Vicksburg District Team Member Returns from Afghanistan

Vicksburg, Miss… Drew Smith, civil engineer with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District, recently returned from deployment to Afghanistan in support of Overseas Contingency Operations.

He worked as a project engineer during the construction of over ten projects for the Afghan National Army and National Police throughout northern Afghanistan. These facilities will provide Afghan security forces with a new and safe location to provide the best security possible in the region. He also served as project engineer for the construction of a special forces compound for the United States military near Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. For his exceptional work during his deployment, Smith was awarded the NATO Medal, the Commander's Award for Civilian Service Medal, and the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism.

“I was very fortunate to be selected to do a challenging job in a complex environment with an amazing group of USACE personnel. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything,” Smith stated.

He is a hydraulic engineer in the Water Control Section in the Hydraulics Branch at the District. He is responsible for river forecasting, flood plain management, and operation of numerous flood control projects throughout the Vicksburg District.

He is a native of Vicksburg and married to the former Leslie Hardy of Terry, Mississippi. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Mississippi State University.

The Corps supports the U. S. Army by deploying members of its civilian workforce who volunteer to support the Army’s mission worldwide. Since 2002, the Vicksburg District has deployed over 180 civilians to Iraq and Afghanistan. This civilian workforce provides a unique expertise to the fighting forces, including a reach-back capability that taps the expertise of the Corps of Engineers as a whole. The Corps continues to play a key role in defense operations as well as responding to natural disasters, both at home and abroad.