We Were There... But Not For Conquest (1976?)

[Music] [Applause] next week please be prepared on Monday have a nice weekend class dismissed oh good paper very nice good luck on the game boys oh Becky Carlos Gary and Linda please stay a moment Captain Keenan is going to come by to help you on that special project if you want to go to the workbench you should be here anytime good afternoon great right on time this is Captain Keenan who's been good enough to come by today to answer your questions on the Army Corps of Engineers and what its role has been and is in the management and development of our country's natural resources and in the protection of our national security Captain this is Becky Carlos Gary and Linda Mrs Drake has sort of filled me in on your project which has to do with our country's 200th birthday and how the Army's core of engineers has helped to develop build and Protect America in these various roles well I've had to do my homework too and to help me help you I've brought some film and other pictures along by putting it all together I hope to give you an overall picture as to what the the Army's core of engineers has done and is doing for our country now where would you like to start well I always think of the army as marching and fighting War but engineers build things and prevent floods from happening I read where you build dams and control our big water ports like New York but you're still soldiers I mean like back in World War II Korea and Vietnam right whoa whoa yes no yes I mean you're all partially right but an army engineer military or civilian he's a special breed of cats we wear two very important hats in our jobs well just like the one you mentioned Gary we do have a proud combat history going back to the Revolutionary War but Army Engineers have also made important contributions to America's growth from helping to explore our own country to helping space exploration from building historic forts to Major structures in our nation's capital We Are Soldiers for sure but we're also pioneers Architects Builders and innovators and always American citizens who care I'd like to hear the captain tell it his way like from the beginning does that turn anybody off okay let's try it that way but first I need to show you who it was that got this whole story started Carlos would you put that on the projector please none other than George Washington engineer Soldier Statesman while still a general in charge of our continental army he was authorized by our then Continental Congress to set up a special Department to beheaded by a chief engineer and two assistants so the history of the army Engineers which began the day before the Battle of Bunker Hill is actually longer than that of our own country military engineering efforts during the Revolutionary War were confined mostly to building defensive fortifications to protect our forces and garrisons against British attacks the job done was pretty good for the time and the limited experience of those involved the creation of a core of engineers was actually accomplished by Thomas Jefferson who is president persuaded Congress to establish a military academy at this country's vast interior began to sell thanks to Pioneers like major L but not for Conquest an important milestone in the core's role of helping to shape America's Destiny of as was transportation of male and by this act army engineer offic officers could be used in the carrying out of work as well as civilian Engineers it was this act which really established the core Civil Works program as we know it today it meant Army Engineers would have two roles of national importance one of the Chesapeake Ando Canal beginning in what is now George bending to Pittsburgh before this ambitious project was suspended but core Civil Works projects continued and by 1827 were to become directly involved with anothering assistance to help develop and build the first railroad railroads more were to become with the surge of railroad canoe Horizons and opportunities passages through the Delta where River opened to Sea progress to make the Miss sometimes failing but mostly succeeding a brilliant West Point graduate Robert E Lee devised a system for the river to do the job of scouring the channel clean two engineer officers named management which to today is the science of river hydraulics in the Great Lakes region a stubborn natural Rapids at a point called Sue St Marie was a barrier which had to be conquered if this 1,000m long shipping route was to serve our expanding Waterway Commerce system Army Engineers involvement to change the Great Lakes into a servant for those who would sail these lakes and benefit from their man-made improvements between 1842 and 1846 the legendary explorations of Lieutenant Fremont and his Kit Carson extended into what is on area for exploration and Survey so Army Engineers were sent West to discover what was out there what the land people living there were like among the deade in California was gold and that would immediately create a stampede to the West the Pacific Railroad survey fell to Army Engineers who recommended exploration and surveys Covered California Oregon Utah the Rockies land which was Barren unfriendly and challenging but what was learned from these early studies meant opening the West to those who would come this way in increasing numbers to settle in America's western frontier any of you have any questions or comments at this point I'm here to help you you know well sure Gary go ahead well like you guys were building all these railroads and canals and things it's any you have to fight it all I mean like in war yes Gary Army Engineers being soldiers know what combat is like when our country's security is in danger Army Engineers were there during the war with Mexico among them men named Bard me mclen Lee names destined to fill pages of American History during years not far away but in the war with Mexico they helped prove that Jefferson's Vision about West Point would prove to be correct they were men of exceptional engineering and soldiering ability what about the Civil War did the engineers fight f for which side good question Becky and uh one which requires some explanation just before our Civil War began Washington DC was the scene of intense army engineer activity we were planning the completion of the Washington Monument beginning the dome for our capital building planning Civic improvements for our Capital City President Lincoln was in office hoping for a solution to the problems which were splitting North and South but as you know that was not to be and Civil War resulted even our army couldn't overcome personal feelings some followed their convictions by a joining the Confederate Army which included General board and its distinguished leader Robert E Lee for engineers wearing both uniforms the war introduced new combat applications like the use of telegraphy for faster Communications employment of aerial balloons for observation these two military experiments really helped lead to what became the the Army signal and air core on land both sides used railroads to their advantage to move men and Equipment where they were needed our civil war not only changed the country but also the way War would be fought in the future so it was both a trying and testing time in our history when the Civil War ended Washington DC needed attention population increase had made streets a nightmare conditions were so bad that some people wanted our Capital site moved elsewhere but Army Engineers were put to work finishing what had been started laying out the grounds for Arlington National Cemetery Paving streets and in so doing setting the stage for their future involvement in design and building which would make Washington DC a national showcase as the 1800s moved on Civil Works projects again focused on our rivers and harbors and army Engineers were at work developing navigational systems to extend our waterborne Transportation routes in the west exploration was beginning to reveal the still blank spots on our country's map areas like the upper Yellowstone Valley the efforts of army Engineers to map and bring back reports about this unknown area resulted in the creation of what is now Yellowstone National Park for its first 10 years this natural Scenic Wonder was victimized by neglect and man-caused abuses aware of what man could do to destroy Yellowstone the core of engineers asked Congress for authority to build roads and establish Army patrols to preserve and protect the park in the mid 1880s Congress authorized the request and an army engineer Captain Dan Kingman who would later become chief of army Engineers spent a three-year Tour of Duty in Yellowstone during which he laid out a highway Loop which is still a main artery in the Parks roadway system the concern of army Engineers about protecting and preserving land areas in our West wasn't limited to one place yose in California was another and it too was kept safe from exploitation and abuse by Army Engineers before our national park service was created and took over the job as fast as America was growing so were her Transportation needs Old Man River the Mississippi was still a stubborn challenge which acquired engineering work to safeguard shipping and passage along its winding course the Arkansas and the Missouri Rivers also posed Monumental problems which received army engineer attention to make them navigable and safe for the people who lived close to their Banks the Ohio River was yielding to navigational development and a real beginning to what would eventually mean a system of interconnecting waterways scattered throughout the country Harbor improvements were continued by Army engineers in our port cities to better handle ship traffic when the 20th century came along Army Engineers had already provided 125 years service to their nation and had been a dominant factor in its growth and protection of