MCALESTER, Okla.--Training to run an Army Ammunition Supply Point (ASP) is fun and challenging, according to SPC Hailey Haner. She received her training while attended the Culminating Training Event July 18-22 at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant along with her fellow Soldiers from the 3rd Platoon of the 261st Ordnance Company from Ripley, W. Va.
Out of ammo school for just two months, this was her first training exercise. "It's actually a lot more interesting than it looks. It's basically cool working with all this ammo," she said during a break from her forklift training class.
Haner wanted to do something different with her life that she could be proud of so she joined the Army which taught her self-discipline "and helps out with (paying for) school . . . that's a big reason for joining," she said.
SPC Audra Smith, with two years in the Army and an ammo school graduate, said that the ammo school doesn't specifically teach how to run an ASP. "We learn the ropes but we don't learn how to tie them together--we're doing that during this exercise at MCAAP."
She's also eager to get overseas. "I'm looking forward to deploying. I want to do my job and get out of the training phase and into the "doing" phase," she said. Staff Sgt. William Ritton, with 14 years in the Army, said his Soldiers were glad to be out of the classroom environment and actually doing what they'll do overseas.
Warrant Officer Thomas Houston, ammunition accountable officer for this platoon, takes his responsibilities seriously. "My responsibility is to train these Soldiers to the standards necessary to make them proficient when they get in theater," he said.
And that training is easier when you have an accommodating installation like McAlester Army Ammunition Plant "who has made this training event something my Soldiers will remember", said 1LT Matthew Livengood, platoon commander. He's also fully confident that his Soldiers will execute their mission to the fullest. The unit is now serving in Kuwait.
Getting the job done depends upon teamwork and 3rd platoon of the 261st Ordnance Company from Ripley, West Virginia reflects just that, according to Livengood. "I'm humbled by my Soldiers. When you work together, the mission accomplished is so much easier than 53 individuals," he said.
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, occupying 45,000 acres, is the Department of Defense's (DOD) premier bomb manufacturer and largest ammunition storage facility in DOD.
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