ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. - Four 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division "Sledgehammer" Soldiers toured the depot Feb. 22 and 23 as part of Operation Tell Your Story.
During their two-day visit, the Soldiers visited various shops throughout the Nichols Industrial Complex, including the Combat Vehicle Repair Facility, Small Arms Facility, Powertrain Flexible Maintenance Facility and General Dynamics Land Systems' Stryker and Fox vehicle areas.
Throughout the tour, the Soldiers talked with depot and GDLS workers, sharing stories of the vehicles and talking about the depot's work.
"What you are working on, that's my baby," said Staff Sgt. William Deaton to workers on the turbine engine assembly line as he noticed the M1 engines. "I love the M1."
Spc. Srdjan Zivkovic has worked with Paladins since his days in Advanced Individual Training and was thrilled to see several of them lined up and in the process of being overhauled here.
"I've driven a lot of these Paladins," he said. "We rely on them to work and you make sure they work."
The tour was particularly poignant for one visitor. Sgt. David Wood is a tank mechanic who often works on the tanks in the field. Since the M88 is often used by him as a workhorse to retrieve damaged vehicles, he was particularly intrigued by their overhaul and repair processes.
"I want to know what they find in the hull of those things. It's got to be interesting," said Wood, adding that he and the other mechanics often consider items lost forever if they are dropped in an M88.
Sgt. Joshua Rennels said he walked away from the depot with a greater appreciation for every part that goes into his tank.
"The smallest hydraulic hose is just as important as the biggest gun on the battlefield," said Rennels.
Each of the Soldiers was impressed by the cleanliness they saw in the various work areas, particularly the engine shops.
"As tankers, dirt is a major enemy. A speck of dirt can ruin an engine," said Deaton. "It's a greasy, nasty, oily job to put an engine together and their work stations were cleaner than I expected in an industrial setting."
During the tour of GDLS' facilities, Deaton spotted a photo of himself, taken atop his tank in Iraq.
"The picture of my tank in Sadr City, that blew my mind," he said.
The visit also provided Lt. Jeffrey Hodge with his first tour of the depot. Hodge, who arrived at the installation in November 2010 to serve as an operations and planning officer in the Depot Operations Office, was one of the primary planners for this Operation Tell Your Story event and accompanied the Soldiers during their days on the installation.
"It was a great experience for everyone involved. The Soldiers left with a new understanding and high appreciation for Anniston Army Depot and, honestly, so did I. We all agreed the standard of professionalism, efficiency and cleanliness were second to none. We met a lot of good people and witnessed firsthand the hard work and care put into each piece of equipment prior to the battlefield," said Hodge. "The Soldiers' only complaint was that they did not have an extra day and mine was that I had not done this sooner."
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