USACE Vicksburg District announces new Mat Sinking Unit Chief

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District announces the selection of Maurice Gilmore as the new chief of the Mat Sinking Unit (MSU).

In his new position, Gilmore will oversee a crew of more than 300 personnel and manage the unit’s mission of sinking concrete mattresses along the Mississippi River to prevent erosion and river migration. He will also be responsible for maintenance of the MSU during the off season.

“We are focusing on teamwork because no one person can accomplish the mission alone,” said Gilmore. “People are vital to our operation, and I am honored to serve the Mat Sinking Unit crew as their new chief.”

Gilmore’s career with the MSU began in 2003 as a revetment worker. Throughout his course, he also worked as a striker, mechanic, maintenance foreman, and most recently as the assistant chief of the MSU.

Gilmore resides in Edwards, Mississippi. He and his wife, Rodena, have three grown children and are the proud grandparents of three granddaughters. During his spare time, he enjoys hunting, drag racing, repairing muscle cars and spending time with his family.

The MSU places hundreds of thousands of articulated concrete mats, also known as revetment, along the Mississippi River to protect flood control works, prevent riverbank erosion and provide navigable waterways for commercial transportation. The unit’s work spans the jurisdictions of the Memphis,  Vicksburg and New Orleans districts and more than 1,700 river miles. 

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds seven major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.