Corps Teammates,
During this week of celebrating the Army Birthday, I
wanted to reach out to highlight the birthday of the Army Corps of
Engineers. On 14 June 1775, 239 years
ago this week, the Continental Army was established; two days later, on 16
June, Commander-in-Chief George Washington appointed the first Chief
Engineer.
As we celebrated the Engineer Birthday on Monday, I
thought about the many brave men and women who have proudly worn the Castle and
lived our motto, “Essayons" or "Let US Try.” From the Sappers who
assured victory at Yorktown to the Engineers who helped to develop our Nation,
our Soldiers and Civilians have all served with honor and distinction.
The last decade has provided USACE many challenges, all
of which we answered with the same Engineer spirit that has sustained the Army
Corps of Engineers for 239 years – from Iraq and Afghanistan to New Orleans and
New York. Today, we are working in more than
140 countries around the globe, making great progress on our Campaign Goals and
starting to make progress in the areas of Public-Private Partnerships, STEM,
Interagency Support and so many other initiatives.
The Army Corps of Engineers has come a long way since our
humble beginnings on 16 June 1775, and our future is brighter than ever. I hope you will all take some time this week
to honor our legacy of service to the Army and the Nation.
Attached you will find a tri-signed letter from our
senior Army leaders in celebration of the Army's birthday.
Thank you for what you do each day!
Essayons...Building Strong...Army Strong!
Tom Bostick
LTG, US Army
53rd Chief of Engineers