watervliet arsenal's newsletter: salvo 31 march 2012

Vol. 12, No. 3 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY Mar. 31, 2012

SALVO“Service to the Line, On the Line, On Time”

Who are the Elfuns?Page 2

Commander’s ColumnPage 4

Women’s History MonthPage 6

By John B. Snyder

Arsenal’sGreatest Generation Speaks

Photo by John B. Snyder

Before they became part of the Greatest Generation, they were simply men and women who struggled to survive the daily challenges of something called the Great Depression. Although they were often out of work, hungry, and depressed, millions of Americans somehow weathered through those years and some, even raised families. The fabric of America may have been tattered by nearly 10 years of tough economic depression, but it never gave way. Tom Lyons was part of that fabric then and we are better off today because he was. Tom lives today just up from the Hudson River in a

small city called Watervliet. Now in his 90s, Tom said he can’t imagine living anywhere else. Tom grew up in the 1930s in a local boarding house with his mother and two sisters. As a child, he didn’t have the playground that one would see today with great slides, sand boxes, and swings. His playground was the Hudson River. He said that he loved that old river then and he still does today. Although Tom rarely leaves his home due to some of the effects of simply being over 90, he said he often thinks about the great years he had in Watervliet and of a place called the Watervliet Arsenal.

Tom and Theresa Lyons, who both worked at the Arsenal during World War II, share a lighthearted moment during an interview with the Arsenal’s public affairs officer. Tom eventually retired from Benét Laboratories in 1973.

Production PlannersPage 5

Story continues on page 3, see Greatest

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorse-ment by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Watervliet Arsenal. News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication.

Commander, Col. Mark F. MigaleddiPublic Affairs Officer, John B. SnyderEditor, John B. SnyderPhotographer: John B. Snyder Arsenal Facebook Page @http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm

Arsenal engages the

Elfuns...who?

The Arsenal Commander Col. Mark F. Migaleddi addressing the more than 80 General Electric Elfuns and spouses at their monthly meeting in Schenectady, N.Y. Migaleddi starts the discussion by talking about the Arsenal’s history.


When the Watervliet Arsenal received a call late last year from a group called the Elfuns Society requesting that someone brief them at one of their meetings about the Arsenal, the call was at first taken with a bit of skepticism. After all, the Arsenal was well aware of local groups such as the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), DAV (Disabled American Veterans), but the Elfuns? Well, it turned out that the Elfuns are in some ways like the Arsenal. Elfuns are part of the General Electric Company, which was incorporated about 30 minutes from the Arsenal in Schenectady, N.Y. GE has been conducting research, design, and product development for the military for about 100 years. Just a kid when compared to the Arsenal, which has been supporting our nation’s military for 198 years. But the similarities between the Elfuns and the Arsenal go beyond that of service to our military — both organizations have a rich history of supporting the local community, too. Elfuns (a contraction of the words “Electrical Fund”) was founded as an organization of GE leaders in 1928 to afford members a vehicle for financial investments and fraternal activities. Elfuns are individuals who are either working at GE or have retired from GE and who have or had senior leadership positions. The organization has since become very active in community service. Once the Arsenal added the Elfuns to its list of military acronyms, Arsenal Commander Col. Mark F. Migaleddi and Benét Laboratories Director Lee Bennett said they would provide an overview to the Elfuns at

their March 20th meeting. During the one-hour presentation, Migaleddi and Bennett walked more than 80 Elfuns and spouses through the Arsenal’s nearly 200-year history — Benét Labs celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year —and through the hundreds of product lines that are currently being researched, designed, and manufactured at the Arsenal. Joseph J. Osvald, the Schenectady Elfuns Vice-Program Chairman, said that he was amazed with all the work that was going on at the Arsenal. “I knew they (Arsenal) made cannons, but I didn’t know that they made such a wide variety of guns for tanks, howitzers, and for mortars,” Osvald said. “This was a great presentation and we all enjoyed it.” Migaleddi said that engaging the Elfuns was a great opportunity for the Arsenal because of the values the Arsenal shares with them, such as support to our military and to the community, and because this was an audience that the Arsenal had not previously engaged. So, the next time a local organization with a strange name calls, the Arsenal will not be as skeptical due in part to the great relationship the Arsenal now has with the GE’s Elfuns.

By John B. Snyder

“During World War II, we often worked seven-days a week and the Big Gun Shop was always full of cannons,” Tom said. “What a great ride it was to work side-by-side with some of the greatest machinists the country has ever known.” But being a wartime machinist also paid huge dividends for Tom, but not in a monetary sense. Once Tom had completed his apprentice training, one of his additional duties was to train new machine tool operators. The training went so good that one of his trainees married him in 1944. Tom would eventually enlist in the Army and served from July 1944 to July 1946.

After the war, Tom remained at the Arsenal but slowly moved away from working the mill and lathe machines, to a new passion called heat treatment. In fact, he eventually became the foreman of the Arsenal’s heat treatment facility. His wife, Theresa, left the Arsenal after the war and went to work for a company called

Montgomery Wards. His passion for heat treatment would

eventually take him out of the machine shops and into a newly formed Army research and design facility at the Watervliet Arsenal called Benét Laboratories. Tom is a charter member

of Benét Labs having been one of the first employees of this new organization when it

opened its doors on May 9, 1962. Tom retired from Benét Labs in 1973 at age 52. Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning said that Tom and Theresa are the exception rather than the rule today. “In an era when families move every few years in search of better jobs or better schools for their children, a lifelong resident is typically only 10 years old,” Manning said. “But Tom and Theresa have a 90-year investment in the City of Watervliet.” “They grew up here, they went to school here, found work here, raised a family here, and when their work was done, they retired here,” Manning said. “I don’t know how you can measure the affect that Tom and Theresa have had on the Watervliet community, but suffice it for me to say it must be powerful.” Today, Tom thanks the Army for a great pension that allows him to live a comfortable life. He said he thinks about the good old days as an apprentice when attended class alongside some of the Arsenal legends, such as Fred Clas, who was Director of Operations for 22 years, and Thomas Kucskar, who as Chief of Manufacturing during the Vietnam War supervised more than 2,000 workers. But one of his finest memories of those Greatest Generation years is of a young woman who was the Arsenal’s equivalent to “Rosie the Riveter.” He and Theresa have now been married for 67 years.

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

Photos by John B. Snyder

Greatest cont. The Arsenal is an Army-owned and –operated manufacturing facility that has been in continuous operation since the War of 1812. And after every military conflict since 1813, military budgets have ebbed and flowed, as well as the Arsenal’s likelihood of survival. The period from the end of World War I to 1938 was a time of significant belt-tightening at the Arsenal. After all, many believed that World War I was the war to end all wars. In those years, the Arsenal’s civilian workforce numbers declined from approximately 1,600 during World War I to about 350 by 1938. The military numbers experienced just as a dramatic drop having gone from nearly 220 enlisted men and officers to just five officers by 1938. But something happened at the Arsenal on Nov. 14, 1938, that forever would change the Arsenal, as well as Tom’s life. Army Col. Richard H. Somers took command on that day and he had the vision and foresight to see that war was coming. In less than one year after taking command, he had raised the Arsenal’s workforce numbers from 350 to 1,000. Somers also reestablished the Apprentice School with an initial enrollment of 45. Due directly to Somers’ initiatives, this was the first time in the Arsenal’s history that it had ramped up its capability to support a nation at war before the first shots were fired. Those actions taken by Somers opened the door for Tom, as well as for thousands of others, to move out the Great Depression and into a steady job. Tom started his work at the Arsenal in 1940. But not having had any previous mechanical experience, Tom said he was placed into the newly restarted three-year apprentice program. “What was great about the apprentice program was that we had to learn how to operate every machine at the Arsenal,” Tom said. “When I graduated in 1943, I had the confidence that I could work in any section at the Arsenal.” Those were great years not only for Tom, but also for the Arsenal. Former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw has called the World War II period of time as the Greatest Generation for America. This is true for the Arsenal, too. During the Arsenal’s Greatest Generation years, its workforce numbers jumped to more than 9,300, about one-third of which were women. And from the time that Pearl Harbor was attacked to the landing on the beaches of Normandy, more than 23,000 cannons were manufactured with a better than 99 percent on-time delivery rate. Those numbers would never again be equaled.

City of Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

The month of March for those who live in the Northeast is often a month full of hope — hope that the long, cold win-ter will soon end. This year was different, however, in that this has been an untraditional winter with record breaking warmth. I have noticed a lot of employees keep their New Year’s resolutions by improving their exercise habits ─ congratula-tions my “gym rat” partners. For those of you who fell off the wagon, Spring is a great time to hop back on the exercise and eat right wagon. There are a lot of employees walking at lunch and working out after work. Find a partner and join in the fun. On April 14, the Albany County American Legion Aux-iliary is sponsoring a “They Marched for us…Let’s Walk for Them” Walkathon at The Crossings of Colonie. This event will raise money for the VA Medical Center and Fisher House. I ask for your support to put together a team. Please contact Kyle Buono, if you are interested. Now back to the weather. This year’s weather phenom-enon will give us opportunities that we wouldn’t have had if the environment had not changed. The changing winds in regards to future defense budgets will also guide us to op-portunities that we had not previously known. For those of you who have been following the news re-garding the budget discussions between the Pentagon and Congress know that the environment for future defense dollars is rapidly changing. We have stopped combat opera-tions in Iraq and we are currently withdrawing troops out of Afghanistan. Combine this with the fact that our country is running trillion-dollar deficits places us in an environment that is totally different from what we have known over the past decade. To many at the Arsenal, this new environment may mean uncertainty as we do not yet know how the defense budget will play out. But, just as the weather has now given us opportunities that we may not have foreseen last October, I look at the current budget discussions as creating an envi-ronment of opportunities for us, too. Not that we have ever been laid back and simply ac-cepted business as usual during the heavy production days during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, the declining defense budget forces us to re-look our entire op-erations to ensure our long-term viability. We are working hard on four main fronts. First, we are deploying LEAN as a continuous process improvement tool to become very efficient is all aspects of production. LEAN is about seeing and eliminating waste

and non-valued added steps and processes for our custom-ers. When you’re doing something, ask yourself, would the customer want to pay for this step? Quite simply, we have to be better tomorrow than we are today in order to remain competitive. Second, we have to aggressively research, plan, and seek out new work or product lines. For the last several months, I have petitioned a small group of your fellow workers to con-duct a Business Development Value Stream Analysis, which was followed by another team now doing market research and targeting for new avenues of revenue. We will also be staffing a Business Development Office in the near future. Third, our strategic planning efforts must be aligned with our higher headquarters and the environment. I WILL NOT waiver on our vision, which is to be DoD’s manufacture of choice specializing in cannons, mortars, and associated ma-teriel and other complex machined items. Last, but no less important, is Safety. Our goal is to have ZERO accidents. We have a Safety Office, but everybody is a safety officer. We have a talented and well-experienced workforce and I need everyone to use their experience and training to look at areas where we can improve the Arsenal’s safety. I have a new Commander’s Award for Safety coming out soon and we will be conducting another Safety Stand-Down Day this summer. I need your support to keep your eye on these balls. You can either be part of the cohort that sits back and worries about what the future may bring, or you can be part of the team that helps ensure the long-term viability of the Arsenal. I hope that you all join me on the team that helps shape our environment for continued success.

Commander’s Corner

Mark F. MigaleddiCommanding

Manufacturer 6


Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

A world where stubby-pencil errorsmay cost the Arsenal thousands

Photos provided by the Watervliet Arsenal Museum

Imagine the stress involved in having a job where a simple, stubby-pencil error in a calculation may mean that your business will lose out on a multimillion dollar order. Or worse yet, your calculation may have helped your company get the order but then you find out that the manufacturing costs to support the order may cost your company hun-dreds of thousands of dollars. Why would anyone want that job? But some do and the Watervliet Arsenal is fortunate that they have stepped up into the world of produc-tion planning. Some have said this is the most detailed job at the Arse-nal, which says a lot considering that Arsenal machinists work in a world of thousandths-of-an-inch measured cuts. In a rarely visited area, in a build-ing that was built right after World War I, a small team of 10 planners develop the production plan for every order that comes into the Arsenal. In fiscal year 2011, these planners worked on hundreds of orders that were valued at nearly $100 million. “Our work begins when the request for a quote comes to the Arsenal for a specific product, such as for a 120mm cannon for an Abrams Tank, and it continues throughout the life cycle of the manufactured product,” said Mike Dumas, supervisor of production planning at the Arsenal. “In essence, we track a product from its concept to its grave.” The production planners are not the folks who come to the Arsenal right after school. The Arsenal’s 10 planners have more than 200,000 hours of experience in just about all phases of production, from forge op-erations to tool design. They are skilled artisans who not only know the Arsenal’s capabilities

and capacity very well, they also know such detailed information as to how much time it takes to make each cut on a tube. This high level experience and depth of knowledge directly affects whether or not the Arsenal obtains a profit or a loss, both of which are not desirable actions. As an Army-owned and –operated manufacturing facility, the Arsenal has a very thin margin of error in its rev-enue generated from sales. The Arsenal works on a cost-reimbursable basis, which means that it cannot plan for a profit nor have a loss from a product line. For example, if there are any cost savings realized during the production cycle, the savings are returned to the customer, who in the end is the Ameri-can taxpayer. If there is a loss, the Arsenal cannot turn to the customer and say you owe more. That is why each calculation performed during the request for quote process is painstakingly veri-fied over and over again. Surprisingly, in an era of high tech it isn’t high tech that provides the launch point for these planners when calculat-

ing a quote or the production plan for an order — it is files, old files. Just outside the bowels of the production planning office is a room solely dedicated to storing files, thousands of them. Tom Ruchlicki, a long-time pro-duction planner, said that each file tells the complete history of every product manufactured at the Arsenal, from a firing pin to an Abrams Tank cannon, since the early 1970s. “Our files go back to the Vietnam War,” Ruchlicki said. “And in each file, there are documents that explain the quote process, the tools required, the production schedule, the speed of machines, down to the length of each cut made on a piece of steel to manufacture that product.”

Dumas added that one of the best by-products coming out of these files is the history of what went right or wrong during the production cycle.

In essence, what the Army calls an After Action Review. “When we get a request for a quote, we turn to these files to see if we have manufactured that product line before or maybe a similar product line,” Dumas said. “Then as we build the quote, we factor in the lessons learned from the previous order to en-sure we hit the target between a profit or a loss.” The lessons learned speak about such things as to whether or not a spe-cialized heat treatment worked down to did the Arsenal use the right angles of cuts on the product to what process-es and procedures were not required that resulted in reduced manufacturing time. Such is the life of being a produc-tion planner at an Army-owned and –operated manufacturing center. Razor thin margins of error managed by just a handful of folks who have the most detailed job at the Watervliet Arsenal. Why would anyone want this job? Some do, and we are glad they did.


By John B. Snyder

Arsenal Production Planning Supervisor Mike Dumas, left, and Planner Tom Ruchlicki show the documentation that they maintain for every product.

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

The National Emergency declared by President Roosevelt in September 1939 led to a slow increase in employment at the nation’s defense plants. In Janu-ary 1942, the Arsenal’s total employees numbered 5,312 workers. By December, the number had increased to a staggering 9,332 employees, of which 2,905 were women. At the start of the year, women were being hired as tool keepers, gage checkers and mechanic learners. As men increasing went to war, via enlistment and the draft, women increasingly took their place in the factories and assumed the roles of skilled workers. During this time, Arsenal women were inspectors, crane and machine operators, did engine and vehicle repairs, tool grinding, welding, lathe work, and operated the 40-ton diesel-engine train used to move freight cars throughout the Arsenal. Mastering each of these skilled jobs shattered many prejudices and bar-riers against women in the US to work in factory jobs. The Arsenal women helped the Arsenal to manufacturer more than 23,000 cannons from the time of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor until the Normandy Invasion in 1944.

Arsenal celebrates Women’s History Month

By Mark KoziolArsenal Museum

The Arsenal’s equivalent to Rosie the Riveter during World War II were, from left, Agnes Salsburg and Marion Gillette who are work-ing on the final steps of the bench operations of a large gun block and Dorothy Ostrom repairing an ordnance component by using an acetylene torch. Photos were taken in 1943.

Photos provided by the Arsenal museum

Painting byNorman Rockwell for a Saturday

Evening Post Cover

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

By John B. Snyder

“You want $102 million of new contract authority?” “Re-ally?” “Wow?” So went the start of Stacey Marhafer’s closeout briefing to three instructors after a week-long training event at the Watervliet Arsenal on the budgeting dynamics of something called the Army Working Capital Fund. Marhafer works in the Arsenal’s Resource Management activity. The U.S. Army Materiel Command’s G-8 sent a training team to the Arsenal February 27 to March 2 to conduct an Army Working Capital Fund Resource Management Advance Course. In addition to 15 Arsenal employees, the class had students from HQDA, G-4; TACOM G-8; and from Sierra Army De-pot. How the Arsenal is funded to conduct opera-tions and maintenance of-ten surprises community and elected officials. Un-like other Army installa-tions such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina or Fort Sill in Oklahoma, the Arsenal does not receive Congressional funding for maintenance , repair, or for the manufacturing of tubes and various assemblies for such weapon systems as the Abrams Tank and the M777 155mm howitzer. All funds required to maintain and operate the Arsenal comes from a pro-cess called a Revolving Fund. A Revolving Fund is an account where Arsenal income to fund its operations comes from its revenue that is generated through military sales of its products. In addition to the Watervliet Arsenal, there are 12 other Army industrial operations that are funded via the Revolving Fund process. Additionally, the Arsenal operates very similar to a civilian manufacturing plant. Just as Ford Motor Company or Gener-al Electric are very sensitive to profit and loss accountability, the Arsenal cannot operate at a loss, either. And, although the Arsenal is a government-owned and –operated manufacturing center, there is no guarantee of future work. But unlike Ford and GE, the Arsenal cannot operate with a profit. Any savings that are realized during the produc-

tion cycle are returned to the customer, who in the end is the American taxpayer. The other challenge when compared to a civilian business is that the Arsenal sets its prices 18-24 months ahead of the delivery date. As tough as these parameters are for the Arsenal to work within — cannot have a profit or a loss — the Arsenal has been able to survive the numerous ebbs and flows of defense budgets going back to the War of 1812 due in some important part to those who manage the Arsenal’s budget, such as Mar-hafer. During the course, resource managers learned the intrica-cies of a process called Supply Management Army where

resource managers balance expenses and revenue to come up with the optimum price for customers. The Arsenal’s customers mainly come from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Ma-rine Corps. But the Arsenal also supports Foreign Mili-tary Sales to such countries as Egypt and Estonia. Another critical piece of the training dealt with balancing inventory re-quirements to the budget. Here, the resource manag-ers learned how to deter-mine when to purchase, how much to purchase, and when to use components to support a product line. There was also training on how to execute a Capital Investment Program, which allows for the acquisition of depreciable property and equipment to improve a product line or a process at the Arsenal. During the last

few years, the Arsenal has invested more than $50 million in new equipment and electrical infrastructure that has not only made the Arsenal more efficient, it has also improved work-force safety. Marhafer survived the intense grilling, as well as the other 19 individuals who had to brief the three AWCF experts from CALIBRE. Some were so light on their toes and danced so well that they would rival any song and dance routines in the history of Vaudeville. Nevertheless, once the training was over, each one had to hang up their dancing shoes and go back to work — serious work to ensure the Army’s Industrial Base is well-resourced and managed in the coming years.

Vaudeville comes to the Arsenal ... sort of

Top: The Arsenal’s resource managers, as well as other resource personnel from the Army G-4 staff, TACOM LCMC, and Sierra Army Depot are chal-lenged by a training team from CALIBRE. Bottom: Stacey Marhafer, stand-ing, anticipates questions to her proposed plan.


Notification of Personnel Actions (SF-50s)

Did you know you can view and print your personal SF-50s? You can view/print any SF-50 that was processed for yourself between 1997 through present time. All you need to do is follow the instructions below (from a government/CAC-enabled com-puter):

• Accessthefollowingwebsite:www.cpol.army.mil;• Click“EmployeePortalLogin/CAC”(locatedatthetop,rightsideofpage);• Click“OK”;• Click“OK”toconfirmyourcertificate;• Clickonthe“Employee”tab;• Select“Go!”fromtheMySF-50box.Alistofyour SF-50s will populate to include the type of action and effective date of each action.• ToviewanSF-50,ClickontheicontotheleftofSF-50youwishtoview.Atthispoint,youcanalsoprinttheSF-50,ifyouwish.

Ifyouhaveanyquestions,contacttheCPACofficeat266-4058or266-4054.

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

Tina Pond’s CPAC Corner

Jennifer Pusatere and James Ehman, both personnel specialists at the Arsenal, engage a prospective appli-cant during a recent job fair at RPI.

Memorial Day ParadesSave The Dates

The Arsenal is participating in the Village of Green Island parade on Thursday, May 24th and the City of Watervliet parade on Monday, May 28th.

For the Village of Green Island parade, we plan to only provide the bob-tailed truck and lowboy trailer float. Need a Driver!!! The Arsenal commander will speak at the end of parade ceremony.

For the City of Watervliet, we plan to provide the full parade contingent with marchers. The Arsenal commander will speak at the end of parade ceremony.

Green Island Parade kicks off at 6 p.m.City of Watervliet Parade kicks off at 10 a.m.


Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

“Gemba walk” describes routine walk-through inspections in production or service delivery work areas to support development and sustainment of a lean culture. So, what is a gemba walk, really? What does gemba mean? Gemba, a Japanese word, means the place where the process happens, where the work is being done. Not the manager’s office; not a conference room; but the actual loca-tion where the actual people perform the actual work. Japanese detectives call the doughnut shops gemba, and Japanese TV reporters may refer to themselves as report-ing from gemba. In business, gemba refers to the place where value is created; in manufacturing the gemba is the factory floor. It can be any "site" such as a construction site, sales floor or where the service provider interacts directly with the cus-tomer. Going to gemba also includes the offices where manufacturing and administrative support work is being done. In quality management, gemba means the manufacturing floor and value stream support processes. The idea is that if a problem occurs, engineers, technicians and analysts must go there to understand the full impact of the problem, gathering data from all sources. What distinguishes gemba walks from normal operations leaders’ walk throughs? The objective of gemba walking on a regular basis is to support implementation and sustainment of a lean culture. The individual doing the gemba walk is expected to have a real-world grasp of what it takes to translate lean concepts into action; and share that knowledge on their walks. Looking for waste, questioning process, looking for standard work, and soliciting opportunities for improvement from people doing the work are all part of a gemba walk. Gemba walks are all about getting out into the workplace. They afford company leaders, managers and supervisors a reliable and simple means of supporting an improvement structure and encouraging process standardization. They are designed to nurture the systematic development of an organization’s, and its members’ capabilities to recognize opportunities for lean and lean management applications. The Gemba Walk is a key component in the creation and sustainment of improvement.

Things to Consider on a Gemba Walk1. General Housekeeping Workplace clutter Poor lighting Unsafe conditions Adequate waste removal Clearly marked exits, aisles, walkways, all point-of-use areas 2. High concentrations of Work in Process Up-stream and down-stream At point-of-use Damaged product Non-standard containers Old inventory tags 3. Display of information and measures Bulletin boards with up-to-date information Workplace activity boards are up-to-date 4. Equipment Appearance Visible maintenance records are current Leaks of air, oil, fluid, lubrication Main body clean Guarding in position 5. In-plant Office Space Well organized Free of clutter

By Karen Heiser

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

AMC Commander’s Visit

March 21st

Never bet against the Arsenal’s electrical guruTheArsenal’sElectricalEngineer,BenjaminDedjoe,provedtheArsenal’spublicaffairsofficerwrong...again.InearlyMarch,DedjoetoldthePAOthathecouldre-placeamajorsubstationinone of the manufacturing buildings within 30 hours. ThePAOthoughtnoway.Hedidit!

Left: Benjamin Dedjoe inspects the various parts of the substation with a concerned look that maybe he promised too much. Center: Dedjoe talking to Joseph Bott III, the industrial subcontractor from Wynantskill, N.Y., about what was required and how fast it needed to be done. Right: Like a proud father, Dedjoe shows off his efforts claiming that he made it happen within the 30-hour time frame. Note...Dedjoe did not allow the public affairs officer to verify his claim until the 48-hour mark, but how could anyone argue with his smile.



Left: Ed McCarthy, Arsenal deputy commander, briefs Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, AMC commanding general, about the detailed work that goes into mortar sustainment. Center: Arsenal Commander Col. Mark F. Migaleddi explains to Dunwoody about the improvements the Arsenal has made to 105mm breech blocks. Right: Dunwoody awards her commander’s coin for excellence to Hugh McNamara.

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

We have been hearing “it’s coming, it’s coming” for more than two years and just maybe, it is. What I’m talking about is our effort to attain a STAR Certification in the Voluntary Protection Program or VPP. As the new mem-ber on the Arsenal’s safety team, I want to update you and let you know that we are moving forward for VPP certification.

This summer, we expect to host an on-site review by the Depart-ment of Defense’s VPP Center of Excellence followed by our application to the Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA) for an audit pursu-ant to STAR Certification.

VPP represents just one part of the OSHA’s effort to extend worker protection beyond the minimum required by OSHA standards. The VPP program recognize employers and workers in private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health manage-ment systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries.

In VPP, management, labor, and OSHA work coopera-tively and proactively to prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through a system focused on: hazard prevention

and control; work site analysis; safety and health training; and management commitment and worker involvement.

To participate, employers must submit an application to OSHA and undergo a rigorous on-site evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. Union support is re-quired for applicants represented by a bargaining unit. VPP participants are re-evaluated every three to five years to remain in the programs. VPP participants are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while they maintain their

VPP status.

VPP participation often brings the following benefits:

• reduced numbers of worker fatalities, injuries, and illnesses;• lost-workday case rates generally 50 percent below industry averages;

• lower workers’ compensation and other injury-and-illness-related costs;• improved employee motivation to work safely, leading to a better quality of life at work;• positive community recognition and interaction;• further improvement and revitalization of already-good safety and health programs; and a• positive relationship with OSHA.

SOURCE NOTE: OSHA’S VPP website and Job Hazard Analysis (Revised, 2002) publication.

It’s coming, it’s coming, it really is...By Maj. Donald Freer

Always something new at the Arsenal's

AAFES PX.

Remember...a portion of the profits is

returned back to the Arsenal to support MWR facilities and

events

Salvo Mar. 31, 2012

Equipment Reservations Now Being TakenWatervliet Arsenal Outdoor Recreation Equipment Usage Fees

PAVILION PER DAY DEPOSITWatervliet Arsenal Pavilion $100.00 $100.00BOATING PER DAY PER WEEK WEEKEND DEPOSITCanoe (4) 10.00 40.00 15.00Kayak (2) 15.00 45.00 20.00 $25.00CAMPINGNew Camping Backpacks (2) 3.00 12.00 5.00New Large Coolers (2) 3.00 10.00 5.00Cot (Commercial) (3) 3.00 10.00 5.00Lantern (w/o fuel) (4) 3.00 12.00 5.00Camping Stove (w/o fuel) (4) 3.00 15.00 5.00Tent (8’ x 7’) (Sleeps 3) (1) 5.00 30.00 10.00Tent (Backpacking 10 x 10) (1) 5.00 30.00 10.00Tent (16’ x 10’) (Sleeps 8) (1) 10.00 45.00 20.00Little Pop-up (4 Total) 30.00 160.00 70.00 $100.00Big Pop-up (4) (Sleeps 4-6) 40.00 180.00 80.00 $100.00New Pop-up (1) (Sleeps 5) 45.00 205.00 90.00 $100.00Canopy (20’x 20’) (4) $80 Flat RateInstant Set up Canopy (12’x 12’) (1) $25 Flat RateInstant Set up Canopy (10’x 10’) (3) $25 Flat Rate2 Rosario Bikes (With Helmets) 3.00 10.00 5.00Baseball Gloves (11) and Helmets 6.00 36.00 12.00Golf Clubs (Right Handed) (1) 10.00 25.00 15.00WINTERSnow Shoes (2) 5.00 20.00 10.00 $25.00Cross Country Skis (2) 10.00 25.00 15.00 $25.00GAMESVolleyball Set and Lines (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Badminton Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Small Table Tennis Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Bocce Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Croquet Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Horseshoes Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Disc Golf Set (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Flag Football Equipment (1) 2.00 10.00 5.00Bundle Set (Includes all 8) 10.00 30.00 20.00

NOTE: Late fees will be charged at twice the per day rate. Turn in time is 1200. Weekend rate is from Friday 1200 to Monday 1200A $100.00 refundable security/cleaning deposits are required for the pop-ups. All items must be clean when returned or user will be charged a cleaning fee.Make Checks out to MWR. To make a Reservation contact Kyle Buono (518)266-4829

watervliet arsenal's newsletter: salvo 31 march 2012

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