since its completion, through fiscal year 2023, the cumulative amount of damages prevented by the dam during rain events is $21.3 million.

    O.C. Fisher – A Lake That Needs to Be

    As the clouds begin to darken and the thunder starts to rumble in the distance, the bison and longhorn herds at San Angelo State Park become restless. The first drops of rain begin to hit the parched landscape surrounding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District’s O.C. Fisher Dam and Lake as the storm rolls in.
  • Elyssa Mendez, a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District’s Proctor Lake, checks on an automatic deer feeder in one of the many wildlife management areas that surround the lake. Mendez serves as the hunting coordinator for the lake and calls the outdoors her second office.

    An Office in the Great Outdoors

    As the sun rises over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District’s Proctor Lake, nature comes alive. A flight of cormorant lands on the lake, blue heron and a pelican search the shallows for their next meal, and two white-tailed deer scurry across the dam road.
  • Ronald Morris is a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. Morris has been a park ranger at Hords Creek Lake since April 2022. He started his career with the Corps of Engineer at 62 years of age after serving in the Army and Navy for more than 40 years.

    A Late Start - Continuing to Serve

    At 62 years of age, most people are thinking about what to do in retirement. Some are even enjoying the fruits of their labor that comes with it. But at 62, Ronald Morris decided to start a career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District.

  • January

    The Contracting Division takes their group photo on September 4, 2024, to archive current employees within the division for future references.

    The Fort Worth District's Cornerstone of Contracting Success

    As the fiscal year drew to a close, agencies reflected on past achievements while implementing the year’s lessons learned into the next fiscal year. This period can be likened to changing seasons; just as nature transitions from the vibrancy of summer to the introspection of winter, agencies assess their performance and strategize for the upcoming year.

  • December

    1st Lt. Leandra Ramos, project manager, Fort Worth District's Programs and Project Management Division, rings the bell to signify all her Fiscal Year 2024 contracting tasks have been completed successfully.

    Navigating Army Resources: From Military Service to Civilian Careers

    Picture the sun rising over a bustling café, two military members settled into a corner table, engaged in a conversation that reflects a pressing concern for many service members: life after military service. While one service member expresses concern over whether his 15 years of uniformed experience will translate into civilian job opportunities, the other service member is concerned with finding resources to expand her knowledge and technical skills desired before heading to the Captain’s Career Course.
  • - A view of the emergency spillway, 1950’s and today, from Overlook Park at Lake O’ the Pines. The lake’s mission is to provide water to the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and flood risk mitigation to communities along the Red River. (Illustration by Pat Adelmann)

    Lake O’ the Pines Celebrates 70 Years

    Lake O’ the Pines and Ferrells Bridge Dam, in eastern Texas, will soon mark its 70th anniversary since ground was broken and construction began in January of 1955. Authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1946, the dam and reservoir were originally known as the Ferrells Bridge Dam and Reservoir, with construction managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New Orleans District.
  • Col. Calvin Kroeger, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Fort Worth District commander, presents Bob Morris with the Civil Service Commendation Medal during his retirement ceremony.

    Retiring from the Corps of Engineers: A Fond Farewell

    For many long-serving U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees, retirement is a bittersweet moment. On one hand, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment in having served the nation and contributed to important infrastructure projects. On the other hand, there is a sense of loss in leaving behind the camaraderie and a sense of purpose that comes with being part of a military organization.
  • Timber Management for Habitat Management, forestry support photo

    Timber Management for Habitat Management

    In a small town nestled in an East Texas forest, there lives a skilled group of Army Corps of Engineers foresters and forestry technicians. These individuals are responsible for overseeing the sustainable harvesting of trees on USACE property, ensuring that the delicate balance of the ecosystem and the habitat for the native wildlife species is maintained.

  • November

    A southern view of building 1093 on Fort Bliss, Texas circa 1962 when it housed two Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile laboratories and classrooms. The launch rack on the left and radar trailers on the right link the missile system to the building. Building 1093 has been a part of the Army’s Air Defense Artillery since before the branch’s inception on June 20, 1968.

    Renovating History

    Building 1093 on Fort Bliss, Texas has been a part of the Army’s Air Defense Artillery since before the branch’s inception on June 20, 1968. Originally built in 1959 and housing two Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile laboratories, the newly renovated building is now home to the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Academy. The academy is a partnership between the DOD and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to train Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces soldiers on how to operate and maintain the THAAD battery.

  • October

    Team members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Southwestern Division Regional Planning and Environmental Center meet with enlisted personnel at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The meeting was part of a visioning workshop for future infrastructure development on the installation.

    Live Locally and Plan Globally

    From Texas to Tokyo and almost everywhere in between, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Southwestern Division’s Regional Planning and Environmental Center’s Master Planning Branch, is planning the way ahead for operations, civil works and military construction projects.
  • U.S. Army Col. Calvin Kroeger, Fort Worth District commander, meets with members of the Corps of Engineers' Emergency Field Operations Center, that are deployed to Maui supporting the debris cleanup mission from wildfires that swept through the small Hawaiian towns of Lahaina and Kula in August 2023.

    Aloha and Mahalo

    In August of 2023, a little over one year ago, devastating wildfires swept through the small tropical towns of Kula and Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, setting the stage for a mission unlike anything the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District has ever seen.

  • September

    Clarence Banks, left, the Fort Worth District’s Value Officer, discusses projects and their location with his assistant, Derrick McCollum, an engineering technician that supports the Value Engineering office, Sept. 11, 2024. Value Engineering is a systematic, organized approach that promotes the substitution of materials and methods with less costly alternatives, without sacrificing functionality of the overall project.

    Value Engineering: More Bang for Your Buck

    Picture a scenario where an Army Corps of Engineers project manager is working on a military construction project consisting of a 20,000 square foot administrative space with mixed carpeting and tile flooring. The customer also indicated the desire for a conference room with audio-visual equipment but could not get these features due to overall costs.
  • VA Groundbreaking

    Breaking Ground in the Sands of Texas

    In the August heat of Texas, a group of dedicated individuals came together with a common goal – to break ground and build a Veteran Affairs healthcare center that will provide top-notch care for the brave men and women who have served their country. From the first shovels to meet dirt, the clinic will rise from the dust of the Chihuahuan Desert near the William Beaumont Medical Center.

  • August

    Regional LDP members from districts across the Southwestern Division visit the spillway at Lewisville Lake and other project sites to learn about projects specific to the Fort Worth District.

    Crafting Leaders: The Fort Worth District’s Embroidery-Inspired Approach

    The ancient craft of embroidery, steeped in tradition, symbolizes communication, education, precision, and artistry. Leaders have used embroidery to unite people, weave narratives, and adapt to challenges.

  • July

    Rangers

    Pulling a Rescue Out of a Recovery

    It was a beautiful Texas summer day in June, with the sun shining brightly and waves crashing gently against the shore of Stillhouse Hollow Lake. A group of friends decided to beat the heat with a mid-day swim and entered one of the many parks closed due to excessive flood waters.
  • Dana Gage interview

    Life Jackets Worn, Nobody Mourns

    On a beautiful, warm Texan day at Lewisville Lake, Jennifer Lawson, a natural resources specialist from the Army Corps of Engineers, heard about two males traveling at a high rate of speed on a personal watercraft, who lost control and tumbled into the lake.

  • May

    Photos of USACE and Friends of Lake O' the Pines as they build and repair docks at Lake O' the Pines,

    A Handshake Agreement Worth its Weight in Gold

    As recreation season ramps up, so have the safety measures. The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, partnered with a local group, Friends of Lake O' the Pines, on a project to update the lake’s courtesy docks, April 22, 2024.
  • SWF Training Supervisors to be Better Leaders

    SWF Training Supervisors to be Better Leaders

    Understanding the critical role supervisors play in the careers of their staff and employees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District held a Supervisor University training class for more than 100 district employees at the district headquarters, Feb. 27-28, 2024.
  • RPEC Master Planners

    SWD’s Regional Planning and Environmental Center Celebrates its 10-year Anniversary

    In the mid-2000s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division experienced a significant decline in civil works planning missions throughout the region. The existing model of every district maintaining a fully capable Civil Planning and Environmental function became very challenging during this period.
  • Distinguished Civilian - Don Wiese

    A Distinguished Civilian: An Advocate of Trust

    In the 1970s, Fort Worth District leadership took action to preserve the legacy of the outstanding people who contributed above and beyond expectations towards mission success of the district. The first “class” of 10 inductees to the District’s Gallery of Distinguished Civilian Employees was in 1978.