MLAAP Welcomes a New Commander

MILAN, Tenn. " At 10 a.m. on June 29, 2011, Lt. Col. Norbert A. Fochs assumed command of the Milan Army Ammunition Plant (MLAAP) as the 37th commander of the 70-year-old ammunition plant. The change of command ceremony was held inside the Tennessee National Guard simulated training center, adjacent to the MLAAP headquarters building.

During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Maria P. Eoff, former commander for Milan Army Ammunition Plant, relinquished the command to Fochs in preparation for her next assignment at Army Materiel Command Headquarters.

Fochs thanked the Army leadership, who allow him “to command the BEST ammunition plant in the United States Army,” he said.

Fochs then expressed his eagerness to work with “the members of Team Milan Army Ammunition Plant, who continuously provide safe and reliable ammunition to the Joint Warfighter.”

“Now let’s get to work!,” he said.

Eoff delivered a message of thanks to her leadership, her staff, and the community for their support. She noted that the many accomplishments of her command would not have been possible without these key groups. She discussed MLAAP’s strides and successes in the areas of physical security, safety, public affairs, quality assurance, natural resources, contracting, and community relations.

“You are the ‘Team of Excellence’,” she said. “Your daily performance exemplifies Aristotle’s quote, ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’.”

“These successes,” she continued, “couldn’t be possible without the Army staff…American Ordnance…the Joint Munitions Command staff…and the Milan Community.”

Along with the milestones accomplished during her two-year command, the ceremony also celebrated MLAAP’s “70 years of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice in service of our nation’s defense…a much more significant milestone,” she said.

“Thus, the theme of today’s ceremony is to celebrate our past success in the production of the highest quality munitions, give best wishes for continued success, and commemorate our proud history” Eoff declared.

Col. Linwood Clark, commander of Crane Army Ammunition Activity in Crane, Ind., the higher headquarters for MLAAP, conducted the ceremony.

“The change of command ceremony represents the peaceful and orderly transition of command from one individual to another,” Clark explained. “It allows the commander to assess the readiness of the unit.”