Tobyhanna program honors servicemembers

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, PA. - A Soldier and a Marine from Northeastern Pennsylvania are the first to earn Tobyhanna Army Depot's new Warfighter of the Quarter award. Sgt. Raymond A. Naperkowski of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard earned the first award, and Marine Corps Sgt. Vincent J. Jordan earned the second award. Both were recognized during a ceremony before a Wilkes-Barre Penguins hockey game last month. Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Spencer presented the awards on behalf of Col. Charles Gibson, commander of Tobyhanna Army Depot.

The depot established the award to strengthen the ties between warfighters and the Tobyhanna work force, which repairs, maintains and integrates many of the high-tech systems used by the Armed Forces to accomplish their missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.

"Our Tobyhanna team has an unparalleled record of support to our Warfighters, providing the highest quality command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and support," Gibson said. "Establishing this award is one more way to make members of the Tobyhanna team aware of the critical, life-saving work they perform for our Warfighters in every branch of the Armed Forces."

Both Jordan and Naperkowski have completed deployments to Southwest Asia. Naperkowski served in Afghanistan and Iraq. While in Iraq, he participated in more than 120 security patrols that resulted in the capture of insurgents. Naperkowski is currently assigned to Headquarters Battery, 109th Field Artillery, as a combat medic. "I really don't feel I deserve the award, but I accept it on behalf of my teammates with whom I deployed," he said. In Afghanistan, he was a ground surveillance system operator. He relied on Tobyhanna-maintained night vision goggles during his deployments. Naperkowski has nearly 10 years of military service.

Jordan served two deployments in Iraq as a motor transport maintenance chief and then as a route clearance maintenance chief. "Being able to reduce the impact of improvised explosive devices on our Marines and the civilians through route clearance was awesome. The roads stayed clear and we were able to get the job done," Jordan stated.

He is assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Detachment Alpha, Wyoming, Pa., as a motor transport mechanic. "It's an honor to represent my unit. Deploying to Iraq and being able to help my fellow Marines and the Iraqi people was something I will remember forever." He has served in the Marines for more than six years.

Naperkowski is a resident of Pringle; Jordan lives in Wilkes-Barre. Members of all branches of the Armed Forces are eligible for the award.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is the Defense Department's largest center for the repair, overhaul and fabrication of a wide variety of electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network. Tobyhanna's missions support all branches of the Armed Forces.

About 5,600 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.