Conyers native and Heritage High School graduate Eddie Jackson came back home to speak to the Conyers Rotary Club Thursday about his role as a commander in the US Army Corps of Engineers. 

Col. Jackson is the commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ South Atlantic Division, which is one of eight Army Corps regions providing engineering and construction services to the United States. He is responsible for overseeing the planning, design and construction of the projects to support the military, protect America’s water resources, and restore and enhance the environment within a 250,000 square-mile area which includes all or part of eight southeastern states. 

Col. Jackson said Thursday that many people are not aware of the Corps’ role in the management of Georgia’s water supply. He explained that among the Corps’ most important duties is the planning, designing, building and operating of dams. Col. Jackson has been heavily involved in the extensive planning to deepen the port of the Savannah River, a vital project he said is “shovel ready” but is awaiting federal funding from the president’s budget. The $652 million project will deepen 38 miles of the river by five feet to allow larger cargo ships to enter the Savannah Port.

After graduating from Heritage in 1982, Col. Jackson attended Clemson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Building Science and Management and was commissioned as an Engineer officer into the US Army in 1986. Although he is stationed in Atlanta, he travels throughout the Southeast. His troop assignments include serving as the wartime commander of the 54th Engineer Battalion during a year-long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.