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Military engineer society in Tacoma

Society grows locally

Bill Fierst and Kim Kaul of the SAME Tacoma post receive Design Excellence awards for work done on the Unity Bridge at the Society of American Military Engineers award ceremony 2015. Photo courtesy of Dave Newkirk, Marketing Manager SAME Tacoma post

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The Society of American Military Engineers, or SAME, has been at the fore front of collaborative works to solve national security and infrastructure issues since their founding in 1920. Nationally, the organization boasts over 150 posts that serve over 30,000 members; as SAME continues to grow they have been able to assist in the networking of public, private and military professionals in the architecture and engineering fields. Western Washington currently houses two Society of American Military Engineers posts. Both of these posts look to assist in not only furthering their mission statements, but to proudly support operations at all military installations in western Washington while giving both military and civilian engineers a unique opportunity to further hone their craft.

Western Washington is home to posts in both Seattle and Tacoma. The two work closely together to further training, preparedness and readiness for both civilian and military to be able to react quickly and effectively in the event of crisis. While both posts stand by the national mission of the organization to assist in any emergencies that threaten national security or the national infrastructure they also pride themselves on their unyielding support of local military.

The Tacoma chapter had "adopted" the 555 Engineer Brigade several years ago. As part of this action, they formed the Able Fund; this fund is a pool of donations that is sent to help soldiers and families of the brigade. In 2014, the SAME Tacoma chapter was fortunate enough to give families of the triple nickel $5,000 in assistance through donations received by their post from local members as well as several businesses.

While the benefits of SAME are far reaching, there are many areas where the organization hopes to grow locally. Dave Newkirk, the Tacoma posts' marketing manager, stated that "unfortunately there is just not a lot of participation in the Bremerton area." While those that do participate from the Bremerton area have the option of which post to join due to their location, it seems that many servicemembers and businesses alike are choosing not to. Both the Seattle and the Tacoma posts are attempting to grow participation from the area as they believe the more collaboration and resources available to the organization goes to assist not only the individuals, but the community as a whole.

January 19, will see the first collaborative meeting for the Tacoma and Seattle posts in 2016. It is expected that senior officials from six public agencies will be presenting. The presentations are expected to introduce members to upcoming contracting opportunities as well as outline needed areas of support, and recent funding and development trends. As this meeting will be hosted by both posts, they have chosen a central venue at the Crowne Plaza in SeaTac. Generally, the Tacoma post will meet at Eagle's Pride Golf Course once a month.

Through their work, the Society of American Military Engineers has continually provided top-tier collaborative work. They have allowed unequaled networking opportunities which, often, lead to employment opportunities for military engineers once they separate from service. While ensuring a safe and functional infrastructure for the Nation, as well as a rapid response in the event of a crisis, SAME members have helped the Nation to continually move and grow.

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