WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. -- The Arsenal has proudly supported our nation's servicemen and women since the War of 1812. But after every military conflict, there have been some who have wanted to close the Arsenal. But the Arsenal has survived these efforts due in large part to the community.
The Arsenal owes a great deal to the community but this spirit of reciprocity nearly died during the 1990s. For many years, as the Arsenal went through nine reductions of its workforce beginning in 1991, the Arsenal became absent from community engagement. The Arsenal started to correct that wrong three years ago by participating in Memorial Day Parades, Veterans Day Parades, and numerous other local military and Veteran-related events. Extending the Arsenal's engagement to local schools is simply a natural extension to the Arsenal's community relations efforts.
One of the best tools the Arsenal leverages to engage local schools is the Arsenal museum. Last week, the Arsenal hosted more than 30 cadets from the Amsterdam High School Marine Junior ROTC program. What better place for Cadets to learn about the history of New York manufacturing than from the Arsenal that has been in continuous operation since 1813.
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