West Point boasts of its long grey line but Fort Knox has the long muddy line.
Armor track line, that is.
While the “lines” may harken to a storied history for both entities, the lines seeing all the traffic at Fort Knox lately are the railroad lines, as the Armor School complies with the Base Realignment and Closure act by moving its equipment to Fort Benning, Ga.
It’s no small feat. The contract for all equipment required by the Armor School’s 1,500 instructors to train Army and Marine tankers in its 17 courses is estimated at 500,000 line items and roughly 60 million pounds, according to Dina Muir, the BRAC traffic manager.
Another shipment of armor vehicles was loaded at the Knox railhead June 9. Although not the first or last increment of equipment, that load was the largest one to date with more than 40 tanks, 11 Bradleys, five M88 (tracked recovery vehicles), three Strykers, and four Marine vehicles used in bridging and engineering operations, said Lt. Col. Antonio Austin, the rear detachment commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence. That shipment brings the total up to 65 percent of all the equipment to be transferred.
There are approximately 70 people “on the ground,” -- Soldiers, DA civilians and contractors -- who have formed a team that has the loading process down to a science.
“The success story here is this teamwork between three components,” said Ron Brown, a supervisor at Knox's Ground Systems Material Management Directorate.
One of the reasons the team works so well together is that the team members have already been blended through their daily missions. While few Soldiers are aware of the inner workings, the equipment owned by active duty Army units is repaired and maintained through the coordination of the civilians in the Directorate of Training Sustainment-North and GSMMD.
In 2003, GSMMD was an initiative that tested the feasibility of one command (Army Materiel Command) doing the maintenance on another command’s (Training and Doctrine Command) equipment. Now it’s the standard on all TRADOC installations, explained Mr. Brown.
When the pilot program was in its infancy, the Army removed military mechanics and replaced them with civilians to privatize maintenance. It was a rough transition.
“It was a learning process in the beginning,” said McKinley Daughtery. “The civilian side is very different from the military side. It was a slow start, but now we know what to do.”
“The Army guidance was always aimed at Soldiers, not civilians,” said Kevin LeMasters, with DOTS. “I still don’t think there’s any written guidance, but most of us are familiar with the equipment due to our prior service.”
Because the functions of GSMMD and DOTS will formally move to Fort Benning with the Armor School, many of the employees will be out of a job when the move is complete because they have declined to relocate. Nevertheless, the project’s efficiency hasn’t suffered.
“Most of us are retirees from military service,” said Don Waggoner, who will retire with 32 years of civilian service. “We know what it’s like when you’re moving often; you don’t just give up because you’re getting short. Besides, I like the job and it changes every day, so you damn sure don’t have time to get bored.”
Keeping the equipment ready for the numerous armor courses produces a demanding pace.
“The tempo here is unlike anything I have ever seen,” said Mr. Daughtery.
“The only break in the action is the two weeks at Christmas,” added Mr. LeMasters.
“It’s nothing to have 15 or 16 ranges going at once,” said Mr. Waggoner, always called Cuz. “But we’ve never failed a mission,” he said. “Never has a unit been unable to draw their equipment for their training event.”
“I know it’s hard to believe,” added Mr. Daughtery, “but we have never missed a mission. I wouldn’t have believed it either when I started (working here).”
Understandably proud of the missions they have already accomplished, the team members continue to contribute to the successful move.
“BRAC has brought our plates to overflowing, getting things ready to go while you’re still supporting other Soldiers training here,” said Mr. LeMasters.
“As we get closer to this, we need even more cooperation,” Mr. Daughtery said. “None of us has the personnel to complete the mission alone, and you steadily see more people leaving the organization as they get other jobs.”
“We’re doing the same thing we did nine years ago, but in reverse " we were building (the organization) before and now we’re taking it apart and shipping it south,” said Cuz.
“It’s been the most challenging job of my career,” said Mr. Brown, who will retire with 39 years of service. “But it’s also been the most fun.”
The team members reacted with determination when asked how they feel about working so hard when their jobs will be gone soon.
“It’s called pride!” Cuz said. “And my guys will do it until they close the doors and turn off the lights. I have seen them wet, muddy, cold, and tired, but they know they have a job to do. They don’t know how to quit.”
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