Army news service (Aug. 1, 2004): Corps of Engineers recruiting for Iraq.

WASHINGTON -- The Army Corps of Engineers is recruiting soldiers who are leaving the Army, retired military, family members, and Department of Defense civilians to work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Corps now has 328 civilian positions to fill in Iraq and Afghanistan. The goal is to have all of the positions filled by December, if not sooner, officials said.

"We're pulling out the stops to try to recruit people," said Shelia Dent, chief of the Corps' employment and compensation management division. "The Corps is using every hiring tool at its disposal, including recruitment bonuses, hardship pay, direct hiring authority, and dual compensation waivers to entice soldiers leaving the Army and retired federal employees back to work.

Since the war on terrorism began, the Corps has deployed about 2,000 personnel.

Pat Burgess, national emergency program manager for the Corps' South Atlantic Division, said she volunteered to deploy to Iraq because she wanted to do something different and add to the mission. Burgess has spent eight months in Kuwait and Iraq during two separate tours.

"I'm an adrenaline junkie, and I'm in the twilight of my career," said Burgess, who has 35 years of federal service and is eligible for retirement. "I felt I needed to do one more good thing in my career before I retired. I wanted to utilize my operational background--to see how the work I do in rear support serves at the other end."

Before joining the corps, Burgess worked as a reserve mobilization specialist for the U.S. Army Reserve Command. She had ample opportunity to see the relationship between stateside planning and overseas execution, but never had the opportunity to deploy personally.

"We believe there are soldiers who may be leaving the military, retired military, and even family members who have critical skills and experiences that make them a perfect fit for some of the positions we're filling." Dent said.

"Most people don't realize, out of the 300 personnel in theater, there are only about four dozen U.S. military noncommissioned officers and officers working for the Corps in Iraq," said Maj. Gen. Ronald Johnson, the first commander of the Corps' Gulf Region Division.

During a recent interview with the Fox television network, Johnson credited the Corps' success to its civilian volunteers, which is the much larger population.

"The civilians are making a great sacrifice, and they are making a difference," Johnson said.

Employees of the GRD in Iraq are improving the oil infrastructure, power supply, water resources infrastructure, hospitals, education, roads, and bridges--all the things needed to build a strong society. The Corps also supports the military by constructing buildings and facilities.

In Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Engineer District is building new structures including power, water, sewage, barracks, and other facilities for the Afghan National Army, and repairing runways and base camp improvements for the coalition military. They are also providing technical and quality assurance support to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Corps seeks engineers, engineer technicians, program and project managers, resource managers, accountants, contracting officers, auditors, administrative support staff, and safety and health officials. Other openings include logistics and information technology.

To find out more information or apply for the Army Corps of Engineers, a link is available on the Army's Civilian Personnel Online Web site at <http://www.CPOL.army.mil>, which provides employment opportunities.

For more information, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Human Resources Office by e-mail at [e-mail] or call [phone].