The Army Corps of Engineers is still part of the U.S. Army

Mr. Matt: Once and for all, what's up with the Army Corps of Engineers? Are they part of the U.S. Army? Do they fight in wars? — Roger, San Diego

Hey, Rog, who do you think put the bunker in Bunker Hill? That was the country’s first call foi military engineering, and the Continental Congress hired three guys to build the fortification In 1802 the corps became part of the U.S. Army. In 1824 they were authorized to work on civilian projects too, and they’ve been digging, dredging, building, and damming ever since. Their penchant for changing major watercourses in the name of flood-plain management is part o what gave them such a bad name about 20 years ago. Some believe, if the corps had its way, the Mississippi River would be straight as a stick and lined with concrete.

The corps is a huge but low-profile outfit that’s still part of the U.S. Army. These days they do a lot of planning, management, and contracting, not so much the actual work. They do go into war zones to ply their trade, but civilian projects make up most of their load. Army officers are the corps’s top management. The rest of the troops are civilians, more than 900 ii the L.A. district office alone. Locally, it’s their dredger that’s moving all that sand from the bay to Mission Beach.