WEBVTT

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Started at 17 . I never thought it

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would amount to this . Those were the

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words of Thomas Plumly , a man who left

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a lasting legacy on the US Army Corps

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of Engineers Huntington District and

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its commercial navigation system . On

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July 13th , Army officials and

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distinguished guests gathered at the

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Winfield Locks and Dam in West Virginia

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to officially dedicate a survey vessel

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in his name and to celebrate a man who

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spent 42 years . In public service ,

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being in the Army Engineers for 20

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years and then working for the Corps of

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Engineers for 22 , that's all I've ever

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known for the federal government . It's

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been an honor for me . Plumly started

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his civilian service in 1991 as a lock

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and dam operator at Winfield , but

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spent the next 21 years on the

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district's dredge team as a

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hydrographic technician . You never

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knew what grade Thomas's position was .

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He always worked above it . You hear

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people talk about going above and

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beyond . Tom sets that definition . Tom

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directly supported our national

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security and economic mission through

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his work in hydrographic surveying and

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dredging . Commercial navigation on

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these river systems is possible because

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surveyors like Tom ensure vessels can

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safely transport cargo under full

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clearance . The hydrographic survey

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technicians and the vessels that they

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operate are critical in ensuring that

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those channels are maintained , and

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when we experience shoaling , they

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identify that . We get dredges in there .

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We keep the channel open to the design .

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And authorize width and depth in order

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to ensure that commercial navigation ,

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recreational navigation , and national

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security aspect is maintained on these

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river systems . Plumly was instrumental

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in developing the dredge program by

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training new employees and sharing his

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extensive knowledge . In hydrographic

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surveying , dredging techniques ,

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quality assurance , and maintenance ,

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so I spent a lot of hours out on the

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rivers . We got 412 miles of navigable

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waterways in the Huntington district .

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I learned every square inch of that

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footprint on those , on those waterways

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from Tom . He showed me where places

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they used to dredge , where we dredge

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today , where we , uh , place the

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dredge material , um , just

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instrumental throughout the 12 years

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that I served alongside Tom . His

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contribution ensured the efficient

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execution of the dredge program . It

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was a seed that grew to the successful

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operation and channel maintenance

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program that expanded to all the

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navigable waterways and lakes within

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the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division .

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Around a lot of the things that Tom

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taught us as far as the , the methods .

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For Example , using an equipment rental

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contract as opposed to a quantity

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contract , so we pay the contractor by

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the hour instead of by the yard . We

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later expanded that into a regional

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dredge contract that the entire lakes

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and river division uses in all four

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river districts in LRD . But keeping

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the river open meant putting crews in

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hazardous conditions . For Plumlee ,

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safety was non-negotiable . He

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maintained an impeccable record of zero

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accidents over his entire career . He

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designed and implemented several key

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modifications to improve efficiency and

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safety to the survey boat . Tom

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actually came up with the

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implementation for larger Tonys similar

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to what you would see on an actual tow

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boat , but now we're using one survey

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boat . We were really the first ones to

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kind of implement something like that ,

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and it allows us to get on and off the

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vessel easier as well as getting on and

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off . Off the dredge . Historically ,

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army regulations prohibited naming

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vessels after living individuals , but

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in 2025 that rule changed . New

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policies now allow the honor for

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retirees who are at least 70 years old ,

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have 15 years of federal service , and

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have been retired for 5 years .

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Following a memo written to the

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commander this . Last March , Tom

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Plumly made history as the very first

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living person to receive this

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dedication . It makes me feel proud .

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It makes me feel proud of my daddy . He ,

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uh , subtract labor and he worked hard .

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He made sure that we had everything

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that we needed and that we got a good

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start in life . The plumbing name meant

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something . This means something to me ,

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not only for me but for him . And uh

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I'm proud of that . Naming the vessel

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Plumly is a fitting tribute to a man

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whose career exemplifies duty , honor ,

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and selfless service . Thanks to his

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vision , his legacy will continue to

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guide and protect these crews for

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generations .