Col. Jesse Curry, US Army Corps of Engineers Hawai’i Wildfires Recovery Field Office commander, was honored for his service at last week’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting in Lahaina.

Mayor Richard Bissen presented Curry with a plaque of Maui that reads, “mahalo no kou kākoʻo a me kou aloha no Maui” (“Thank you for your support and love for Maui”).

Originally, Curry was contracted to be in Maui for three months — but extended it to six months in order to continue recovery efforts. He has been integral to coordinating and informing the community about USACE debris removal, school construction and other work. Curry is now headed home to his family in Illinois.

Toward the end of his time on Maui, Curry looked to the future with optimism.

“I will be back with my family to see the rebuild of Lahaina and everything back to a town that will represent how amazing this community is and has been to me my entire time here,” he said.