The commanding general of the Army Materiel Command, Gen. Dennis L. Via, left, with AMC Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims, right, and Watervliet Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. at the AMC Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Oct. 27, 2015. Sc...
Army Materiel Command's Gen. Dennis L. Via, left, with AMC's Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims unveil the new Hall of Fame wall honoring Watervliet Arsenal's Fred Clas and five others. Via inducted Clas into the Hall of Fame on Oct. 27, 2015. Via is ...
WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. (Oct. 27, 2015) -- A former World War II apprentice who rose to greatness at the Watervliet Arsenal, Fred Clas, received on October 27 one of the highest honors in the U.S. Army Materiel Command -- induction into the AMC Hall of Fame.
Gen. Dennis L. Via, the Commanding General of AMC, provided Clas' award to Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. in a ceremony at AMC headquarters, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., which honored five other inductees. As much as Clas would have loved to attend today's ceremony, his current health status precluded his travelling from upstate New York to Alabama.
Nevertheless, Via called Clas at his home in Niskayuna, N.Y., prior to the ceremony to thank him for his service and to congratulate his selection into the Hall of Fame.
Clas said he was very honored and humbled not only by his award, but also by the call from the four-star general.
"I told him (Via) how proud I was to have had an opportunity to work at the arsenal," Clas said. "I also told him (Via) that he made an old man cry today. This award means that much to me."
When Clas reported for his first day of apprentice training here in 1940, it would take three major wars and nearly 100,000 hours of work before he would drive out the arsenal gate one last time en route to his retirement. Clas' original plan was to stay one year and then attend college. But war has strange consequences not only for Soldiers, but also for Department of the Army civilians who support the troops.
In 1963, he became the director of operations overseeing a manufacturing workforce of nearly 3,000, a position he held until he retired in 1985.
During his career, he help lead the arsenal's transformation from manufacturing 16-inch guns for battleships to cannons for the Abrams Tank.
But beyond all the greatness that Clas helped bring to Watervliet, he remains an unassuming man.
When he was informed this month about his selection into the AMC's Hall of Fame, he relished the moment ever so briefly before he broke into a dialogue about what the arsenal is doing today and what he can do to help it.
After all, Clas is a tough, spirited man who won't let his health challenges slow him down. But as much as he looks forward to getting back on his feet, he said he does have a sense of the impending future given that he is 93.
"I know that there is not much else my doctors can do for me after this next surgery," Clas said. "And so, what concerns me most is that I have a lot left to do for the arsenal and I'm a little worried that I won't be able to complete my mission."
Clas is a humble man who wants nothing more in life than to make the arsenal better. He did, but no one here will ever tell him that his mission is complete.
It is hard to measure the importance that such a man has on the arsenal and on our Army, but suffice it to say it is significant.
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Background:
Army Materiel Command…Mr. Frederick Clas was inducted into the 2015 AMC Hall of Fame by Gen. Dennis L. Via, the Commanding General of AMC, at the AMC Headquarters at the Redstone Arsenal, Ala., on Oct. 27, 2015.
AMC was activated in 1962, but its Hall of Fame was not established until 2012, on its 50th anniversary. The Hall of Fame was established to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the command and the U.S. Army, giving employees a sense of heritage, honor, and pride. Nominees are evaluated on their contributions to one or more of AMC's core missions or the lasting impacts they made on the command.
AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- equipping, sustaining and enabling the war fighter through technology, acquisition support, materiel development and logistics power projection -- across the spectrum of joint military operations.
AMC impacts or has a presence is all 50 states and in 144 countries. It has a work force of more than 65,000 dedicated military and civilian employees.
Watervliet Arsenal…The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 14, 2013. It is a subordinate command to the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command at Warren, Mich., and the Army Materiel Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
Today's arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark had revenue in fiscal year 2015 that exceeded $130 million and provides an annual economic benefit to New York of nearly $100 million.
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