Since the 19 95 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Bernie Deneke has been involved in antiterrorism efforts. A structural engineer and a volunteer since 1991 with the Tidewater Urban Search and Rescue Team, Bernie helped evaluate the stability of the remains of the Murrah building so that search and rescue crews could do their jobs safely.



For his work in Oklahoma City, Bernie received a Meritorious Civilian Service Award in July 1995 from the U.S. Navy. Six years later, after September 11, he performed the same service during the search and rescue mission at the Pentagon.



In 2002 Mr. Deneke was promoted by his long-time employer, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, to a position as one of the principal structural engineers with the Armed Forces antiterrorism efforts. As Special Assistant for Force Protection & Structural Engineering, he works with his counterparts from the Army and Air Force to develop building design criteria for the protection of people and critical assets at military facilities during terrorist attacks.



Bernie began his college career in the military tradition, as an undergraduate at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. However, like about half of the institution's graduates, he remained a civilian instead of accepting a military commission. After graduating with a degree in civil engineering in 1985, he enrolled in graduate studies at Virginia Tech-along with Citadel classmate and current Via Department Professor James Martin.



At Virginia Tech, Bernie worked as a teaching assistant for professors Sigfried Holzer and Richard Barker. After completing his M.S. in structural engineering in 1986, he began his career with the Atlantic Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Norfolk.



As a structural engineer, he worked on projects for the Department of Defense and NATO in the U.S. and other areas of the world, including the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, North Africa and Australia. In 1989 he became a registered P.E. in the Commonwealth of Virginia.



The Navy recognized Mr. Deneke's work in both 1992 and 1994 with outstanding job performance awards. In 1995 he was selected by the National Society of Professional Engineers to receive the Young Engineer of the Year Award in the state of Virginia.



In 1997 Bernie was promoted to the position of supervisory structural engineer with the Atlantic Division, and in 2001 he worked briefly as a remote employee for the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center in Port Hueneme, California, as a tall tower/antenna consultant. After September 11, the Armed Forces began placing more emphasis on facility engineering concerns associated with potential terrorist threats. In December 2002, Bernie returned to Norfolk to join the staff of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command-Engineering Innovation and Criteria Office in his current job as an antiterrorism/force protection specialist.



Mr. Deneke has continued his work as an on-call volunteer with the Tidewater search and rescue team. He is one of two structural engineers on the team, which operates under the guidance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Also an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, he currently serves as vice president of the Norfolk Branch.



Bernie and his wife, Heather, have one son, Joseph, who is three. They are expecting their second child in early March of next year. Bernie also enjoys windsurfing, golf and fishing.