Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

EDC Solarwall

Have been doing my utmost to corral the the USACE team to turn some submissions around in double time to help the contractor get back on schedule (To show willing and to slap them with when/if they start letting us down on submittals.) On the whole – a good response except from the Client who chinned this off all together…..well it’s their money I suppose.

Ashley Reservist Centre

Investigations on concrete issues on loading ramp led me to spot that another blob of concrete had been poured under similar conditions to the defective ramps. Spoke with ConRep on site to go and have a lo look and lo-and-behold we have other defects there too. The can of worms gets bigger. Other rising issues include continued lack of prep inspections and potential issues with a roof truss hanger system.

Officer Professional Development (OPD)

A demo of the debris clearance vessels  used by the Corps to maintain waterways came across as a very good excuse for a jolly on the Potomac, cruising around Washington DC in the sunshine…..very nice. This was immediately followed by….

Media Training

Having stepped off the boat onto dry land I was accosted by the media team asking for an on the spot interview in relation to a scenario we were given earlier that morning. A plane had crashed into one of the bridges on the river and carnage ensued (This actually happened about 30 years ago). Not to worry – I told them that the passengers were all entitled to a full refund, all survivors would get a free boat trip on the Corps vessels and that conveniently the boats could deal with the dead folk using the big buckets on the front of the vessels….Thankfully, Colonel Anderson was laughing when all of this got played back at district….

…I have subsequently volunteered to go speak in schools at career days. First one is on Friday 1st June. They didn’t even ask for CRB checks!

In other news…

Col Foley visit admin developing well – thanks to the PEW clerks he is no longer staying in Harrisburg. (He would have had too much attention from the six-fingered cousins – so now we just have to protect him from the drug dealers and serial killers of Baltimore, but at least it’s a better quality of scroat. Also – I get to send him the DVD box set of ‘The Wire’ to use as my ground brief and orientation.)

‘Eat. Spit. Be Happy’ that’s what it says on my bag of sunflower seeds……so I’m off to do some spittin’

McFry – Out