Underground Construction - May 2020 - 29

DCA Convention Review
French Revolution failed, but today Stirewalt says we suﬀer from
"cultural Type 2 diabetes" - we've grown rich and lazy and failed to
take care of our unique legacy.
Referencing C.S. Lewis, he pointed out how Russia and China
have order but no freedom, while Somalia has freedom but no order. The United States is the safest, best place to live in history, but
he believes our politicians do not say so because their only purpose
is to keep us angry and afraid and make us take a side. Stirewalt
described 2016 as the "Flight 93 election" because both sides acted
as if it were better to crash than to let the other side win.
He observed that Tocqueville believed Americans were free
because we were fundamentally good - we take care of each other.
Stirewalt urged the audience to demand more civics and history
education, to "give young people the manual on how this country
should work." After answering some thoughtful and pointed
questions from the audience, Stirewalt left them with his ﬁnal and
most important takeaway: "We are not enemies."
The ﬁnal evening of the convention featured the President's
Reception and Dinner. This year's theme was "USO Through the
Decades," and patriotism was on tap. Red, white, and blue décor
accompanied a '40s-style big band playing "Stars and Stripes
Forever," while guests congregated at the army canteen bar or took
pictures in front of the World War II airﬁeld backdrop featuring a
giant B-17 Flying Fortress.

Guests came dressed in military garb, both vintage and
modern, from every branch, including Mike Hickey's mother
as a World War II air raid warden.
But the real fun was "celebrity" spotting among the costumed
crowd: Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, John Wayne, Phyllis Diller,
Groucho and Harpo Marx, Johnny Bench, Captain America,
Miss America, Rosie the Riveter, Uncle Sam, Rick Springﬁeld
and "Jessie's Girl," and, of course, Marilyn Monroe. "Bob Hope"
took the stage to tell a few jokes and introduce Mike Hickey, who
thanked everyone for his time as DCA President and oﬀered a
lesson from his parents: "Whatever you do, be happy."
Incoming president and self-proclaimed "Jungle Cruise Boat
Captain" for 2020, Ben Nelson of Michels Paciﬁc Energy, was
up next to introduce his theme for the next year: "Who do you
want to represent your company here in 20 years?" After a
performance by the talented Swing Sisters, "Marilyn Monroe"
sang a special happy birthday serenade to "Mr. President" Ben
Nelson and actual birthday boy "Mikey" Hickey.
Dave Wisniewski then reﬂected on the impact of powerful
words and the sacriﬁce of our service members as he read the
Preamble to the Constitution.
DCA is scheduled to hold its Mid-Year Meeting in Ashville,
N.C., July 15-18. The next annual convention is slated for Feb.
15-20, 2021, in Waimea, Hawaii. *

LIVE WEBCAST:
Thursday, May 28, 2020 | 1 p.m. CST / 6 p.m. UTC

The Challenge of Mud Disposal
for HDD of All Sizes
There are many different dynamics occurring in the horizontal directional
drilling (HDD) industry. However, the essential but increasingly complex
use of mud and ﬂuids on the job site is one of the most important factors in
the future of directional drilling. Mud disposal is not only a cost issue, but it
has become a political concern as well. HDD as a chosen method is being
scrutinized and overlooked because of drilling mud issues and concerns.

Panelists:
Tyson Smith
Technical Sales Engineer
Wyo-Ben
Thomas Jamieson
VP Engineered Solutions
TriFlo
Cory Baker
General Manager
HardRock Directional Drilling

Underground Construction - May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - May 2020