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Historical Vignette Intro

The Office of History publishes short articles on activities and episodes from the Corps' past. On the lower-left navigation bar, you will find archived vignettes organized by category. Please check back for new material.

Featured - 50 Years Since the Clean Water Act

HQ Building of the 5th Air Force
HQ Building built by Army engineers for the 5th Air Force at Milne Bay, New Guinea. January 10, 1944.
Debris retaining structure
Mount St. Helens Eruption Recovery: The debris retaining structure on the North Fork Toutle River, ca. 1982.
Canaveral District sign
Sign near the offices of USACE's Canaveral District, ca. 1967.
Red Dust at Black Horse in Vietnam
Typical working conditions at Black Horse [Camp Blackhorse, near Xuan Loc, Vietnam]. 27 March 1968.
Sacramento District Awards, 1943
Sacramento District, Staff. Group of staff at Service Awards ceremony, 1943.
Three men push a large concrete cylinder into place.
Los Angeles River sewer relocation 1939
Channel improvement on Los Angeles River, California. Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. Transporting 60-inch pipe to position in relocated sewer tunnel under Los Angeles River. Photograph taken June 30, 1939.
Man in USACE jacket observes large equipment shoveling snow.
Snow removal in Detroit District
Michigan snowstorm and snow removal, Detroit District, Feb. 1977.

Historical Vignettes

180 - 250.10 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in WWII and the Birth of Military Construction
Aug. 1, 2025
179 - 250.09 Civil War Defensive Fortifications of Washington, DC
June 3, 2025
162 - Galveston District in the Spanish-American War
May 15, 2023
161 - Twenty Years of Operations in Iraq
April 1, 2023
138 - Victory over Japan (VJ Day) and the Japanese Surrender
Sept. 1, 2020
136 - Victory in Europe (VE Day) and the German Surrender
May 7, 2020
135 - Battle of the Remagen Bridgehead
March 1, 2020
134 - 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
July 1, 2019
133 - 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion
June 1, 2019
132 - Pearl Harbor Effect on Sacramento
Dec. 1, 2018
130 - Road to Alaska
Nov. 1, 2017
129 - America Enters the Great War
April 3, 2017
128 - An Army Engineer at Pearl Harbor
Dec. 1, 2016
127 - The British Bombard Ft. McHenry in Baltimore
Sept. 11, 2014
123 - Israeli Airbases
July 1, 2010
121 - Corps Construction in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nov. 1, 2009
117 - J.P. Martin, Revolutionary War NCO
July 1, 2009
116 - Engineers in Russia
June 1, 2009
113 - The Corps of Engineers organizational structure was used to hide the development of the atomic bomb in World War II
May 1, 2008
109 - Mel Brooks Was a Combat Engineer in World War II
Aug. 1, 2007
105 - Engineers Played an Important Role in Europe During the Cold War
Jan. 2, 2007
102 - U.S. Army Engineers Helped Assure Victory at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781
Oct. 1, 2006
098 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Shaped the Combat Environment during the Korean War
July 1, 2005
087 - Congress Established the Position of Engineer Sergeant Major
June 1, 2004
079 - The Oldest U.S. Army Officer to Serve in World War II Was an Engineer
June 1, 2004
086 - Army Engineers Made Key Contributions During the Normandy Landing and Beyond in June 1944
May 3, 2004
074 - Army Engineers Oversaw the Military Reconstruction of Japan in the Aftermath of World War II
Sept. 1, 2003
069 - In Response to World Events (1941-61), Tulsa District Exemplified Flexibility
June 2, 2003
068 - the Baltimore District Mobilized its Civil Works Organization to Defend the Homeland
May 1, 2003
067 - Army Engineers Reopened a Key Italian Port
April 1, 2003
064 - Engineer Construction in the Persian Gulf Provided a Key Lifeline During World War II
Feb. 3, 2003
065 - Middle East Division’s Extensive Construction Program in Saudi Arabia
Feb. 3, 2003
063 - World War I Corps of Engineers Special Watch
Jan. 2, 2003
062 - How Army Engineers Cleared Viet Cong Tunnels
Jan. 1, 2003
061 - A Small-Scale Amphibious Operation Helped Save the Day for the Continental Army
Dec. 1, 2002
056 - After World War II, the Corps Formed a New District to Rebuild Greek Infrastructure
Sept. 2, 2002
057 - Army Engineers Were a Critical Part of the Greatest Invasion that Never Was
Sept. 1, 2002
054 - The Corps Helped Control Helicopter-Generated Dust
Aug. 1, 2002
053 - The "Hero of Little Round Top," Gouverneur K. Warren, CE
July 1, 2002
050 - The Corps of Engineers Built NASA Facilities
May 1, 2002
045 - An Engineer Helped Save New York City from British Attack during the War of 1812
March 1, 2002
043 - Reconstruct Kuwait Following the Persian Gulf War
Feb. 1, 2002
041 - The Role of Army Engineers during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Jan. 2, 2002
042 - The Corps Helped Kuwait Recover from Iraqi Occupation
Jan. 2, 2002
034 - the Corps Built the Pentagon in 16 Months
Sept. 3, 2001
032 - The Corps Built the Launch Sites for Atlas ICBM
Aug. 1, 2001
030 - Congress Rewarded a Revolutionary War Engineer for His Role in Taking Stony Point in July 1779
July 2, 2001
027 - An Engineer Rescued 10 Warships
June 1, 2001
023 - An Engineer General was Instrumental in Grant's Success
May 1, 2001
018 - The Corps of Engineers Built ICBM Silos
April 2, 2001
017 - The 2d Engineer Combat Battalion
March 1, 2001
001 - How the Military Construction Mission Began for the Corps of Engineers
Jan. 3, 2000
002 -The Engineers fought and lived through day of infamy
Jan. 3, 2000
008 - An Engineer Officer Helped Plan the Inch’on Invasion
Jan. 3, 2000
010 - A Revolutionary War Sapper Founded Cleveland, Ohio
Jan. 3, 2000
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170 - Hurricane Katrina after Twenty Years
Aug. 29, 2025
168 - Pittsburgh District Photos Illustrate Decades of USACE Dedication to Regional Economic Development
Feb. 3, 2025
167 - Remembering President Carter’s Water Resources Legacy
Jan. 15, 2025
166 - Troy Lock and Dam on the Hudson
Oct. 1, 2024
165 - A Brief Legislative History of the General Survey Act
April 1, 2024
163 - Civil Works for the Public Good during the New Deal, 1929-1941
March 1, 2024
159 - Clean Water Act: Everglades Restoration
Oct. 3, 2022
158 - The Clean Water Act: San Diego Vernal Pools Preservation Plan, 1980-2012
Oct. 3, 2022
157 - The Clean Water Act: The Dredged Material Research Program and the Harbor of New York and New Jersey, 1973-2016
Oct. 3, 2022
156 - The Clean Water Act: Marco Island, Florida, 1976-1982
Oct. 3, 2022
155 - The Clean Water Act and the Army Corps of Engineers
Oct. 3, 2022
140 - Defunct Districts from the Past
Nov. 1, 2020
137 - Mount St. Helens Erupts and USACE Responds
May 18, 2020
126 - 100th Anniversary of the Opening of the Panama Canal
Aug. 1, 2014
120 - Snagboats
Sept. 3, 2009
108 - Tom Brokaw's Corps Connection
July 2, 2007
107 - An Army Engineer Officer Oversaw the Construction of the Panama Canal
April 2, 2007
103 - (WRDA-86) Fundamentally Changed the Way the Corps Planned and Financed Water Resources
Nov. 1, 2006
095 - Memorial to Women of the Civil War
Feb. 1, 2005
091 - Nation’s Oldest Artificial Waterways
Sept. 1, 2004
093 - The Largest Ship Salvage Operation in Corps History Took Place in Guam
Sept. 1, 2004
088 - Congress Established the Mississippi River Commission
June 1, 2004
084 - Partner in Conservation
April 1, 2004
081 - “The Loneliest Road in America"
Feb. 2, 2004
077 - Kennedy Dedicated a Corps of Engineers Project
Nov. 13, 2003
076 - Army Engineers Supervised Construction of the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater
Nov. 10, 2003
060 - Pres. Kennedy's Eternal Flame at Arlington Cemetery
Nov. 1, 2003
072 - Norfolk District has Kept the Channels of Hampton Roads Open for Half a Century
Aug. 1, 2003
070 - Early 19th Century Corps of Engineers Plans for the C&O Canal
July 1, 2003
071 - Vessels to Honor Members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
July 1, 2003
067 - Army Engineers Reopened a Key Italian Port
April 1, 2003
059 - The Corps Has Helped Solve Urban Water Problems Since 1824
Oct. 1, 2002
052 - Congress created the Board of Engineers
June 3, 2002
044 - Sergeant Floyd Monument
May 1, 2002
049 - Engineers Gathered Early Aurora Borealis Statistics
April 1, 2002
040 - The Corps Designed Suspension Bridges that Saved Lives in Afghanistan
Dec. 4, 2001
039 - The Corps Oversaw the Construction of Much of Afghanistan’s Modern Road Network
Dec. 3, 2001
035 - The Corps Helped Answer President Kennedy's Call
Oct. 1, 2001
024 - The Bribe that Went Up in Smoke
May 1, 2001
020 - One of the Corps' Most Distinguished Civil Engineers Escaped Nazi Persecution
April 1, 2001
013 - What a Corps Civilian, Water Current Meters, and Apple Sorters Have In Common
Feb. 1, 2001
003 - Lt. Eugene A. Woodruff, Red River Hero
July 3, 2000
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