A gathering of key stories and photos that capture some of the action at the Army's manufacturing center at Watervliet, New York for the month of July 2014.
1. Vol. 14, No. 7 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal July 31, 2014
THE
SALVO
Not ready to ride into the sunset,
the arsenal hosted a workload summit
this month that looked into the future
for actions that will ensure its
long-term viability
Story on Page 3
Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion
AMC Deputy Commander
Mike Merrill
Arsenal Quality
2. Page 2 Salvo July 31, 2014
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:
john.b.snyder.civ@mail.mil. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted
for publication.
Commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr.
Public Affairs Officer, John B. Snyder
Editor, John B. Snyder
Photographer: John B. Snyder
Arsenal Facebook Page @
http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm
Lee H. Schiller Jr.
Commanding
Manufacturer 6
Commander’s
Corner
When an Army officer gets ready to attend a Senior
Service College, they are told they are about to “enjoy
the best year of their life.” After all, it is a year away
from the field, deployments, and the stress of leading
Soldiers. But as enjoyable as attending that senior ser-
vice school may have been for me, nothing compares
to the enjoyment that I have had these last 12 months
serving as your commander.
When I took command in July 2013, I was basically
an outsider looking in to an organization that had sup-
ported our Soldiers in every military conflict since the
War of 1812 ̶ no other currently operating arsenal or
depot can make that claim.
As I walked the grounds my first week, I could feel it.
As I touched the walls of the historic Big Gun Shop, I
could feel it. As I looked into your eyes, I could feel
it. Although the machines have changed, the build-
ings have changed, and the grounds have changed
since 1813, the one thing that has not changed is the
tremendous sense of pride that is woven into the fabric
called the Watervliet Arsenal. Anyone who has spent
any amount of time here can also feel the pride in all
that is Watervliet.
My sense of reflection today is only punctuated by
the fact that we have a lot of work to do to ensure that
the community, Army, and our nation understands the
value of what we do to ensure that our servicemen and
women come home safe from combat.
During this week’s annual shutdown, we will use this
time to shape our environment for future successes in
production and in the welfare of our workforce. And,
when we bring our operations back on line, I need ev-
eryone to have a new sense of focus, striving to give a
100-percent effort to the arsenal in all that you do.
These are challenging times in the defense organic
base as fewer weapons contracts are being heavily
competed for by a still large pool of defense suppliers.
In order to remain competitive, our timeliness must be
unquestionable, while our quality must be impeccable.
We have answered this call to duty for more than 200
years and we can do it again as we approach fiscal
year 2015.
3. Looking at challenges, initiatives
to retain the Army’s Industrial
Base at Watervliet
Page 3 Salvo July 31, 2014
Jake Peart, the arsenal’s production planning and control supervisor, in blue shirt, explaining to Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion the heat treat
process. During the workload summit, senior Army leaders and weapons program managers had an opportunity to tour the arsenal’s
manufacturing center, as well as several of Benét Labs’ research and design activities.
Photo by John B. Snyder
By John B. Snyder
Story continues on page 4, Summit
Faced with significant cuts to defense weapons
spending, Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion led a team of
logistics experts this month at the Watervliet Arsenal
as part of a strategy to ensure the Army’s Industrial
Base remains relevant and well postured to support the
future Army.
McQuistion, who is the deputy commander of the
Army Materiel Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.,
said that she and subject matter experts from through-
out the Army’s logistics and technology fields are
looking at challenges and initiatives that will assist the
long-term viability of the Army’s industrial base.
The title of this new AMC initiative is, “Organic
Industrial Base for Force 2025 and Beyond.” To sup-
port this strategy, McQuistion and her team are meet-
ing this year at depots and arsenals throughout the
country, such as the Watervliet Arsenal, to chart out a
course that will better direct the unique capabilities of
the industrial base in an era of declining defense bud-
gets.
“The Watervliet Arsenal is not so much a Depart-
ment of Defense capability, it is also a national trea-
sure,” McQuistion said. “History has been written
4. Page 4 Salvo July 31, 2014
Summit Cont.
here, and it is a great history, but what we need to
do today is to help write the future.”
In speaking to the broader audience at the
summit, McQuistion added that as partners in the
Army’s Industrial Base, they collectively need to
better understand the implications to arsenals and
depots when faced with declining defense budgets
and requirements.
“We can no longer make bold proclamations
and then not take bold action,” McQuistion said.
“Now is the time to embrace change if we are to re-
main relevant.”
McQuistion said this summit provided a great
opportunity to discuss the challenges facing the ar-
senal. But more importantly, the summit provided
a venue to look at possible solutions to retaining
the arsenal’s critical skill capabilities that have
supported every U.S. Soldier since the War of
1812.
McQuistion often referred to the arsenal’s sto-
ried 201 years of support to the war fighter and
used that history to paint a picture of the arsenal’s
resolve to work its way through today’s chal-
lenges.
“You have countless points of reflection in your
201-year history of surviving declining defense
budgets,” McQuistion said. “As you recall in 1990,
things looked about the same way as they do today
and look what happened. You will get through
this…as you will be needed again.”
This was McQuistion’s first visit to Watervliet.
Although she received a tour of the arsenal’s capa-
bilities and capacity, much of her time was in seri-
ous dialogue with the arsenal’s leadership.
This workload summit, which was also at-
tended by several weapon program managers and
representatives from the office of the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics
and Technology, was the first of its kind hosted at
Watervliet. Although hope is not a plan, there are
many at the arsenal who are hopeful that the sum-
mit may bring new work and therefore, long-term
viability to the arsenal.
Benet Labs' Mechanical Engineer Chris Humiston explaining the mortar
tube flow-form process to Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion. Flow form uses
extreme cold versus heat to shape the tubes.
The workload summit attendees in historic building 110. In this building
in the late 1800s, the arsenal went from being a maker of saddles to a
maker of cannons.
Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, the AMC deputy commander, looking past
Machinist Bill Sheldon as he machines a mortar tube on the flow-form
machine.
Photo by John B. Snyder
Photo by John B. Snyder
Photo by John B. Snyder
5. sets that are required for the manufacturing of large caliber
weapon systems. The manufacturing of tank and howitzer
cannons exercises all 11 skills sets that range from complex
machining to rotary forging, while manufacturing spare
parts and mortar tubes uses no more than seven of the 11
critical skills.
The arsenal’s value to the Army is increased by the
retention of these critical manufacturing skills that today
cannot be replicated at any other
government-owned and -operated
facility.
So, although these orders are
good news for Watervliet, they still
fall short in retaining all the criti-
cal skills necessary to support the
arsenal’s core mission of provid-
ing large caliber manufacturing for
the Defense Department. There is
certainly more hard work to do this
summer for the business develop-
ment team at Watervliet in search
of larger, more demanding orders.
The 11 orders range from the
manufacturing of something as
small that can fit into a pants
pocket, such as a firing pin for a
155mm howitzer, to something as
large as a carrier assembly that will
hold a 155mm howitzer tube in
place in when the gun is fired. The
first shipment will go out Novem-
ber 2014 and some contracts will
require the arsenal to ship well into
2017.
With this announcement, the
arsenal has in the last 45 days re-
ceived more than $10.6 million in
new orders.
Page 5 Salvo July 31, 2014
Bench assembler Vincent Gregorek works on an
elevating mechanism for a 81mm mortar system at
the Watervliet Arsenal. Although spare parts provide
the arsenal a substantial amount of work, that type
of work does not exercise all of the arsenal’s critical
manufacturing skills.
Photo by John B. Snyder
By John B. Snyder
In an era of declining defense budgets, the Watervliet
Arsenal needs contracts to produce more than just revenue.
It needs the “right kind” of contracts to retain a critical skill
base that is required to support large caliber manufacturing
for the Defense Department and to allied militaries.
And so, when the arsenal an-
nounced this week that it had
received 11 contracts this month
worth more than $9.4 million, that
news was met with controlled opti-
mism. The contracts will provide the
U.S. Army with spare parts for its
155mm howitzer and 81mm mortar
systems, as well as for some limited
work for the Naval Surface Warfare
Center’s 105mm cannon system.
“These contracts mean more to
us than just money,” said Jake Peart,
the arsenal’s chief of production
planning and control. “In an era of
declining defense weapons require-
ments, we view these contracts as a
means to our retaining a critical skill
base that will provide our war fight-
ers with the best weapon systems in
the world.”
Given the continued uncertainty
today with the defense budget,
weapons program managers have
been very cautious in soliciting new
work and so, every new contract, no
matter how small, is celebrated as a
major achievement, Peart said.
Although these contracts will
provide more than 21,000 hours of
direct labor requirements, as well as
hundreds of hours of indirect labor support, they still do not
exercise all critical manufacturing skills the arsenal is try-
ing to retain, Peart added.
“The importance of retaining our critical skill base can-
not be overstated as each specialized manufacturing skill is
essential to ensuring the long-term viability of the arsenal,”
Peart said.
The arsenal maintains 11 critical capabilities and or skill
‘Right’ defense contracts needed
to support critical skill retention
at Watervliet
Great Story Placement in the Broader Army
Top 10 story for the entire Army
#1 Army Science & Technology Story
Top 10 Assistant Secretary of the Army Story
Top 10 Army story in North America
Top 15 Inside the Army Story
6. Page 6 Salvo July 31, 2014
battles are
won by
logistics,
so are
production
schedules
Dan Belk, Mary Lahait, and Michael Hockenberry stepped into history
when they became part of the great lineage of arsenal logisticians.
Together, these three run the motor pool operations for more than
200 pieces of equipment.
By John B. Snyder
Story continues on page 7, Motor Pool
Third Army’s Red Ball Express Operation will
celebrate its 70th anniversary on August 25, which
was a storied logistical achievement having moved
more than 412,000 tons of supplies from the shores of
Normandy to forward deployed combat troops in the
First and Third Armies.
The operation was created on Aug. 21, 1944, with
the first trucks rolling four days later. On an average
day, nearly 900 fully loaded vehicles moved more than
five tons of gas, oil, ammunition, spare parts, and food
along a treacherous 400-mile route. Nearly 75 percent
of the drivers were young African-American Soldiers
who at their peak delivered 12,342 tons a day to an
American Army that had fought its way off the beach-
es and was in hot pursuit of the German army.
Of this historical feat, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
said in a letter to the Red Ball Express team:
“In any war, there are two tremendous tasks. That
of the combat troops is to fight the enemy. That of the
supply troops is to furnish all the material to insure
victory. The faster and farther the combat troops ad-
vance against the foe, the greater becomes the battle of
supply…So the Red Ball Line must continue the battle
it is waging so well, with the knowledge that each
truckload which goes through to the combat forces
cannot help but bring victory closer.”
The spirit of Eisenhower’s thoughts regarding just
how important logistics are to the success of the war
fighter has also been the same line of thought and
spirit at the historic Watervliet Arsenal. From the
Battle of New Orleans to the battle of Kandahar Val-
ley, arsenal products have helped hundreds of thou-
sands of U.S. troops to come home safe from battle
by providing them the products that have either made
them more lethal or safer.
And in a much smaller scale, the internal logistics
operations at Watervliet also create an environment
that facilitates the successful manufacturing of tank
and artillery cannons, as well as that of 60mm, 81mm,
and 120mm mortar systems, for U.S. and foreign
militaries.
The arsenal motor pool team of three is responsible
for more than 200 line items of equipment that require
dispatching, licensing, refueling, maintenance and
light repair. The scope of this task ranges from main-
taining an 80-ton crane for the manufacturing center to
repairing a lawn mower for public works.
Mary Lahait, Dan Belk, and Michael Hockenberry
have a magical chemistry between them that allows them
Photos by John B. Snyder & Wikipedia
7. Page 7 Salvo July 31, 2014
Motor Pool Cont.
Top: Michael Hocken-
berry adding oil to one
of hundreds of pieces
of equipment that he
helps maintain.
Bottom: Dan Belk
troubleshooting and
repairing one of the
larger grass-cutting
mowers. From cranes
to leaf blowers, Belk’s
and Hockenberry’s
mechanical skills are
challenged every day.
Photos by John B. Snyder
to face what some would believe is a daily insurmount-
able task with a sense of humor and a strong can-do
attitude.
Lahait, as the transportation assistant, is the office ram-
rod who manages the dispatching, licensing, work orders,
and anything else that it takes to track and coordinate
maintenance and repair of the equipment.
Belk and Hockenberry, both militaryVeterans, are the
wrench turners who on any given day have a large mo-
tor pool filled with equipment ready for maintenance,
troubleshooting, or for minor repair, such as replacing
hydraulic pumps and alternators.
“We come in each day with a plan thought out and
tasks prioritized,” Belk said. “But just like in war no plan
survives the first contact with the enemy.”
The enemy in Belk’s case is the shear scope of well-
used equipment that can be as fickle to plan maintenance
for as the seasons in which they operate.
According to Hockenberry, if it wasn’t for the fact that
43 vehicles belong to the General Services Administra-
tion fleet, there would be no way for the small motor pool
operation to stay on top of critical maintenance.
GSA, through its leasing program, frees the arsenal
from having to purchase vehicles, such as four-door
sedans and five-ton dump trucks, or provide maintenance
and repair for the vehicles. If a GSA vehicle is ready for
a scheduled maintenance, such as an oil change, all the
arsenal has to do is take the vehicle to a local car dealer-
ship that is approved by GSA.
Nevertheless, Belk added that the arsenal’s GSA fleet
still requires a significant amount of his time.
“If all I had to do every day was to repair equipment
and vehicles, my day wouldn’t be too bad,” Belk said.
“But even with GSA vehicles I still have to diagnose the
maintenance problem, coordinate with a vendor, and then
get the vehicle to the vendor for repair.”
Belk said that nearly half of his time each day is not
repairing or conducting maintenance, but performing
administrative work that is required for each piece of
equipment.
In their spare time, Lahait, Belk, and Hockenberry are
also part of the arsenal’s snow removal team. When there
is a shortage of drivers, Belk and Hockenberry also drive
gun trucks.
While Lahait, Belk, and Hockenberry struggle to keep
their magical relationship, as well as arsenal priorities, in
tack, their efforts are not unappreciated.
“Each day they make sure that the Arsenal keeps mov-
ing, literally,” said Greg Stopera, the arsenal’s chief of the
Logistics Management Division. “They fight an unwinna-
ble battle against the chaotic nature of equipment failure
and conflicting priorities, and do so with an unwavering
sense of duty to the arsenal’s mission and commitment to
their customers.”
So, how do they keep their motivation up in an envi-
ronment described by their boss as unwinnable?
“We have become, just like the old Army tagline, an
army of one,” Lahait said.
The importance of those who perform logistics can-
not be overstated. From the days of Alexander the Great
to General Patton’s Red Ball Express to the motor pool
operation at Watervliet, logisticians’ place in the annuals
of history books is well documented.
After all, there would not be 200 years of arsenal
history if it wasn’t for the eight generations of logistical
workers, such as Lahait, Belk, and Hockenberry, who
have through the years quietly accepted and accomplished
all missions even when it may have seemed that their
challenges were insurmountable.
8. In President Barack Obama’s January 2009 Inau-
gural Address, he spoke some about those who have
made America great.
He talked about how the greatness of our nation
is never a given, as it has been earned by those who
never were one to take
short-cuts or to settling
for anything less.
He talked about the
risk-takers, the doers,
the makers of things
-- some celebrated, but
more often men and
women who were ob-
scure in their labor.
And if the President
ever visited Watervliet,
he would not need to
change his speech be-
cause the arsenal has
a rich history of risk-
takers, doers, makers of things, and especially, those
obscure men and women who have not settled for any-
thing less than greatness.
Arsenal Machinist Frank Taylor is one of those
great Americans that President Obama talked about.
Although Frank shies away from any accolades of
his machining skills, the fact remains he is the senior
machinist at the arsenal and everyone knows that even
if Frank does not welcome that fact. From apprentice
to the Chief of Manufacturing, Frank is revered as the
most knowledgeable machinist at the arsenal today.
Bill Dingmon, the arsenal’s chief of manufacturing
has this to say about Frank.
“Frank and I worked together in prototype for more
years than I’d like to recall. In all those years, he tops
all other machinists and toolmakers on my list of the
most admired and respected. Through all the very dif-
ficult projects we have worked, I can’t recall Frank
ever making a mistake, his quality is impeccable. He
has never refused any task given to him and has ac-
complished all tasks with the utmost professionalism.
Even today, he’s willing
to help anyone who asks
for his assistance with a
great sense of duty and
pride. In a few words,
he is the best machinist
that I have ever known.”
Every morning at
6:05 a.m., this humble
machinist walks into
the major components
production building and
gets ready for his day of
machining that starts at
7 a.m. This routine has
not changed since he be-
gan working at the arsenal in 1976.
Frank is a quiet, humble sort of a guy who sits
down every morning and works through his crossword
puzzles before starting his day of work. But there is
more to this scene than meets the eye.
Although it is a simple fact that no supervisor has
ever had to worry about Frank being on time, it is
what Frank does when he is working through such
challenges as a four-letter, across word for “Off one’s
rocker” that brings great value to this routine. What
Frank is actually doing at that table under the pretense
Page 8 Salvo July 31, 2014
If there was a Machinist Hall
of Fame, Frank Taylor’s name
would be etched in history
Story & Photo By John B. Snyder
Story continues on page 9, Frank
9. Page 9 Salvo July 31, 2014
of finding words for puzzles is that
he talks machining to anyone who
will listen. And, many listen.
When asked about his personal
history, Frank breaks a smile on his
weathered face. He has a great his-
tory and he is proud to talk about
it, but only after some prodding.
Frank was drafted into the
Army in 1964. After two years of
service as a military policeman,
Frank left the Army for greener
pastures of hanging aluminum sid-
ing and later building homes with
his brother.
When the green pastures turned
brown, Frank learned about an ar-
senal apprentice class starting. He
applied and was accepted into the
program. And for nearly 40 years,
he has worked in the building that
today houses the arsenal’s major
components line.
Frank prefers not to work on the
computer-controlled machines and
there is good reason. His mastery
of legacy machines is an absolute
wonder to watch. As long as the
arsenal retains the non-computer
controlled machines, his work
is guaranteed. Anyone who has
observed Frank in action will of-
ten see him leaving his hand on
the machine as it turns, leaning
forward as if he is watching each
revolution of the tool as it cuts
through steel.
Frank said he prefers working
on the legacy machines versus the
computer-numerically controlled
machines because he likes to use
all of his senses when he machines
a part.
“When I machine a part, I don’t
assume anything.” Frank said. “I
use my hearing, smell, touch, and
sight to make each machining op-
eration.”
Frank likes to talk about some
of the great machinists he has
known through the years and
rattled off their names as if they
still worked alongside of him, such
as Bill Dingmon. But his fondest
memories of his nearly 40-year
career were when he was on the
prototype team that manufactured
the first 120mm cannon system.
Today, Frank is the “fix-it”
man having now been the lead
machinist for repair work in the
major components building for
nearly 15 years. And, he has no
plans to retire as long as he can
continue to be a valuable team
member. Given his stature as a
machinist, he will remain with the
arsenal for a very long time.
By the way, Frank said that he
has made one mistake in his career
and that one mistake will haunt
him until he dies.
For all the dedicated, tenured
work that Frank has provided to
the arsenal and to our Army, he is
very deserving to be highlighted
as this month’s Face of Strength.
As the type of American who
President Obama spoke about in
2009, Frank has truly helped make
our Soldiers great and our country
greater.
Frank Cont.
Always something new
at the Arsenal's
Exchange
Remember...a portion
of the profits is
returned back to the
Arsenal to support
MWR facilities and
events
10. Page 9 Salvo July 31, 2014
CPAC -
Civilian Personnel Advisory Center
Annual Leave – Maximum Accumulation
Many full-time Federal employees earn 30 days of annual leave per leave year and are allowed to carry-over
into the next leave year a maximum of up to 30 days or 240 hours. There are times when full-time employees
are allowed to accumulate 45 days of annual leave and carry-over up to that amount into the next leave year.
The most common situation for Army civilians is when serving overseas. What may not be so commonly known
is that employees who served overseas and return to CONUS are permitted to maintain their maximum leave
accumulation of 45 days until such time as their leave balance reaches 240.
When does the leave year start and end? For a chart depicting the starting and ending leave year dates, to
include the date for scheduling use or lose, go to the OPM pay leave administration section. The direct link is:
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/payleave/
leave-administration/fact-sheets/leave-yearbeginning-and-ending-dates/.
A leave year begins on the first day of the first full biweekly pay period in a calendar year. A leave year ends on
the day immediately before the first day of the first full biweekly pay period in the following calendar year. Dates
for the next few years are provided below:
Date for
Leave Year Leave Year Scheduling “Use or Lose”
Leave Year Beginning Date Ending Date Annual Leave
2014 January 12, 2014 January 10, 2015 November 29, 2014
2015 January 11, 2015 January 9, 2016 November 28, 2015
2016 January 10, 2016 January 7, 2017 November 26, 2016
11. Page 11 Salvo July 31, 2014
Shutdown?
Photos by John B. Snyder