ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala.-Though depot maintenance has been ongoing here since the 1950s, work really revs up with the onset of war. In recent history, it was the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom that called for the swift repair of tanks and small caliber weapons that were needed in Southwest Asia.
It was no longer about refurbishing equipment to be stocked away in the Pentagon's inventory. Urgent needs arose and the depot took on new assignments with its highly skilled workforce of government civilians who knew that the warfighters were waiting for their M1 main battle tanks, M113 personnel carriers and guns that had to work the first time, every time.
Work like that is still going on here, and depot employees have not forgotten about the ultimate customer, the warfighter.
Three Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team, or 3-2 SBCT, at Fort Lewis, Wash., paid a visit to the depot Jan. 27 and 28 as part of a program that lets servicemembers provide feedback to the government civilians who repair their equipment.
The program, Operation Tell Your Story, also gave the Soldiers-Capt. Bradley Krauss, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Lashley and Sgt. Devon Hoch-a first-hand look at the repairs being made on combat vehicles and small arms.
"We had missions in all parts of the country (Iraq), so we weren't tied down to one camp and were able to help out wherever we were needed," said Hoch, who was deployed to Iraq from June 2006 to September 2007 as a gunner and team leader with the Stryker brigade.
Since the early 2000s, defense contractor General Dynamics Land Systems has been building new Strykers at the depot in a public-private partnership with the Army. The first Strykers deployed with the 3-2 SBCT in 2004.
The contractor and the depot have also been partnering since 2005 to reset war-worn Strykers.
It's the Stryker that's closest to the hearts of the 3-2 SBCT. The vehicle helped them make it through blasts from improvised explosive devices.
The 3-2 SBCT gave a nickname-'General Lee'-to one of the Strykers built and reset at Anniston. The advanced combat protection of General Lee is credited with saving the lives of the crew.
The General Lee first deployed with troops in 2005 a year after it was built new at Anniston Army Depot. The battle-damaged Stryker returned to the depot in May 2007 to be refurbished to like-new condition. The refurbished General Lee is now with the Army awaiting another trip to Southwest Asia with the SBCT.
Krauss deployed to Iraq with the SBCT in 2006 as an anti-tank platoon leader and said that he appreciates the "resiliency and reliability" of the Stryker vehicle. "Any Soldier who has ever ridden in one or served in a Stryker unit would rather walk than ride in anything else," he said.
Depot Commander Col. S. B. Keller and Sgt. Maj. Tony Butler are two of about 10 Soldiers working on the installation. While they welcomed the SBCT's input on Stryker repair, Keller and Butler said the Soldiers' visit also gave them some time to talk to other "green suiters" about shared experiences in the military.
"Our mission is to support the Soldier, and this visit was a chance to put a human face on that support, which is very important to us. To hear the stories of how these vehicles are used in combat really brings it home for us," said Keller. "We are very honored to have these Soldiers visit with our workforce."
Lashley's deployment with the SBCT in 2006 was his second tour in Southwest Asia. He first deployed in 2003 with a maintenance platoon and then served as a squad leader with the SBCT where his focus was route clearance. "The Stryker is like no other vehicle in the Army's inventory because of its design. It can easily be driven down city streets, and its armor is able to withstand the IED attacks," he said.
The 3,000-plus depot employees who work in the Directorate of Production have experienced a heavier maintenance workload since 2003. About 2,000 combat vehicles roll out the depot's gate each year, as well as 40,000 small arms and other military equipment used by the troops.
"We're proud to help out and provide the best equipment the troops can have when they need it like these Soldiers did in Iraq," said Perry Grissom, a depot mechanic. "I see the Strykers come in for disassembly that have been damaged, and seeing these Soldiers here this week puts it into perspective even more, knowing that the Strykers we repaired saved their lives."
Grissom, who works with other depot mechanics in the Stryker reset facility alongside technicians with GDLS, observed in August 2008 the production rollout of the 100th battle-damaged Stryker to be repaired here. Currently, 139 Strykers-to include General Lee-have been refurbished or repaired by the depot.
As part of Operation Tell Your Story, the depot is scheduled to host another set of Soldiers in April, this time from Fort Stewart, Ga.
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