Here are news stories and other interesting information regarding the Watervliet Arsenal for November 2012.

1. S ALVO
“Service to the Line, On the Line, On Time”
Vol. 12, No. 11 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, New York Nov. 30, 2012
Watervliet parades through the streets
in honor of our nation’s Veterans
Photo by John B. Snyder
Ever since the Arsenal restarted its community parade program in 2009, it has been supported by the Hudson-Mohawk Military Ve-
hicle Collectors’ Club. Here is one of eight vehicles from the club that was part of the Arsenal’s contingent this month in Albany.
By John B. Snyder sacrifices of those who have served before us.
Think about this, we have thousands of troops For the last century, we have celebrated our
forward deployed in a combat zone, while at the Veterans on November 11th. And since World War
same time, similar combat-experienced troops are I, each Veterans Day seems to blend old Veterans
providing food, fuel, medical, and more important, with new. Just since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
stability to New York City’s disaster areas within a almost three million American men and women have
two hour drive of here. stepped up and answered their nation’s call to duty
and now they, too, line our streets on Veterans Day
No other military in the world can do this! And
we have that capability today due in large part to the Story on page 3

2. Page 2 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
what we do or the value of keeping an Army-owned and
–operated manufacturing center in the Albany area.
And so, I greatly appreciate all the hard work that
Commander’s many of you put into the planning, coordination, and
execution of the events. It is important that we support
Corner
these types of events not only for the community, our
Veterans, and for our servicemen and women, but also
for the Arsenal.
I also greatly appreciate all that you have done to en-
This time of year, like most of our society, we take sure that we ship every product with unequalled quality,
some time and reflect and find the many ways of saying on time. From those who manage our accounts to those
thanks. The month of November started off by saying who drive the trucks to those who machine our tubes,
thanks to all of our Veterans and we conclude the month all of us rely on each other to make our jobs easier or to
by giving thanks for the many things in our lives that make our products better. Each of you is a valued part of
makes living in America a dream for many around the this team and we could not provide high quality products
world, as we transition in the season of giving. to our servicemen and women without everyone giving
100 percent.
For those who have supported the Arsenal in many of
these events, you have done so out of your personal ob- As we approach this holiday season, I know that
ligation or out of your sense of duty to support our com- many of our thoughts will be about family and friends.
munity. But for whatever reasons you have lent a hand But please keep in mind that we must remain focused on
to build a float or marched in a parade, your efforts have safety.
not gone unnoticed.
Don’t let the element of time, or the lack of time,
Thank you! drive you to do something you know you shouldn’t do.
Wait until you have help to put up the outside lights on
Although we conduct community events throughout your house, don’t drive beyond the speed limit, and if
the year, the months of May and November continue to you drink, don’t drive. You are all too important to your
be the high point for our engagements with the commu- families, to the Army, and to the Arsenal.
nity. For November, we will have participated in eight
community events and for the year, nearly 60 community I wish you the best for a great, safe Holiday Season!
events. Mark F. Migaleddi
Commanding
I cannot attend an event without a civic leader,
Manufacturer 6
elected official, or a local resident coming up to me and
saying how great it is to see the Arsenal involved in the
community. This is important! If we do not engage the
community, our community will not know much about
Commander, Col. Mark F. Migaleddi The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department
Public Affairs Officer, John B. Snyder of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorse-
Editor, John B. Snyder ment by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or
Photographer: John B. Snyder the Watervliet Arsenal.
News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer,
Arsenal Facebook Page @ 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg. 10,
http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm 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.

3. Page 3 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Veterans cont.
to also be remembered.
Although we thought we had fought the “war to end
all wars,” history has proven that we still needed those
very few who would step up and serve our country and
New York’s Capital District has been no different. It too
has answered and still answers the many calls to duty.
New York’s Capital District is not a military
community such as Watertown, N.Y. is to Fort Drum or
Lawton, Okla. is to Fort Sill, but the Albany area is a
community rich in military service.
Dan McCoy, the Albany County Executive, said after
the City of Albany’s Veterans Day parade that there are
more than 18,000 Veterans in the Albany area.
New York’s Capital District is also home to New
York’s Division of Military and Naval Affair where
the State Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy,
provides command and control of New York’s military
forces. More than 7,000 New York troops have recently
been deployed to the New York City area providing
much needed disaster relief.
And tucked into the Albany area along the Hudson
River is a local icon called the Watervliet Arsenal. The
Watervliet Arsenal has since 1813 manufactured the
products that have helped hundreds of thousands of
servicemen and women in combat to come home safely.
As the only active Army post between West Point
and Fort Drum, Watervliet helped excite the community
to honor our Veterans by its participation in two
parades this year. The first parade was for the Village
of Menands on November 10, which was the first
Veterans Day Parade for this community, and the Arsenal
followed up leading the City of Albany Veterans Day
Parade in Division 1 on November 12.
Yes, a position of honor. But it was our honor to be
in the company as those who have served on the beaches
of Normandy or in the mountains of Kandahar. Photos by John B. Snyder

4. Page 4 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Arsenal receives $7.8 million contract to supply
Australian Army with new lightweight cannons
By John B. Snyder According to BAE Systems:
The revolutionary M777, weighing in at less
The Arsenal announced this month that it received than 4200kg (about 9259 pounds) is the world’s first
a $7.8 million contract to provide the Australian Army, artillery weapon to make widespread use of titanium
via BAE Systems, with 19 M776 155mm cannons as and aluminum alloys, resulting in a howitzer which is
part of the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Military half the weight of conventional 155mm systems.
Sales program. The M777 can fire the “smart” Excalibur round,
“This multimillion dollar order will add to co-developed by Global Combat Systems up to 40
our current workload more than 16,000 hours of km (25 miles) accurately enough to target individual
direct labor,” said Jake Peart, the Arsenal’s chief rooms within a building, reducing the chance of
of Production innocent casualties
Control & and allowing
Program supporting fire to
Management. be brought down
“We will begin much closer to
shipping in the fall friendly troops.
of 2013 and we It can hurl a
will complete our standard 43.5 kg
production in the shell almost 30 km
spring of 2014.” (21 miles) at 2.5
Hugh times the speed
McNamara, the of sound. The
Arsenal’s program projectile takes
manager for the Photo by Spc. Aaron L. Rosencrans
just over a minute
155mm cannon, The M776 155mm cannon that Watervliet will manufacture for the Australian Army will be to fly this distance
said that this is a used on the M777 Lightweight Howitzer seen here being fired by Bravo Battery, 2nd Bat- and reaches a
talion, 11th Field Artillery.
follow-on order maximum height
for the Australian Army as the Arsenal had previously of 12km. The shell reaches its maximum speed of
worked with BAE Systems to manufacture 35 tubes 2900 kph (1800 mph) by the time it exits the muzzle
and subassemblies for the M777A2 howitzer in 2011. of the gun.
The M777 howitzer, which was fielded in the U.S.
military in 2003, is replacing the much heavier M198
155mm towed howitzer system currently in use by the It may seem to some that we have shifted
Royal Australian Artillery, McNamara said. our production lines to support mortar
“This order will require a wide variety of systems. Nevertheless, during the last 10
specialized machining skills because the order is for years we have continued to manufacture
the complete cannon system, which includes such significant numbers of cannons...
parts as the 155mm barrel, breech block, breech ring,
and muzzle break,” McNamara added. M256 120mm Tank Cannon ... 1,300
This is the second multi-million dollar contract M776 155mm Howitzer Cannon ... 1,300
awarded to the Arsenal in the last month. In October, M284 155mm Howitzer Cannon ... 2,600
the Arsenal received a $4.2 million contract for a new M119 105mm Howitzer Cannon ... 800
lightweight 60mm mortar baseplate for the U.S. Army.

5. Page 5 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Erie Canal, belt-driven presses, and now,
the gantry-yard crane ... all gone
Photos by John B. Snyder and Billy Martin
By John B. Snyder Arsenal turned to Sansone and Government Liquidation to
find a buyer.
The old adage “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is Sansone said that when the first buyer backed out, he
around, will it make a sound,” may be a good metaphor had to re-post the contract solicitation.
for the recent removal of the largest crane assembly on “In a way, it worked out better for everyone involved
the Arsenal. Towering some 53’ high and 140’ long, the because through the rebidding process a local Watervliet
gantry-yard crane has met its quiet demise just as other company called Metro Metal Recycling won the contract,”
technological marvels of their time, such as the Erie Canal Sansone said. “Any time we support the local community
and belt-driven presses. But did anyone notice? with work, it is a win-win event for all involved.”
Purchased in 1980 for about $750,000, the crane was This contract was a huge, challenging job, said Charlie
part of the $150 million Renovation of Armament Manu- Van Hall, the owner of Metro Metals.
facturing or REARM program that began in 1979. This “Because we had to drop the crane between ongoing op-
five-year modernization program was not only important to erations, we had to take extra efforts to drop the parts of the
the Arsenal’s long-term viability, but also crane, some of which weighing nearly
to the nation’s security. The crane may live on pro- 110 tons, without doing any damage to
Former U.S. Rep. Samuel S. Stratton viding future generations a the surrounding areas,” Van Hall said.
said at the 1979 ceremony that launched piece of the Arsenal history. “If the crane was in an old factory or
the modernization program that brought remote location, we simply would have
the crane to Watervliet, “When it comes to asserting the used shears to cut the crane into pieces and then let the
strength and determination of this country, Watervliet is go- pieces fall.”
ing to be in the lead not only in the Middle East, but also What assisted the near flawless disassembly of the crane
in NATO…and as we look at this project getting underway, was the fact that the two local rigging companies that sup-
you can sleep soundly tonight because Watervliet Arsenal is ported the crane removal, D.A. Collins Construction Co.
awake.” and John M. Mullins Rigging & Hauling, had previously
And so with great fanfare, work began to replace an worked with Metro Metals on other challenging jobs, Van
Arsenal rail-yard crane that some believed to have been put Hall said.
into operation just after World War I. “Because of our vast experience of working with each
“When we started pulling up the rails this month as part other, we were able to execute this job safely within very
of the crane removal process, we found that the date printed tight tolerances,” Van Hall said.
on the rails was 1919,” said Tom Sansone, who retired from The crane is no longer required to support the produc-
the Arsenal in 1999 and who now works for Government tion mission as all products are now shipped via truck
Liquidation, the exclusive contractor for the sale of surplus transportation. After weeks of effort, the crane finally came
and scrap assets of the U.S. Department of Defense. down this month and at the time of this article; the last re-
“Trying to find a buyer for 250 tons of material is a chal- maining pieces of the crane are being carted off.
lenge all by itself, but finding a buyer who must disassem- Although the crane motors, copper and scrap metal have
ble the crane and then cart away all of the material made been sold, there may be new life to the Arsenal’s gantry-
this project even harder to find a buyer,” Sansone said. yard crane.
Sansone said the Arsenal first offered the crane to the Fed- According to Van Hall, he has kept two large beams for
eral Government and to New York State. But after several future sculpture work. And so, the crane may live on pro-
months of effort, there was no interest. That is when the viding future generations a piece of the Arsenal’s history.

6. Page 6 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
It is always good to “ASIST” others
By Josh Roy
The Army has always done everything possible to prevent the loss of life to its workforce. Constant upgrades
to equipment and better training have saved countless lives. Not all lives are loss to combat though, the rise in
suicides in the Army is staggering.
In an effort to stem the rise in suicides, the Army recently conducted a world-wide suicide prevention stand
down day to make everyone aware of the programs available to assist someone that is facing trouble and con-
templating suicide.
Although the Arsenal does not have a large Soldier population, we cannot fall into a sense that we are im-
mune to suicides or suicide attempts. So, here is how the Arsenal is doing its part toward protecting its force.
A group of Arsenal volunteers have received specialized training, called Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
Training or ASIST, to identify and to provide assistance to high risk individuals. Through a two-day interactive
workshop, each person participated in various scenarios, received training on triggers and visual clues that a
person may be considering suicide. And as a result of this training, the Arsenal’s ASIST team is trained as a sort
of a suicide first responder. If anyone is contemplating suicide, knows someone whom may be suicidal or just
needs someone to talk to, please feel free to contact anyone on the ASIST team. You do not have to go to some-
one within your directorate; we are here to help anyone at any time.
OD IM COMMAND STAFF OUTSIDE AGENCIES
Seth Frank Sandra Smith Dawn Whelan Jodi Roy
Diane Nelson Josh Roy Donald Haberski Jen Pusatere
Hal Metzier Gary Freeman John Whipple Daniel Fish
Mary Burniche Rocco Granato Ken Haviland
Joe Evans Bernadette Palmieri
Mary Ellen Hobson Susan Sharp
Donald Granger Jesus Guerra
Robert Dobbs Marc Kaufman
Haunts of Watervliet... No, this wasn’t one of the Arsenal’s Board of
Directors meetings, but a haunted house that was
set up by the MWR folks for Halloween. Through-
out the year, MWR conducts a variety of programs,
from summer camp to holiday parties, for families
and especially for kids.
Trying to get an interview during the haunted
house was tough given all the screeching. Never-
theless, one person found time to say a few words
once she was in the safety of her vehicle.
From Christina Livolsi ,“Truly, truly AWESOME
job with this year’s Halloween party. The haunted
house was a HUGE success. My son went through
three times - he loved it! Everyone’s efforts and
Photo provided by Kyle Buono hard work really paid off - I have heard nothing but
Arlea Henkle and her 5-year-old daughter, Jennikah Henkle.
They are the family of Sgt. Joshua Henkle, who is an Army
positive feedback throughout the Arsenal on the
recruiter at the Green Island recruiting station. day’s events.”

7. Page 7 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Largest electrical job
in 30 years is now
complete
By John B. Snyder
When the Arsenal leadership agreed to invest $1.7
million for a new electrical substation that would feed
power to one of the most critical manufacturing processes
called the rotary forge, little did they know that the
Arsenal may be venturing into uncharted waters. But Top: View provides a good sense
thanks to two, no, three Arsenal employees, this huge of the size of job that the Arsenal
undertaking was accomplished without any degradation to electrical engineers managed.
Middle: Jim Uram, an electrical
production. engineering technician and who is
“This was the largest electrical upgrade the Arsenal the right-arm of the Arsenal’s elec-
trical engineer, is discussing the
had experienced in 30 years and the biggest job that I have work with a Pichardo Development
ever personally designed and managed,” said Benjamin Corp. supervisor. Uram was at the
Dedjoe, who is the Arsenal’s electrical engineer. “We site every day of operation.
Bottom: Benjamin Dedjoe, second
replaced 1970s technology with state of the art, computer- from the left and who is the Arse-
driven electrical power equipment that has the capability nal’s electrical engineer, is taking
a minute to discuss the results
to provide power to 450 homes a day.” of the concrete testing with the
This was an extremely complex job that had the contractor’s leadership.
potential to set production back if it wasn’t accomplished
on time, or simply did not work after the substation was
installed, Dedjoe said.
“We had a 31-day window to remove the 1970-
era substation, build a new foundation, install the new
substations, test the circuitry, and then run the first 120mm
tube through for production,” Dedjoe added.
This was no small task for the Arsenal’s lone electrical
engineer and his staff of one, Jim Uram.
While this upgrade was ongoing, Dedjoe and Uram still
had to deal with other jobs such as replacing more than
12,000 feet of damaged underground cables, providing
power to several new machines on a production floor, and
installing digital fire alarms in five buildings, Uram said.
The third, critical person involved in the successful that a business has when attempting to connect a state-
installation of the substation is Connie Turner, the contract of-the-art system to 40-year-old technology. While other
representative for this project. challenges came from a design that looked great on paper
“This project was three years in the making,” Turner but required some minor tweaks in order to make things
said. “It began with the Army Corps of Engineers work. The biggest challenge, however, came from the
contracting a private firm to design the substation, then discovery of an old oil sump under the original foundation.
the project moved to a bidding process where more than “To correctly remove the old oil and storage tank
30 potential bidders visited Watervliet, and work finally correctly, took about two weeks and it was time that
began last August.” wasn’t budgeted for,” Turner said. “Despite that huge
To add to the difficulty of the project, there were seven challenge, the contractor, Pichardo Development Corp.
modifications to the contract, Turner said. from New Jersey, was able to stay on task and complete
Some of the modifications came from the challenges the contract on time.”

8. Page 8 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
CPAC Corner: Flexible Spending Account
FSAFEDS—Flexible Spending Account
As a Federal employee, your health insurance premiums are taken out of your pay before taxes are
deducted. This is a big benefit to employees, considering the rising cost of health insurance premi-
ums; but did you know that your child care expenses and other health costs (i.e. co-pays, prescrip-
tions and over-the-counter medications, dental costs, orthodontics, etc.) can also be deducted from
your pay before taxes?
This is the function of FSAFEDS. FSAFEDS is a flexible spending account used to reimburse you for
your out-of-pocket health care expenses. Why pay taxes on expenses you know you will incur each
month if you don’t have to?
How does it work?
You must enroll in FSAFEDS during open season or at the time of a life qualifying event. Once you’re
enrolled, you decide how much you would like to put into your account for that year. If you have pre-
dictable medical expenses, such as co-pays or prescriptions, you may want to calculate these costs
for the year and put that amount in your account. The amount you choose will be deducted in equal
increments from your pay each pay period so that the full amount is deducted by the end of the year.
You can allot up to $2,500 per covered employee for medical expenses and up to $5,000 for child
care expenses. You can then submit claims for reimbursement through the mail or the new online
submission system. Keep in mind that FSAFEDS is a “use or lose” program, so calculate carefully.
You are given a grace period after the end of the year (March 14, 2014 for the upcoming enrollment
year) to incur expenses and submit claims for reimbursement. However, after that deadline, you will
lose any money left in your account.
How much can I save?
You can calculate how much you’ll save by enrolling in FSAFEDS by entering your pay information in
the calculator found here: https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/fsa_calculator.asp
As a basic example, if you are a FERS employee making $45,000 a year and claiming 0 Federal ex-
emptions and you allot the full $2,500 to your FSAFEDS account, you will save $988 in taxes. That’s
a 40% discount on your out-of-pocket medical expenses that you would have incurred anyway!
What else?
You can find additional information on the details of the program as well as qualifying medical/child
care expenses at: https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp
You can also call a counselor at the number below:
FSAFEDS Benefits Counselors: Toll-Free: 1-877-FSAFEDS (1-877-372-3337) Monday-Friday 9am-
9pm or send an email to: FSAFEDS@shps.com
Remember: Open Season ends December 10th!

9. Page 9 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Lean Corner: The power of being single
By Mark Ripley
Have you ever heard of SMED? Yes, it’s another Lean concept and acronym to tax your mind.
SMED stands for Single-Minute Exchange of Die. And, as with many Lean concepts, it applies to office process
setups just as well as it does to shop floor setups. The idea of SMED is to reduce setup time to a single digit
number of minutes. For example, 60 minutes down to 8 minutes.
It sounds impossible, right? But it’s not. There are a lot of case studies where reductions like this happen.
And it really isn’t all that hard and so, here is how to do it:
1. Assemble a cross-functional team of experts in their fields.
2. Carefully observe the current set-up process. Determine which steps are internal and which are exter-
nal. Internal steps are those done with the machine down. External steps are those “set-up” steps that can be
done while the machine is still running the last of the old parts/products.
3. Eliminate any steps that are pure waste.
4. Convert internal steps to external steps.
5. 6S the process area. Make sure all needed tools and equipment are kept handy and organized – or
available exactly when needed. Make sure the area is clean, uncluttered, safe and easy to move through.
6. Streamline the remaining internal steps. Use intermediate fixtures to eliminate long, precise position-
ing requirements. Eliminate long, tricky adjustments. Use quick clamping techniques and eliminate fasteners.
There is a lot of ways to streamline if we tap some of the brainpower around here.
7. Improve all external set-up steps.
8. Ensure supporting functions provide their inputs to the process in a timely fashion.
One of these days, you will be asked to be on a SMED event team. Consider it a compliment because the team
leader, process owner or facilitator recognizes you as an expert in what you do. Help the team perform what
might seem like a miracle...getting to be single....and you can be on the cutting edge of Continuous Improve-
ment here at Watervliet Arsenal.
When a good idea brought
more than two cents
James F. Schlegel, an assembler in the Manufac-
turing Division, Industrial Operations and Produc-
tion Directorate, submitted an idea to change the
marking procedure for the M9 baseplate.
His suggestion will save $46 per unit by having the
vendor stamp the parts before they are delivered.
His suggestion will result in $24,684 in tangible
savings and was granted an award this month of
$1,450 for his suggestion."

10. Page 10 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Defender of coasts, here and abroad
By Mark Koziol
By coincidence, shortly after
I started research for last month’s
article about Col. Adelbert
Buffington and the disappearing
gun carriage, I was given a CD
of close to 300 photos of large
seacoast guns that once protected
the entrance to Manila Bay in
the Philippines. There are many
wonderful photos showing the
different guns and mortars being
loaded and fired by gun crews.
The 14-inch gun and Photo provided by the Arsenal Museum
disappearing gun carriage photos Two men were required to load a projectile on a cart into the gun breech at Fort Frank. Then
were interesting because, most seven men used a ramrod to push the payload into the gun. Troop strength for the Fort Frank
batteries totaled 11 officers and 349 men divided to 3 officers and 67 men per 14-inch gun.
likely, at least one of the big guns
being fired was made at Watervliet the number of times the gun was
Arsenal. test fired in 1917; twenty-one Coastal Defense
According to research into times. The 14-inch big guns
On Feb. 1, 1906, Maj. Gen.
the History Letter Books housed eventually made the long trip to John P. Story, as chairman of the
at the Arsenal Museum, Col. Fort Frank at the Philippine’s National Coast Defense Board,
William W. Gibson’s June 30, 1912 Carabao Island. submitted to William H. Taft, Sec-
Annual Production Report stated In early 1942, the Japanese retary of War, a final report outlin-
that work had been completed on started bombing Fort Frank and ing a proposed coastal defense
system for the United States and
manufacturing three 14-inch guns. the Corregidor defenses from high its possessions. Ten stateside and
The War Department’s Annual altitudes. There were more than 40 one overseas port, Subic Bay,
Report for 1913 stated about coastal guns defending Manila Bay. were declared “ports of first impor-
defense of Manila Bay, which After the last of the reserve tance” for armament with modern
include Corregidor, that: forces had been committed, coastal defense weapons. A further
eight United States forts and six
“On Carabao Island the some 500 U.S. Marines, Lt. Gen.
overseas ports were designated
emplacements for the 14-inch Jonathan Wainwright, on May 6, “ports of secondary importance”
batteries and mortar batteries are 1942, sent out two officers from his for armament. Second from last on
practically completed. The guns field headquarters waving a white the list was the entrance to Manila
and carriages will be shipped in the flag of surrender. Bay. In order to quickly develop a
workable defense of Manila Bay,
fall (1912) and mounted probably From January 1942 to the fall
first priority was given to fortifying
before the close of the fiscal year of Corregidor on May 6, 1942, Corregidor and Carabao with the
(June 30, 1913).” the defenders of Corregidor now designated Fort Mills and Fort
According to the Seacoast suffered about 800 dead and 1,000 Frank respectively. Armament for
Defense Study Group index cards, wounded. The 14-inch guns were Fort Franks consisted of two 14
the 14-inch big gun, Model 1907, destroyed by U.S. forces prior to inch disappearing guns mounted in
two separate batteries.
came from Watervliet Arsenal the Japanese occupation of Fort
and the disappearing carriage was Frank. Gen. Douglas MacArthur Information from Charles M. Bog-
made at the Watertown Arsenal in would not return to the Philippines art, Corregidor Historical Society.
Massachusetts. The cards record until Oct. 20, 1944.

11. Page 11 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
During your holidays,
please do not forget
about our customers!
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE
CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE
CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE. OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.”
SOLDIERS
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES SOON ROUND THE WORLD, I COULDN’T CONTROL IT,
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
AND GROWN UPS WOULD
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
CELEBRATE I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. SO SILENT AND STILL
CAME THROUGH MY MIND. AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM FROM THE COLD NIGHT’S
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, CHILL.
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE
SOLDIER, ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. I COULDN’T HELP WONDER THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
HOW MANY LAY ALONE, SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
SILENT, ALONE,
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. OVER,
THE VERY THOUGHT WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, WHISPERED, “CARRY ON SANTA,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS
NOT HOW I PICTURED AND STARTED TO CRY. SECURE.”
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
WAS THIS THE HERO AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
OF WHOM I’D JUST READ? “SANTA DON’T CRY, “MERRY CHRISTMAS MY
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; FRIEND,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED? AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.”
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES I DON’T ASK FOR MORE,
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, Anonymous

12. Page 12 Salvo Nov. 30, 2012
Watervliet Arsenal
200th Anniversary Cookbook
RVLIET ARSE
ATEOUD TRADITION SINCE 181NAL
W A PR 3
FOR
YEARS
ET AR
VLI SE
ER
T
NA
WA
L
1813
Have a great family recipe?
Share it with your Arsenal Family!
We need your help – We are seeking entries for the first ever Arsenal cookbook
to commemorate our 200th anniversary featuring recipes from our workforce.
Whether it is an appetizer, dessert or main course, we want to hear from you!
Cookbooks will be available for pre-order on the 200th Anniversary Memorabilia
order form.
Fill out and submit your recipes online at:
www.wva.army.mil/recipe
Entries will be accepted from November 1, through December 31, 2012