Corps Talk

As Hurricane Helene swept through the southeastern United States in late September 2025, it left behind widespread destruction, particularly in Southwest Virginia. Two of the hardest-hit areas in Virginia were the City of Damascus and Claytor Lake in Dublin due to extreme flooding of both the New and Holston Rivers. Hosts James Walker and LTC Tony Funkhouser traveled to Claytor Lake after the Debr...

In this insightful episode, James Walker and Maj. Funkhouser sit down with Saniyah Roberts-Dove, a recent student intern at the Norfolk District, to discuss the impact of the ongoing partnership between the Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering (AMIE) program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Saniyah shares her personal experiences, highlighting how this collaboration is shaping future...

In this episode of Corps Talk, Maj. Tony Funkhouser, James Walker, and Col. Sonny B. Avichal—the newly appointed 61st Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District—delve into the transformative nature of change and its impact on both personal and organizational development. On July 12, 2024, Col. Brian Hallberg officially relinquished command of the Norfolk District to Col. Avicha...

This is b-roll filmed April 11 at the new 10-acre laydown yard being used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to process wreckage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge site. An estimated 50,000 tons of concrete and steel collapsed; once removed, wreckage is sorted and transported two miles away by barge to Sparrows Point. Debris and wreckage removal is on-going in support of a top priority to safely a...

In this episode of Corps Talk, hosts James and Maj. Tony Funkhouser sit down with Aubrey Moore, a student from Princess Anne High School. Aubrey shares her passion for research and environmental restoration, detailing how she and her classmates gain hands-on experience at a wetlands restoration site right behind their school. This effort is part of the larger Lynnhaven River Basin Ecosystem Restor...

In this special episode of Corps Talk, hosts James Walker and Maj. Tony Funkhouser sit down with some of the most esteemed figures of our team. Join us as we celebrate the exemplary careers of Ava Benson, Betty Grey Waring, Pete Reilly, Wirt Shinault, and Robert Pretlow, the latest inductees into our prestigious Gallery of Distinguished Employees. This conversation underscores how these distinguis...

In this special episode of Corps Talk, hosts James Walker and Maj. Tony Funkhouser sit down with some of the most esteemed figures of our team. Join us as we celebrate the exemplary careers of Ava Branson, Betty Grey Waring, Pete Reilly, Wirt Shinault, and Robert Pretlow, the latest inductees into our prestigious Gallery of Distinguished Employees. This conversation underscores how these distingui...

Have you been wondering what steps the government and our community are actually taking to address climate and environmental changes? In this episode of Corps Talk, hosts James Walker and Maj. Tony Funkhouser meet with Dr. Russ Burke (Environmental Biologist and Professor at Christopher Newport University), David Schulte (USACE Biologist and Project Planner), and Heather Lockwood (USACE Biologist...

In this episode of Corps Talk, hosts James and Maj. Tony Funkhouser meet with Thomas Booth (USACE - Norfolk District Chief of Engineering and Construction Branch) and Sharika Wannemacher (Workforce Coordinator) to discuss recruiting efforts, professional development opportunities and possible incentives to be had with a career at USACE. Watch this episode to learn how a career with the U.S. Army C...

In this episode of Corps Talk, hosts James and Maj. Tony Funkhouser meet with Lesley Dobbins-Noble (USACE - Norfolk District Chief of Operations Branch) and Chuck Sanders (civil structural engineer) to discuss how their respective branches often collaborate to help the District achieve its mission to provide effective engineering solutions for some of the Nation's and Commonwealth's toughest chall...

Join us in this special podcast episode as we explore the career of Richard Klein, recently retired Chief of the Programs and Civil Works Branch at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). With a remarkable 45-year tenure that ended on December 19, Mr. Klein offers a wealth of stories, insights, and inspiration from his journey in civil engineering. Listen as James, Maj. Funkhouser and Mr. Klein de...

In the latest episode of Corps Talk, hosts James Walker and Maj. Tony Funkhouser have an engaging chat with Norfolk District's own Abbe Preddy and Holly Berckenhoff. They dive into Abbe and Holly's inspiring career paths, from their academic days to playing pivotal roles in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. Tune in to hear how these two up-and-coming professionals gained valuable experience a...

In this episode of Corps Talk, Heather Lockwood and Drew Gebler, both project managers, take a retrospective look at their experiences from the past year. They discuss their team's achievements and the valuable insights gained in the areas of communication, commitment, and collaboration. Tune in to discover their sources of motivation and learn about their plans for applying these lessons in their...

In this episode, it's about the special balance maintained by the people. programs and projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We take a look into how the regulatory program balances the needs of the environment and the needs of progress; we see how our new equal employment opporunity chief balances people and the organization to create a strong and resilient workforce; finally, the balance...

In this episode, the host proven so very, very wrong. It's all about timber harvests and how cutting down trees in the Raystown Lake area of Pennsylvania is critical to the environment. Listen to Alisha Palmer, natural resource specialist at Raystown Lake Project; Glenn Warner, forester at Rayston Lake Project; and Andrew Wiley, forrester in the Real Estate Section of the Norfolk District. Shout o...

In this episode, we’re talking about leadership – the good, the bad and the habits of both. Andie kicks it off with the Norfolk District’s Leadership Development Program by asking about the pathways to leadership, lessons learned and a few good stories. In the second segment (00;31;00), we catch up with Mike Anderson, Norfolk District Operations Branch, Design Section chief, outside in Fort Norfol...

It’s January 2022 and this is Corps Talk, the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official podcast. The theme for this season's first episode is “Agile and Educated,” which is what the Department of the Army, the country, the commonwealth, the community and our partners need from us. Our first segment reviews the latest info related to our district's COVID measures, which was recorded l...

In this episode, it's about the special balance maintained by the people. programs and projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We take a look into how the regulatory program balances the needs of the environment and the needs of progress; we see how our new equal employment opporunity chief balances people and the organization to create a strong and resilient workforce; finally, the balance...

In this episode of Corps Talk, it's all about filters. See how leadership filters are applied by the new district commander, Col. Brian Hallberg, to help deliver the mission; how an environmental restoration project is based on using natural filtration to help return the Chesapeake Bay to health; and, hear what Women's Equality Day 2021 looks like through the filter of one of the U.S. Army Corps o...

Title: Corps Talk: ¡ponte las pilas! (S1Ep9) YouTube Title: Corps Talk: ¡ponte las pilas! (S1Ep9) VIRIN: 200918-A-SO401-1001 It’s National Hispanic American Heritage Month, so this episode we're asking our listeners to “¡ponte las pilas!” or “wake up and listen!” to our special on Fort Norfolk – the home of the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Patrick brings us his final Corp Talk p...

Corps Talk: Dredging for Compliments S1:Ep10 Last episode, Corps Talk had a special segment about their home – historic Fort Norfolk. And this month’s episode is absolutely nothing like that. Andie qualifies her inability to make deadlines by blaming the District Commander’s Course, which the Norfolk District hosted in October to assist incoming district commanders and deputy commanders in the Cor...

In this episode, we're not sure if it's Patrick's last time on Corps Talk or not! We DO know that he spent time talking with our award-winning Logistics Readiness Office team and quizzed the crew on what it takes to keep the district delivering during a pandemic. Andie eked out a last-minute interview with the Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist and got the skinny on what Women's Equality Day...

In this episode, Patrick talks with two members of the district who are knee deep in all things Florida studies. Andie catches up with the folks on the front lines of COVID-19 response and finds out how their creative thinking saved precious hours during alternate-care facility inspections. The chief of small business operations owns a segment in which she describes the roles of the small business...

In this episode, Andie has a candid chat with Norfolk District and city of Virginia Beach personnel about all things beach-renourishment. Patrick catches up with the Emergency Management Office amid all the happenings of 2020. The episode finishes up with the Norfolk District news for June.

In this episode our hosts explore what the Norfolk District's post-pandemic "new normal" may look like. Andie hosts a segment with the navigation support and survey team, discussing their role in clearing hazards to navigation. Patrick's segment serves as a Memorial Day observance as he finds out more about the district's work at Arlington National Cemetery. And as always, the team rounds out the...