TheU.S. Army Corpsof EngineersHonolulu District

PacificConnection

Vol. 38, Nr. 1Spring 2004

The Pacific Connection, an unofficial publication authorized by AR360-1, is a periodical produced by thePublic Affairs Office, Honolulu District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Shafter, HI 96858-5440.Telephone (808) 438-9862. This command information publication is for employees and others who requestit in writing. Contents are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government,the Department of Defense or the Department of the Army. Circulation: approximately 1,100.

Honolulu District Commander......................... Lt. Col. David C. Press

Chief, Public Affairs ................................................... Joseph Bonfiglio

Editor .................................................................................. Sarah H. Cox

OpinionCommander’s Comments

2 The Pacific Connection Spring 2004

“You make meproud to beyour DE. ”

Aloha to the best employees in theU.S. Army – the employees of the Honolulu Engineer District.

As you probably know, the HED change of command isscheduled for July 16, 2004. At that time, Lt. Col. Dave Anderson willcome in and I will depart. I do not look forward to that time, since I willmiss all of you.

It has been an immense honor to be the District Engineer forthe Honolulu Engineer District, the best District in the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers.

Why do I say that? Probably, because we have such a broad,geographically diverse mission, in exotic and interesting places suchas Palau, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Rota and the Hawaiian Islands. Buteven more important than the places we serve, are the people weserve and you, the professionals who serve them.

You are the best. I will never forget my time working withyou true professionals as we have worked together to accomplishour missions on behalf of our nation and the people of our Area ofResponsibility.

Right now, I need to share some important information withyou. As many of you know, I volunteered to serve in Iraq a year agowhen the war broke out, and now the Army has told me that I havebeen selected for this mission. By the time you read this, I will alreadybe in Iraq, serving on a 90-day TDY with the Gulf Region Division.

For the past few months I have actively encouraged Districtemployees to serve in the Global War on Terror and volunteer forduty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now I am privileged to follow my ownadvice!

I look forward to serving there again. During my career, Iserved in Saudi Arabia for two years. I was there during the bombingof the Headquarters Building for OPM-SANG (Khobar Towers - 1996),where a murderous act of terrorism killed several Americans and localnationals. The indelible memory of that incident has remained withme through the years and motivates me even today to do my part tofight terrorism. I again encourage you to volunteer and get involved,or if you stay here to do your part every day to help win this war. AndI know that you will!

While I go gladly to Iraq, it saddens me to leave you now. Iwould dearly have loved to serve shoulder to shoulder with youthrough the last three and a half months of my tour. But, the goodnews is that I am scheduled to be back for two weeks before mychange of command in July to finish the work that I started here. I willremain the Commander of the Honolulu Engineer District during myabsence.

Fortunately, I am blessed to have an able Deputy, Maj.Adrienne Eckstein, who will be the Acting Commander in my ab-sence. And Mr. Ray Jyo continues to serve with distinction as theDeputy District Engineer for PPM.

I leave with a clear conscience, knowing of the profes-sionalism of all of your leaders and each of you. I have everyconfidence that your performance will continue unabated duringmy absence. Your professionalism and can-do spirit will enableyou to continue the superlative work that is the hallmark of theHonolulu Engineer District.

I’d be happy to hear of your various successes via e-mail asyou get time away from your labors.

In addition, in the months ahead, I need all of you to focus onour continued support of Army Transformation, the C-17 Beddownand the Gulf Region Division as well as many other critical projects andprograms.

The greatest challenge we have right now is to field the newP2 suite of programs to replace PROMIS and other legacy systems.

By the time you read this, P2 is scheduled to have beendeployed for its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in Honolulu, FortWorth and Galveston Districts as well as Southwestern Division head-quarters.

This IOC is similar to a test-run. If all goes well, P2 will bedeployed Corps-wide in about a year. Once completely in place, teammembers from every District will be on the same system, thus increas-ing communication and eliminating the learning curve we’ve en-countered in the past.

Learning a new system is never easy, but once we’ve mas-tered it, P2 will make managing our projects and sharing our knowl-edge much easier. We’ve already received many positive commentsfrom several Project Managers on the system.

This new state-of-the-art system will allow us to: use oneautomated tool; eliminate redundant systems and data entry; es-tablish consistent tools and processes; increase efficiency andproject coordination; increase the visibility of resources, includingdefining and monitoring budgets as well as identifying the rightpeople for the job; share information locally and virtually; and per-form Earned Value Analysis and Work.

Many thanks to everyone who has participated in thetraining. This is a powerful tool. I encourage you to get ahead ofthe power curve. P2 is here for a long haul.

In the months ahead, I also want to remind you about sev-eral issues that are important to the District and me:

Suspenses & Communication: Ensure that we meet allsuspenses. Keep Maj. Eckstein and your whole chain of commandinformed and in the loop. Cross talk with each other on issues, solu-tions and actions. Most importantly, keep customers informed andinvolved in the process.

ISO: Congratulations! HED has passed its ISO 9001:2000registration audit. The auditors found zero non-conformities withinour organization and we should receive the official certification in afew weeks. Many thanks for the dedication required to make thishappen.

FY 2004 OPLAN: Now is the time to take another look at thisimportant document. What have YOU done to help make our objec-tives come to fruition?

The year 2003 was great and 2004 will be an even better yearfor the District, Division and Corps. Thank you for your professional-ism and for all that you do every day! You make me proud to be yourDE. I sincerely appreciate the hard work and dedicated efforts of theHonolulu District Ohana.See you in three months!ESSAYONS!

By Lt. Col.David C. PressCommander

This newspaper is printedon recycled paper.

Spring 2004 The Pacific Connection 3

“Be positive, be yourself, be mindful of others, be going somewhere, be happy and have fun...”

Brig. Gen. Davis shares his CommandPhilosophy with the POD/POH Ohana.

Story and photoby Joseph Bonfiglio

Several hundred members of the Dis-trict and Division Ohana gatheredMarch 15, 2004 for a joint POD/ POH

Townhall Meeting hosted by POD Com-mander, Brig. Gen. Larry Davis.

Brig. Gen. Davis started off theTownhall with a video made by the 101stAirborne Division to demonstrate the im-portance of the Global War on Terror.

The CG then told the Ohana of hissix-months in Iraq, where he served: firstas the C7 (Engineer) for Combined JointTask Force - 7, then as the deputy directorof the Coalition Provisional Authority, Pro-gram Management Office

He deployed to Iraq shortly afterassuming command of POD in June 2003.

The POD commander shared howthe U.S. military in general and USACE inparticular are working around the clock toimprove the lives of Iraqi citizens as theymake the difficult transition to democracy.

He relayed how U.S. Soldiers aredoing things that were never expected ofthem and he added that he has never beenmore proud to be a member of the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers.

He said that the best stories aboutthe everyday improvement of life in Iraqdon’t make the news.

The CG also shared the followingguidance which comes from his personalphilosophy:

Be Positive: Nothing is more in-fectious than a negative person. We don’tneed problem identifiers, we need prob-lem solvers. When people ask me, “whatdo I do?” I tell them, “I solve problems!”I want you to do the same.

Be Yourself: Be natural and useappropriate humor to keep people from get-ting too stressed out. “It’s always workedfor me.”

Be Mindful of Others: Follow theGolden Rule in all that you do. Be sure tothank the people who work for you andthose people who worked to help you getwhere you are today. When I was picked tobe a brigadier general, I mentally went back

through all the folks who helped me.Remember who’s packing your parachuteand always be mindful of others.

Be Going Somewhere: “Askyourself, where am I going in life? Wheream I going in the organization? How do Iget there?” Then go there.

Be Happy & Have Fun: Thinkabout this when you do your work. “I lovewhat I do and I want you to love whatyou do too.”

Brig. Gen. Davis reminded theassembled Ohana that Divisions exist tomake Districts succeed.

A highlight of the Townhall waswhen the CG presented commander’s coinsand awards to members of the POH andPOD Ohana.

Betty China, David Chun, BrianKamisato, Letitia Ponciano-Galapia, GayleRich, Jamie Savoie and Ed Thompson wereawarded POD commander’s coins for theirrole in P2 implementation.

Several individuals received CGcoins for their participation in ExerciseBalikatan 2004: Maj. Tim Burns, KatieTamashiro, Vicki Cleaver, Fred Nakaharaand Tom Brady.

The CG presented POH Com-mander, Lt. Col. David C. Press, a BronzeAward for the District’s Combined FederalCampaign (Renee Inouye was the DistrictCoordinator).

Several individuals received Se-nior Leaders Conference recognition cer-tificates: Vicki Cleaver, Sharon Freitas,Ronnie Kirkland, Calvin Mashita, MilesTakayesu and Larry DeGroot.

Gerald Young was honored as theU.S. Air Force Civilian Project Manager ofthe Year.

Sam Song was recognized for win-ning the Secretary of the Army Outstand-ing Achievement in EEO Award.Laureen Lau received a CG’s coin for herrole as the Townhall emcee.

In addition, the CG honored three2003 RLDP graduates: Russell, Iwamura,Brian Kamisato and Curtis Yokoyama.

A few days after the Townhall,Brig. Gen. Davis toured POH and visitedwith the POH staff.

He received comprehensivebriefings on all aspects of POH’s mis-sions, programs and key projects includ-ing: Military Construction, WaikoloaFUDS, Army Transformation, Whole Bar-racks Renewal, support to the PohkuloaTraining Area, the C-17 Beddown, CivilWorks projects and many other issues.

The CG complimented the qual-ity of people in the District and was ex-tremely impressed by the large workloadand the diversity of the mission.

During the CG’s POH visit, he metwith the POD/POH Ohana for fellowship ata Pau Hana get-together on March 19, 2004.

Prior to assuming command ofPOD, Brig. Gen. Davis commanded theCorps’ South Pacific Division for two years.

Previous Corps assignments alsoinclude chief of staff at Headquarters, U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, Washington,D.C. and commander and District Engineerof the Corps’ Los Angeles District.

Employees of the Month4 The Pacific Connection Spring 2004

May Jenny Masunaga, attorney, Office of Counsel,has been a tornado of activity. In the short timeshe has been the principal attorney responsiblefor Civil Works she has become an institution,working tirelessly on virtually every civil worksproject wherein difficulties have arisen. Shehas insights far beyond her experience and hasbecome a trusted team member by tirelesslyworking every single legal issue and manynon-legal issues that come to her attention. Herrole in working with the State legal authoritiesand POD, USACE and ASA representatives inthe Kaumalapau solicitation development andproject certification was indispensable. Sheplayed an important role in achievement of the

Wailupe Design Agreement. She volunteeredto became an ISO Auditor and worked hard toassist with OC preparation for Audit as well asperforming audit duties for other organiza-tions. She has gone to the field in support ofprojects, attended public meetings, attended theCivil Works summit with her clients - in shortshe is the paradigmatic lawyer - making herclients’ issues and problems hers, and workinghard to resolve them. Notwithstanding hercrushing schedule, she makes time for PMs,and other staff members, listens to theirproblems and becomes part of the solution.She is a valuable asset to this District becauseshe is a terrific lawyer and employee.

December

Eric Sugiyama, structural engineer, TechnicalSupport Branch-Regional Technical Center,has done an outstanding job in completingIndependent Technical Reviews, BCOEreviews, responding to Requests for Information(RFIs) and providing engineering supportduring construction for numerous projects. Hehas been involved in providing engineeringsupport for construction of whole barracksrenewal and aviation complex phase 6A atWheeler AAF, performing ITR/BCOE of C-17program ramp-up and information systemsfacility at Schofield Barracks and providingtechnical oversight on hydrant fuel systems at

Hickam AFB. His technical ability combinedwith willingness to work with others makeshim a valued asset to the District. In additionto all this, Eric recently volunteered toparticipate in POH’s outreach program as amentor to a local high school studentinterested in a career as a structural engineer.Eric volunteered to assist this student with aproject on bridge design using new andinnovative technologies. His performanceassists in making the district a superiorengineering organization.

December

January

January Rodney Leong, program and project manager,handles the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll(USAKA) program supporting the Space andMissile Defense Command (SMDC) andMissile Defense Agency (MDA). He iscurrently handling several fast-trackedprojects for the MDA on Meck Island. Thecustomer had an urgent need to scope theprojects and award the design contracts byearly January 2004. Rodney put together ateam to work these hot projects and executethe mission. He continues to partner with theUSAKA DPW and the Kwajalein Resident

Office to investigate ways of providing morecost-effective, higher quality, and timelydesign and construction services throughinnovative uses of the Kwajalein IDIQconstruction and services contracts. Rodneycompletes his duties in a professionalmanner with an exacting attention to detail.He is methodical, accurate and demonstratesgreat customer service. His exemplaryperformance brings great credit upon him,the Honolulu District and the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers.

Andrew Perez, regional economist, isrecognized for his hard work and dedicationin completing all economic reports for bothCivil Works and Military Constructionprojects. In spite of a heavy workload,Andrew has been able to complete many1391’s often on very short notice. Economicanalysis in the Corps of Engineers CivilWorks program has been under closescrutiny. Andrew has completed hiseconomic analysis in a professional mannerand has clearly identified projects that arenot economically justified as well as

providing a sound basis for those projectswhich are justified. Andrew has gained therespect of Project Managers, local sponsorsas well as his co-workers. Andrew is awelcome member of our Project DeliveryTeams and provides outstanding support tothe Honolulu District in our Civil Worksand Military missions.

Spring 2004 The Pacific Connection 5

Employees of the MonthLisa Clark, work force management specialist,performs a multitude of tasks in a superiormanner. In additional to her job, she servesas the assistant training officer for the District.In this role, she works with training coordina-tors throughout the District to ensure alltraining requirements are forecasted and met.This entails time-consuming work as theliaison between all PROSPECT courses andDistrict employees. Lisa also manually inputsinto Automated Training ManagementProgram (ATMP) every training class/coursefor employees not in the PROSPECT system.To date this has been over 100 courses.

February Through Lisa’s hard work, the HonoluluDistrict met the POD goal of having 100% ofour METLs and IDP in ATMP. Additionally,Lisa serves on the award committee, attends allrecruitment fairs and supports the SpecialEmphasis Program Committee (SEPC). Lisaalso has been assigned as the project managerfor the upcoming change of commandceremony in July. With her positive outlookand excellent work ethic, Lisa continually addsto the success of the Honolulu District.

Christi Shaw, archaeologist, EnvironmentalTechnical Branch, Engineering and Construc-tion Division, demonstrates excellent team-building skills and customer service in her roleas Cultural Resource lead for the StrykerBrigade Combat Team (SBCT) EnvironmentalImpact Statement (EIS) Project Delivery Team.She is responsible for successfully completingthe Section 106 consultation and coordinationfor the Programmatic Agreement in compli-ance with the National Historic PreservationAct of 1966, as amended. The consultationrequired facilitating coordination between theU.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, the State Historic

Preservation Office, the Advisory Council onHistoric Preservation, the Office of HawaiianAffairs and several Native HawaiianOrganizations. Through her leadership,solutions to conflicting concerns were resolvedin a timely and effective manner. In additionto overseeing this complex negotiation, shealso manages cultural resource surveycontracts and coordinated the review of thecultural resource sections for the Draft andFinal SBCT EIS. Ms. Shaw’s dedication anddiligence to this process has helped improverelationships and strengthen trust between theCorps and the customer.

February

March

March Andrew Kohashi, chief, Army-HI Branch, isa consistent, high performer with a tremen-dous work ethic and devotion to duty. HisBranch handles in excess of 200 projectsfrom multi-million dollar MCA projects tothe rapid response OMA for our biggest cus-tomer, the DPW. Under his purview, are thehighly visible and vital SBCT implementa-tion and the Whole Barracks Renewal.Since Andrew has come here, customer satis-faction has increased and Branch manningand responsiveness are at an all-time high.His Branch’s proficiency is a credit to

Andrew’s hands-on style and his leadershipby example. In addition to all this, Andrewaccomplished the District Space Study andwas instrumental in the retention of B-223in order to accommodate the space require-ments of the District. Andrew is truly deserv-ing of this award.

SIPR net, which increased band width, al-lowed four times the workstations to be in-stalled and provided redundancy. In addi-tion to this, she worked with FEMA, RMand the Finance Center to resolve a billingdiscrepancy and submitted more than adozen multi-district bills to FEMA. With asmile and lots of perseverance, she overcamemany challenges and helped the HonoluluDistrict succeed in fulfilling its EmergencyManagement mission.

Vickie Cleaver, emergency operations assis-tant, Emergency Management, has spent thebetter part of the past month preparing theEOC and Secure Room for the Infrastructureand Assessment Team. In this time, she tookthe initiative to become a certified Informa-tion Assurance Security Officer [IASO] toquicken the installation of software andtroubleshooting system glitches, she “deci-phered the code” of DOIM, POD andHQUSACE requirements. This allowed theDistrict to install and bring online a vanilla

Civil WorksTechnical BranchSpotlighting an office that is helping make the Honolulu Engineer District

“The Best Place for the Best People to Work”

The Pacific Connection6

Hopper DredgeEssayons

HullLength - 350’Beam - 68’Height (keel to mast) - 126’

DraftLight - 22’Loaded - 27’Displacement - 7,248 L. tons

Dredging DepthNormal - 80’Extended Dragarms - 94’

Dredge CapabilityHopper - 6,000 cu. yardsProduction - 43,000 cu. yards average daily

Main PropulsionTwo 3600 h.p. eachManufacturer - EDM (GM)

Generator EnginesThree 750 kw Caterpillar/ Kato Diesel

Dredge PumpsTwo 1650 h.p. mounted on the dragarmTwo 3000 h.p. mounted inboard

Vessel SpeedLight - 13.8 knotsLoaded - 13.5 knots

POD employee Tony Paresainspects he state-of-the-artdredging automation.Photo by Darren Walls.

Essayons at Honolulu Pierawaiting her fresh crew to arrivefrom Portland Oregon.Photo by Matthew Rowe.

Steve Perry describes the bouldersin the harbor which often becomelodged in the dragarms.Photo by Matthew Rowe.

Dragarms on each side of thevessel carry away the sand or siltand deposit it in the hopper bins.Photo by Sarah H. Cox

HED, POD and city employeesascend the gangplank for a tourof the dredge.Photo by Sarah H. Cox.

With a recent refit, Essayons nowperforms the work of moremodern dredgers.Photo by Sarah H. Cox.

Spotlight on HED

Lt. Col. Press and Dep. Director ofHawaii DOT, Linden Joestin (R),receive a navigation lesson from3rd Mate Steve Perry.Photo by Joseph Bonfiglio.

Civil Works Technical Branch employees have been busy for the past two years preparing for thearrival of their comrade from the Portland District. This is not the dredge Essayons’ first visit toHonolulu. In fact she has dredged Honolulu harbor several times since 1983.

“It takes a lot of coordination and planning,” said Pat Tom, HED civil engineer, Civil Work TechnicalBranch. “We have been coordinating maintenance dredging with the Navy and the State Department ofTransportation for about two years.”

“It’s a big undertaking,” Tom said. It costs approximately $79,000 a day to operate Essayons whichdoes not include the cost of mobilization and demobilization to and from Oregon.

“It’s not cheap, but has to be done,” Tom said. Without periodic dredging, the harbor would fill withsilt and sand and become too shallow for the large ships.

Essayons arrived Feb. 11, 2004 with a crew of 20 Corps employees who are all licensed mariners.They worked 28 six-hour watches around the clock for two weeks before returning home and makingroom for a new crew to arrive. The new crew spent two weeks completing the project.

On March 18, Essayons made the eight-day journey home to Portland District where she will keepthe harbors and rivers in California, Oregon and Alaska navigable until her next visit to Honolulu.

Welcomes the Essayons

Spring 2004 7

During September 2003, a small number of U.S. Army Corps of Engineersvolunteers began their movement to

Baghdad, Iraq, to be part of Task Force Re-store Iraqi Electricity (TF RIE). That TaskForce eventually grew to 90 members.

TF RIE took the 26 hardest projectsand worked them so well that even as the teamwas headed out the door to go home in Decem-

Story and Photo by Ed EvanTransatlantic Program Center (TAC)

ber, the Ministry of Electricity was asking formore. In the end, 55 went home on schedule,but 35 remained behind to take on longerrange projects, folding into the new GulfRegion Division that was stood up in Iraq onFeb. 25, 2004. At that point all Corps ofEngineers’ missions in Iraq became part ofthe new Division.

They were a short-term, high-im-pact task force charged with making it pos-sible for Iraqis to restore specific areas ofhigh-tension lines and power stations critical

Brightening the Way...

Ninety USACE civilians and military from various Districts around the world were broughttogether as Task Force Restore Iraqi Electricity (TF RIE). Accustomed to performing emergencyrecovery efforts, USACE was asked to field a response team with specific skills to deal with thecritical electrical grid problems. Shown above is a 198-ton generator and carrier after crossing abridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad on Jan. 26, 2004. The 220-ton turbine followed.

to long-term restoration of the nationwideelectrical grid. What they were up against was623 damaged or destroyed transmission tow-ers and roughly 400 miles of 400KV and 132KVtransmission lines lying on the ground thatwere needed to transmit power from deteriorat-ing generation stations and substations tosabotaged distribution nodes.

In the end, they achieved a great dealand then handed off the Iraqi electrical missionto the new Gulf Region Division. TF RIE’smission had been met and was the genus of thenew Electric Directorate in the Division.

Proudly they said good-bye to thosethey served so well in the new, free country ofIraq, and flew back to say hello to the familiesand friends they left behind. The emergencyover, they went back to work in their Districtsall across the United States; important, inte-gral members of a team that came togetherwhen their country called, and met the chal-lenge. A job well done!

HED brightens the holidays for those in Iraq and Afghanistan

Aloha in Afghanistan. Bernie Rall, HED RealEstate Specialist serving in Afghanistan, usedthe decorations from SEPC to brighten her desk.Photo by Bernie Rall.

Want to help rebuild Iraqor Afghanistan?

Soldiers and civilians serving in Iraqand Afghanistan had a brighterholiday with aloha spirit thanks to the

Special Emphasis Program Committee(SEPC)’s efforts and the generosity of manyHED employees.

The SEPC collected donations tosend ten large holiday gift boxes filled withKona coffee, macadamia nuts, cookies andholiday decorations to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We sent nine boxes to Iraq and oneto Afghanistan,” said Lolly Silva, environmen-tal protection specialist and SEPC member.

“We just wanted to brighten the sea-son for our many employees in the Corps fam-ily, ” Silva added.

According to Bernie Rall, a realtyspecialist from HED who recently served a

120-day detail in Afghanistan, SEPC certainlyaccomplished its goal.

“It cheered me up when I opened thebox….like pulling rabbits out of a hat! I used thedecorations around my desk area in our tent tomake it festive. We also liked the Kona coffee.Coffee is a precious commodity here, we alldepend on care packages for it,” Rall wrote ina thank-you note to HED.

Seems lots of people enjoyed the giftboxes in Iraq as well. Many sent thank-you notesto HED expressing their gratitude for making theholidays, spent far from family and friends, justa little bit brighter.

The SEPC plans to continue the holidaygift boxes as long as Corps’ members andSoldiers are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In fact SEPC is already coordinatinganother round of gift giving for personnel inIraq and Afghanistan.

USACE’s new Gulf Region Division nowhas temporary and term positions avail-able. Many specialties are needed in-cluding: mechanical and electrical en-gineers, architects, contract specialistsand human resource specialists andmore. To access Army vacancies:

http://www.cpol.army.mil1. Click employment2. Click vacancy announcements3. Highlight country desired “Iraq” or “Afghanistan4. Click get results

“We’re planning on sending 4th ofJuly packages,” Jerry Matsuda, SEPC sub-committee chairperson, said. “We hope toinclude lots of red, white and blue decorationsin addition to the aloha gifts.”

Story by Sarah H. Cox

8 The Pacific Connection Spring 2004

Rep. Neil Abercrombie pays acourtesy visit to Pacific Ocean Division

Rep. Eni F. H. Faleomavaega receivesupdates on civil works projects in American Samoa

Big Island’s Saddle Road Groundbreaking

On Jan. 22, 2004, Rep. Neil Abercrombie paid a courtesy visit toPacific Ocean Division Headquarters. POD and HonoluluEngineer District staff gave him the POD command brief andprovided overviews of the Military and Civil Works programs. ThePOD command brief noted the strategic support that POD providesto the United States. POD is charged with executing Corps’missions in the Pacific Area of Operations, an area that spans sixtime zones, from Alaska and Hawaii to American Samoa andacross Polynesia and Micronesia to Japan and Korea. HonoluluEngineer District has the largest geographic area in the Division,stretching from Hawaii through Polynesia and Micronesia. Ofparticular interest to Abercrombie were the briefings on the currentstate of the Whole Barracks Renewal Program, support to ArmyTransformation, the Waikoloa Formerly Used Defense Site andthe Salt Lake Sediment Analysis. Abercrombie stated that he wasvery appreciative of the outstanding work that the Corps does forHawaii and the nation. He termed Fort De Russy in Waikiki (builtby the Corps) as the finest example of military recreation in theworld. Photo by Joseph Bonfiglio.

Representatives of the Pacific Ocean Division andthe Honolulu Engineer District met with Rep. EniFaleomavaega of American Samoa Jan. 9, 2004, todiscuss the status of civil works projects in hiscongressional district. Faleomavaega received up-dates on the Aunuu Small Boat Harbor, LeloaloaShoreline Protection, the Pago Pago Airport Run-way 08/26 Shoreline Protection, Tau Small BoatHarbor and Tutuila Harbor. In an archipelagodependent on boats to transport people and goods,Corps projects are important to maintain the qualityof life in American Samoa. Shown facing thecamera from left to right: Ray Jyo, Rep.Faleomavaega, Lt. Col. Press, Eugene Ban and JimBersson. Photo by Sarah H. Cox.

Sen. Dan Inouye, Rep. Neil Abercrombie, USARHAWGarrison Commander, Col. David Anderson; Big IslandMayor, Harry Kim; Hawaii Dept. of Transportation Director,Rod Haraga and representatives of the U.S. DOT and otheragencies watch as a Kapuna pours holy water on the O’odigging sticks (ceremonial groundbreaking tools) at theSaddle Road groundbreaking ceremony at Mauna Kea StatePark on the Big Island Feb. 17, 2004, The first phase of theproject will be a 12.7- mile road behind the PohakuloaTraining Area, replacing the road that now fronts the camp.Once complete, the new Saddle Road will safely link Eastand West Hawaii. The total price of this U.S. Dept. ofTransportation project is estimated to be $220 million. TheHonolulu District has many active projects on the BigIsland, including several at PTA. Photo by Joseph Bonfiglio.

Spring 2004 The Pacific Connection 9

The new Life Skills Clinic on Hickam AFB will fit innicely with the surrounding historical architecture onFox Blvd. The new 6,082 square-foot clinic with itsstucco exterior, steel frame and tile roof will containprivate office space, counseling rooms and a waitingarea. The clinic will be used to provide mental healthservices as well as alcohol and drug abuse prevention forUSAF members and their families. Shown at the groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 6, 2004 from left to right:15th Airlift Wing Commander, Col. Raymond Torres,Contractor Alan Shintani, Lt. Col. Joseph Buder andUSACE HED Civil Engineer, Edwin Yago. This design-build project also includes a parking area, utilities andan access road for a cost of $2,700,000. The estimatedcompletion date is Nov. 24, 2004.Photo by Micheal Dey.

In with the new, blend with the old

It’s a new year and a new chance for 22 HEDemployees to try something different, tolearn new ways of doing things and to

discover and develop their leadership skills.The one or two year personal devel-

opment programs are for all permanent em-ployees.

“The year-long leadership assess-ment level course gives employees the chanceto develop themselves as future Corps leadersand assess their abilities as future supervi-sors,” according to RLDP Advisor and HEDLiaison, Phillip Mun who is also the HED EEOchief.

The members of the 2004 RLDPclass have volunteered to participate in thisPOD-wide program.

New faces going places: RLDP kickoff

HED Deputy Commander Maj. Adrienne Eckstein speaks to the newest members of the RegionalLeadership Development Program (RLDP) at the 2004 RLDP Kickoff Jan. 12, 2004. POD isleading the way with its second year-long class. Photo by Sarah Cox

“It takes a lot of initiative, a lot ofreading and most of the work done in off-dutytime, but it’s worth it,” according to Gary Nip,chief, Design Branch and RLDP level advisor.

“Of course, participation in RLDP isno guarantee of a promotion, but it certainlymakes a person more competitive should theyapply for a supervisory position,” Nip said.

Sam Song receives the Secretary of the Army’s award forOutstanding Achievement in Equal Employment Opportunity

Brig. Gen. Larry Davis presents a letter ofrecognition to Sam Song, deputy chief,Engineering and Construction. Song recentlytraveled to Washington D.C. to receive thenational award. Photo by Joseph Bonfiglio.

Quiet, caring, unassuming and devoted. That’s how most everyone whoworks with Sam Song describes him.So how does winning a national honor

like the Secretary of the Army’s award foroutstanding achievement in equal employmentopportunity affect the Deputy Chief of E&C?

“I’m totally surprised,” Song said.Although he makes every effort to stay abreastof his EEO and affirmative employmentprogram responsibilities, he is humbled by thewhole experience.

“I feel very humbled, there are somany deserving people in our organization,”Song said.

“We do have a lot of deservingmanagers here in the District,” said PhillipMun, HED EEO chief.

“But what sets Sam apart is hismanagerial skills and his collaborativeleadership style. He’s truly dedicated tohelping employees advance their careers andhe’s not afraid to utilize non-traditionalrecruitment resources to locate minority,female and disabled applicants,” Mun said.

Since beginning his POD career in1977, Song has assumed many roles. Mostrecently, he serves as a mentor for employeesinvolved in RLDP, assists with the DistrictOutreach Program, serves as the DA InternCoordinator and mentors many youngengineers and architects in the community.

According to Lt. Col. Press, “Sam Song is an engineer’s engineer, he’s amodel supervisor and an outstanding EEOsupporter.”

Stress can be motivating andinvigorating, bringing forthexcellence in an individual and a com-

pany – but stress that is unrelenting can dam-age a company’s greatest resource: its valu-able people.

Research has shown the healthy ben-efits of being involved in exciting projects andhustling to meet occasional deadlines.

Stress hormones released in times of pres-sure can increase creativity and productivity.

However, when deadlines become away of life, these same chemicals start dam-aging a person’s ability to think.

This is when stress starts having anegative impact upon mental and physicalhealth as well as productivity and morale.

This system becomes maladaptivewhen the threat is psychological instead ofphysical or the threat or distress is prolonged.Taking short breaks from the daily pressuresof life can help you to be both healthier andmore productive. 

Here are five easy-to-learn techniques thatwill help you relax and feel invigorated:

1. Tense and Release

Start at your feet, take a deep breath,arch your feet, hold your breath, slowlybreathe out as you relax your feet. Repeat withyour calves, thighs, stomach, back, chest,arms and so on ending with your scalp.

If you have difficulty tensing certainmuscles, just focus on them as you inhale,hold and exhale.

If tension remains - start at your headand tense and release muscles until you areback to your feet.

Stephen Willis, M.MFT, LPCStress Management Counselor

10 The Pacific Connection Spring 2004

Building a strong and healthy workforce

HED HealthWatch

2. 888 Breathing

When you breathe deeply younotify your stressed body that everythingis OK.

Picture a large triangle in front ofyou. Trace it with your finger as you countto yourself. Breathe in slowly from thediaphragm, counting to eight. Hold yourbreath for eight seconds then exhale foreight seconds.

Repeat this several times, until youfeel yourself getting calmer.

3. Belly breathing

This is how babies naturallybreathe. Lay on your back, put your handson your stomach and breathe in such a waythat your stomach rises and falls along withyour chest. Two minutes of breathing in thisway has been shown to substantiallyreduce stress reaction in the body.

4. Sighing and toning

You have probably fallen into bedand let out a long “aaaah”.  Sighing andtoning actually help you relax by causingyour soft palate to vibrate against yourbrain stem. This soothes the part of thebrain that controls your breathing, heart rateand blood pressure. The calming benefitfrom specific tones is one of the reasons

Stressed and InvigoratedTaking short breaks

from the dailypressures of life

can help you to beboth healthier andmore productive

that meditation mantras contain soundsthat vibrate in the soft palate and also isthe reason people have a natural tendencyto moan when they are in great pain. Toperform the sighing and toning relaxationexercise: sigh deeply as you exhale. Sighloudly enough that you can feel it in theback of your throat.  

5. Self-hypnosis

It is estimated that most peoplego into what is called a naturalistic tranceabout every 90 minutes.

If you have ever gotten heavilyinvolved in a book or a TV show to thepoint that someone had to call your name acouple of times to get your attention, youhave experienced a trance state.

Hypnosis is merely a focusedstate of mind and can be very relaxing ifyour mind is filled with worries.

A few minutes in a trance statecan be a mini vacation away from the hecticdemands of deadlines and people’sexpectations.  It can also help you to go tosleep more easily.

The Betty Erickson Technique: liein a quiet room away from distractions, name(silently or aloud) five things you can see,five things you can hear and five sensationsyou can feel. Then name four of each, three,two and finally, one.

Close your eyes. To come out ofthe trance, simply open your eyes orreverse the technique by naming two thingsthat you can see, hear and feel, then moveto three, four and five.

For useful information aboutmanaging your stress, visit www.http://thestressoflife.com.

Spring 2004 The Pacific Connection 11

Real Estate employees helpfeed Oahu’s homeless

In December, Real Estate employees organized a food drivefor the River of Life Mission for the homeless in downtownHonolulu.“The need for help here is so great, we just wanted to dosomething for the community,” said Real Estate SpecialistSharron Montgomery. From left to right, Polly Bjorken,Sharron Montgomery, her son Timothy Montgomery andPatrick Harrigan load a truck with much-needed food itemsto help feed the island’s homeless. Montgomery spear-headedthe campaign and Real Estate employees answered the callby placing several donation collection boxes in buildings230 and 127. HED employees generously donated over 50large bags of rice and hundreds of pounds of nonperishablefood items to help feed and care for the 300 to 400 guestswho visit the River of Life Mission on a daily basis. Photoby Sarah Cox.

HED volunteers help their future successors

(Above) Louis Muzzarini, chief, Construction Branch, Engineer-ing and Construction Division, addresses a group of sixth, seventhand eighth graders at the 2004 Mathcounts Competition held atKamehameha School Feb. 21, 2004. Every year, members of HEDvolunteer to serve as proctors, scorers and monitors for the localevent which encourages Hawaii’s youth to pursue careers in thescience or technical fiields. (Photo left) Robyn Au and MalaiTubtim are among the HED volunteers serving lunch to thestudents after the competition.

It’s a beautiful, sunny, Saturday morning in Honolulu. At7:30 a.m., while most folks are sleeping soundly or drinking coffee on their lanais, 17 members of HED have volunteered

to return to junior high school.The volunteers assisted with the local Mathcounts

Competition. Students from 36 area schools compete for achance to ultimately represent the state in the final competition inWashington D.C. This year’s competition, held at KamehamehaSchool, helps build mathematical skills, promotes strategic prob-lem solving and challenges students to sharpen their analyticalabilities.

“These students are going to be our successors, it’s im-portant to encourage them to excel,” said Louis Muzzarini, chief,Construction Branch, Engineering and Construction Division.“We had the largest contingent of volunteers there,” saidMuzzarini ,who served as this year’s competition moderator.

“It was theCorps’ participantswho stayed after all theother scorers and proc-tors left. We even oper-ated the lunch line forthe students and alsoran the CountdownRound,” Muzzarini said.

Aside fromserving lunch to thestudents, the proctorsfrom HED (TimothyMcQuillen, Jerry Matsuda, Robyn Au, Malai Tubtim, MatthewRowe, Earl Hiraki and Thom Lichte) distributed and collected testmaterials as well as monitored student activities during the com-petition. The scorers from HED (Lorayne Shimabuku, PaulMizue, Ruby Mizue, Darren Walls, Capt. Ina Lee, Dale Barlow,

Eric Li, Tom Goto, Don Yorimoto and Anne Chang) graded thecompleted tests.

The competition is sponsored annually by the OahuChapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

“It’s rewarding to work with the kids, but it’s also achance to meet other members of the engineering community.The volunteers took time out of their weekends to help the localstudents, now that’s dedication,” Muzzarini said.

Photo by Malai Tubtim

Story by Sarah H. Cox

Photo by Matthew Rowe

On the cover-- Photo by Sarah Cox

Promotions: - Kanalei Shun, Chief EnvironmentalTechnical Branch. - Ronald Kirkland, HED Budget Officer. - Laureen Lau, Executive Assistant. - Dinah Lazaro, Accountant. - Lenora Okubo, Budget AnalystAnnouncements: - Sharon Jantoc received her B.S. inBusiness Administration from Hawaii Pa-cific University. - Renee Kurashige received her Associ-ate Degree from Leeward CommunityCollege. - Malai Tubtim, received her B.S. in Ac-counting from University of Hawaii. - Waynes Hughes received his B.A. inBusiness from Suffield University. - Richard Rodier received his Global In-formation Assurance Certification. - Elaine Nagasawa has been selected asthe new Paralegal Specialist. - Jim Pennaz’s son, Matt, is starring inthe Army Community Theater’s produc-tion of Camelot, May 15-30, 2004.

12 The Pacific Connection Spring 2004

U.U.S. Army Engineer District, HonoluluATTN: Public Affairs OfficeBuilding 230Fort Shafter, HI 96858-5440

District ShortsAloha means....Hello:Lori Arakawa, Roy Awakuni, WayneBirgado, Tobey Colston, Eric Edrada, Jes-sica Hays, Julie Higa, Roy Ishikawa, ClydeMaeda, Jerry Matsuda, Misty Payne, JustinPummell, Lynette Schaper and Bill QuinnWelcome back:Lise Ditzel-Ma and Dickson Ma from theirtwo-year tour to Korea.Good-bye:Clifford Kato, Andrea Swick, SybilHamasaki , Warren Kanai, Natalie Koyanagi,David Yang and Peter Lee.Reassignments: - Lt. Col. David Press will be TDY to Iraqfor three months. - Robert Ishiara has a new job in Japan. - Capt. Lisa Landreth will be TDY to thePhillipines for three months.Condolences:HED offers condolences to the family ofDonald Leong on the passing of his fatherSam Leong, and also to the Fretz family onthe passing of Douglas Fretz.

The latest Regional Leadership DevelopmentProgram graduates (RLDP) at the POH/PODtownhall held March 15, 2004. From left toright: Brian Kamisato, Brig. Gen. Davis,Curtis Yokoyama, Russell IwamuraPhoto by Joseph Bonfiglio.

Katie Tamashiro’s (EM) newest addition,baby Julian, shown with big sister JasmineRodriguez. Julian was born to Katie’s daugh-ter Jill and son-in law Jorge. Long-timeCorps employees may remember Jill from yearsago when she played for the Corps’ volleyballteam. Photo by Jill Rodriquez.

Practical fire-fighting saves lives if the unthinkable happens.Using a fire extinquisher is more difficult than it looks, asstudents in the recent Fire Warden Training class learned. FireInspector, Kaleni Whitford, from the Federal Fire Departmentfor Pearl Habor assists Dilly Rapley, Schofield BarrocksResident Office civil engineer technician, with proper fireextinquishing technique. Training began in the ConferenceRoom in Bldg. 230 and ended with a controlled fire in theparking lot. Employees took turns extinquishing the blaze.