[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 86 (Friday, June 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      COMMEMORATING 100 YEARS OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 1998

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, Captain J.J. Meyler led a small 
group from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a breakwater 
in San Pedro Bay. From this initial project, the Corps of Engineers 
helped develop and maintain what is now the busiest port in the United 
States and the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere. These 
unsung heroes helped make Southern California an engine of economic 
growth for the entire Nation. Their designs and efforts have provided 
protection to the residents and businesses of this area for the past 
century.
  The construction of the San Pedro breakwater led to a new period of 
sustained growth for the Los Angeles-Long Branch area. The Port of Long 
Beach is now the busiest port in the Nation and--if they were 
combined--the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would be the largest 
port complex in the Western Hemisphere. This work led to the 
establishment of rail links tying Southern California first to San 
Francisco, and then to the rest of the Nation. It also served as the 
foundation for the development of industry which would put Los Angeles 
and the surrounding communities at the forefront of the American 
economic expansion.
  Although the Corps of Engineers has been intimately involved in the 
ever increasing capacity of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, it 
has provided--much as it has for the entire Nation--numerous other 
benefits to Southern California. The Corps has constructed flood 
control channels and shoreline protection to provide a safer place to 
live and work for millions of people. The Corps built barracks, medical 
facilities, headquarters, and other important structures that served 
hundreds of thousands of servicemen at military bases throughout the 
State during the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the 
Vietnam war, and the cold war with the Soviet Union.
  Over time, the national role of the Corps of Engineers in regulatory 
policy has allowed the Corps to play a broader role in California. The 
Corps provides valuable assistance in evaluating requests for 
construction around navigable waters and in the protection of wetlands. 
The Corps works to maintain safe areas for commercial and recreational 
boating, including access for passenger service to Catalina Island.
  The people of Southern California--and the Nation--owe much to the 
Corps of Engineers for their dedicated service, hard work, and benefits 
they provide for all of us. For more than two centuries, the Corps of 
engineers has served to preserve and protect this Nation. I want to 
congratulate the men and women of the Corps for their many achievements 
throughout this country and overseas, and to give particular thanks to 
the members of the Corps for their 100 years of service to Southern 
California. Happy anniversary.

                          ____________________