WINCHESTER, Va. – Ten members of Winchester's First Presbyterian Men's Group visited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District headquarters on Sept. 25 to learn about the District's overseas operations.
Executive Assistant Ralph Hensley hosted the group and presented information on Army Corps of Engineers and Middle East District mission areas. He addressed Middle East District operations as a vital component to U.S. goals overseas, the District's work and people, and a brief overview of the District's history.
Hensley explained that the District is responsible for providing engineering, construction, and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia, and other areas as required, and that this includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the district provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to two Corps of Engineers districts in Afghanistan.
"They seemed interested and asked a lot of questions," Hensley said. "Of particular interest was our relationship with foreign governments and how the Corps of Engineers works with those governments to complete projects."
A part of the Shenandoah Valley since 1976, Hensley told the group the District's workforce in Winchester is currently 426, with another 114 in field offices, all focused on programs and projects located throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.
"Many people still do not realize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a presence in Winchester," said Hensley. "Within this small group, several knew we existed before this event but did not know details about our mission."