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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kevin Powell Engineer Helps Rebuild Iraq By Norris Jones Gulf Region Central District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2006 — "We’re helping shape a nation,” said Kevin Powell in describing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reconstruction mission in Iraq. Powell is concluding a six-month tour as Gulf Region Central District’s Deputy Commander for Program Management. He’s Mobile District’s Florida Area Office Area Engineer and as such manages a program valued at $42 million yearly. While in Iraq he was overseeing programs involving more than 1,200 projects valued at $2.3 billion....

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A judge on Friday denied a request to free a Chinese American engineer who was arrested for allegedly trying to send military secrets to China. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney listened to more than six hours of testimony before deciding to keep Chi Mak, 65, of Downey in custody. Carney said he found it "troubling" that the defendant had taken restricted documents to his house. "I'm going to stick with my previous ruling," he said. The FBI arrested Mak and his wife in October for investigation of conspiracy to steal U.S. government documents. That...

MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2006 – After years of tyranny and war, the children of Iraq have almost nothing and are very grateful for each gift they receive. Lana Aziz, an Iraqi citizen and junior engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coordinates the collection and distribution of shoes and school supplies for Iraqi children. With each gift she gives to a needy child, she also gives joy and hope to their lives. Through her childhood, Aziz watched as American organizations sent clothing and items to local churches in her community. She watched as the goods were distributed, and...

U.S. Air Force Maj. Alberto Mezarina teaches Iraqi engineers to label circuit breakers during final construction inspection. U.S. Army photo by Suzanne M. Fournier U.S. Air ForceMaj. Alberto Mezarina Air Force Engineer Helps Iraqis Rebuild By Suzanne M. Fournier Gulf Region Southern DistrictU.S. Army Corps of Engineers BASE CAMP ADDER, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2005  — Deploying to Iraq with an Army unit offered a unique opportunity for an Air Force officer to be blue in a green Army world. United States Air Force Academy instructor Maj. Alberto Mezarina said he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to...

Engineer Paul Green wheels his company's new fully armored combat vehicle over the clay roads and muddy streambeds of the South Carolina backcountry, guns the engine and races over one hill and then the next. "This is designed to be what we thought would be a step up from the Humvee," he shouts as he shifts gears. "This vehicle was never designed to be a direct replacement for the current armored Humvee." But the prototype -- christened the MUV-R (Mine-protected Utility Vehicle/Rapid Deployable) by its manufacturer, Charleston, S.C.-based Force Protection, Inc. -- may well be.

SANTA ANA – A federal judge on Monday overruled another judge's decision to grant release on bond to a U.S. defense technology engineer charged with being an unregistered agent for China. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney said he recognized strong character evidence supporting the release of engineer Chi Mak but that the nature of the charge and alleged activities made it impossible to grant bond. Mak, his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, and his brother, Tai Wang Mak, were indicted on a charge of being unregistered agents for China. All have pleaded not guilty. Investigators allege that Chi Mak, 65,...

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A federal judge set bail at $300,000 Friday for a Chinese-American engineer accused of stealing U.S. military secrets, but ordered his younger brother held until another hearing later this month. Chi Mak, his wife and brother were indicted Tuesday on a charge of acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. attorney general. If convicted, each could face up to 10 years in prison. According to the original affidavit, Mak, 65, stole computer disks from defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving...

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A Chinese-American engineer appeared in federal court Thursday on charges of conspiring to steal sensitive information about U.S. Navy warships and smuggle it to China. With his hands shackled, Chi Mak stood quietly in a Santa Ana federal court as a magistrate judge agreed to his request for a new defense lawyer. Mak, a naturalized U.S. citizen from China, was arrested Oct. 28 on charges of stealing government property, aiding and abetting, transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy. He was held without bond last week after authorities accused him of taking computer disks from Anaheim...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An engineer who worked on the development of the US B-2 bomber has been arrested in Hawaii for allegedly passing secret technology related to the radar-evading plane to three foreign governments, the FBI said. Noshir Gowadia was accused of "willfully communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it," the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. A Pentagon spokesman said he was unaware of the details of the FBI investigation and so could not comment on the extent of the damage that may have been caused. "Our modern weapons sytems use advance...

Between forkfuls of angel-hair pasta, Metra engineer Mike Smith calmly told his story Monday, detail by agonizing detail, of the ill-fated Rock Island line train that jumped the tracks under his control. At Nick and Tony's restaurant downtown, Smith talked to reporters for the first time, saying he was sorry that his passengers -- "the most precious cargo" -- suffered and died in the horrific crash. But last month's derailment that killed two women and injured dozens of others was not his fault, he said. "I can say I'm sorry even though I had nothing to do with it," said...

Local authorities in our New Orleans levee project take the prize in the area of callous disregard and their bungling remains notorious to this day. From NRO: As a retired structural engineer who has done exhaustive work on bulk liquids retention structures, including dams, dykes and levees; also having audited engineering schematics on the New Orleans levees in the 1994-1996 era, rest assured that federal officials were properly concerned about that situation. The problem was that they were the only ones. We bucked and kicked local officials for years throughout the entire project. The municipality demanded the money, and received...

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- It is 110 degrees and temperatures are steadily on the rise. Luckily, the office is air conditioned -- until the power goes out. An Airman puts in a work order, but it is not the only office that is suffering from this side effect of the heat. However, within 15 minutes, an ice-cold breeze of relief surrounds the office just as a civil engineer pokes his head in to say the malfunction has been fixed. Providing relief from the heat is just one of the many things Army and Air Force civil engineers here...

Did yo hear the interview with the engineer whp has been working on the Levees for a long time, discussing why the Levees busted, what it would cost to fix them and how.. And hear him say, that no amount of repair or "u[grading of the present New Orlkeans Levee system, will ever be able to protect the city from a force 5 or 4 class Hurricane? Basically said that the whole levee system would have to be redesigned and built anew to be able to properly protect the city from a future reoccurance, and his optimistic estimate with all...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2005 — The Republic of Korea Army replaced their 100th Construction Engineer Army Group with 147 new, fresh soldiers. An advanced group of Korean engineers arrived at Bagram Airfield Aug. 13 and the main body followed shortly after, arriving Aug. 25-29. They will keep the same name as the previous group -- the 100th Construction Engineer Army Group. "We are well aware of the sufferings of the people caused by the cruelties of war. That is the very reason we're here in Afghanistan, as a dependable comrade to our coalition forces and as a friendly...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 31, 2005 — Is there a future Steven Spielberg hidden among the Army's ranks in Iraq? Walk into 1st Lt. John Prettyman's room and you might start to think so. You won't find the normal pictures or calendars hanging on the walls. Instead, Prettyman, with the 70th Engineer Battalion, has news articles that have captured his interest neatly taped to the white fiberboard wall. Piled on a cot, there's a computer, editing decks and perhaps the latest issue of Moviemaker magazine. You'll also find a camera, which can fit in the palm of a hand. This is...

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq, Aug. 25, 2005 — While the slogan officially may be retired from the Army's public relations program, it is obvious that Staff Sgt. Anthony “Scott” Longar believes in being all he can be. The 36-year-old, currently serving as the non-commissioned officer in charge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sulaymaniyah Resident Office, also happens to be the only service member assigned there. As a result, his extensive list of responsibilities ranges from mundane to most significant. Assigned to the Missouri Army National Guard, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Engineer Brigade, 35th Infantry Division, Longar answered the military's call...

Success in road construction here means not only making day to day life easier for the citizens; it facilitates the success of the first democratically elected Afghan government. KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2005 — One of the most encouraging successes of the United States military presence in Afghanistan is the approaching completion of the TK Road, a road bringing together the cities of Kandahar and Tarin Kowt. Coalition forces have been dedicated to connecting Afghanistan by road, a task that has spanned 14 months and 117 kilometers. "The best weapons of the Taliban are not (improvised explosive devices) and...

Two brothers, both engineers, provide a professional — and personal — perspective to rebuilding their country. BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 3, 2005 — So what’s it like living in Baghdad today? Just ask two Iraqi brothers who are engineers and work for Gulf Region Central District. They’re very optimistic about their future and their country’s future. Asaad Hassan Al-Jaaire and his brother Hayder are two of the Gulf Region Central District's Quality Assurance Representatives. Among the projects Asaad is overseeing is the $10 million, 6400-square-meter Public Order Brigade Headquarters at Forward Operating Base Justice. It is 70 percent complete. He is...

Experts say a man accused of trying to sell a superbomb to al-Qaida made some incredible claims, but his estranged wife has no doubt that he had the ability to build an explosive. Before his arrest, Ronald Allen Grecula, 68, of Bangor, Pa., described an explosive of tremendous power to undercover agents who he thought were affiliated with the al-Qaida terrorist group, according to court documents. Grecula, who made an initial appearance Monday before a federal magistrate judge after his arrest Friday in Houston, told the agents he would sell them a bomb that could destroy everything within a half-mile...

Each time an ancient vase disintegrates, a ceramic tile crumbles or a painting cracks and fades, another link with our past is lost and we understand just a little less about where we came from and, ultimately, who we are. When the last artisan dies and an ancient technology is lost, we're similarly impoverished, says Pamela Vandiver, an internationally recognized expert in artifact preservation and, now, a professor at The University of Arizona. Vandiver came to UA last year to start a program in Heritage Conservation Science (HCS) that trains students to stabilize, preserve and better understand ancient artifacts and...