Commander talks mission, jobs to community

McALESTER, Okla. -- When the commander of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant talks, people listen, particularly when he's talking about jobs in the community as he did at the Kiamichi Technology Center, or KTC, here, April 22.

Billed as "An Evening with Col. Dalessio," the city of McAlester organized the event for Col. Joseph G. Dalessio to talk to the public about the work done at the plant in support of the nation's warfighters.

"I always thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice to let the public know about what goes on out there with our major employer and a huge part of our national defense?'" McAlester Mayor Steve Harrison said before he introduced the commander.

Many of the estimated 150 people in attendance remained through Dalessio's 25-minute talk about MCAAP's mission, and its economic impact on McAlester and the state. They were waiting to learn about employment opportunities.

For 30 minutes Dalessio fielded questions, mostly about employment. The audience, representing all ages and both genders, asked about multiple job listings that appeared to be the same, entry-level job requirements, age restrictions, required training and much more.

Others told Dalessio about their difficulty using the USAJOBS website to apply for jobs. He promised them another USAJOBS training session -- this one sometime in May. Two business days later the training was scheduled for May 20 at KTC.

Dalessio and a Civilian Personnel Advisory Center representative at the plant remained 30 minutes after the question and answer period to field additional questions.

Dalessio started his presentation by showing a brief Joint Munitions Command video highlighting the work done at its 14 subordinate installations.

Dalessio talked about the Army's three major commands and stated that MCAAP's higher headquarters, JMC, has only 20 service members in uniform.

"The folks who wear the uniform come and go, but the folks you see in here, who are my teammates out at the plant, stay here and do the hard work," he said.

His talk primarily focused on the plant's mission: ammunition production, ammunition and missile maintenance, ammunition and missile demilitarization and logistics operations.

"We are a business," Dalessio said. "For us, it's all about cost, schedule and quality, and getting the right item to the right place at the right time (for our Joint Warfighters)."

He also explained the open burn and open detonation demilitarization that occurs at the plant between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, depending on weather conditions and permissible decibel levels. He said he hears residents' complaints and understands them.

"We want to make sure we're not too much of a hindrance to the community, so we do monitor that and take it seriously," Dalessio said.

Harrison said MCAAP is the largest employer in Pittsburg County, and the second largest, to Choctaw Nation, in southeastern Oklahoma. Dalessio said the plant's employee compensation, annual supplies and services purchased, and its annual utilities pumped $144 million into the economy in 2014.

Judy Massey, who moved to McAlester from Wilburton, Oklahoma, with her husband 18 months ago, attended to learn about jobs, but she was pleased to learn even more about the plant.

"I got a lot of information that I didn't know about," she said. "I was one of those angry people who was always saying, 'Why are they always throwing those bombs out?' But now I got information about that so I'll not be so angry about it. I know what is going on and that they have a job to do."