Shaffer\'s brother Timmy; parents Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Shaffer; and grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Shaffer participated in the ribbon cutting with (from left) Jyuji D. Hewitt, deputy to the commander, Joint Munitions Command; Brig. Gen. James...

Letterkenny Army Depot, Pa., dedicated the new less-than-truckload facility to the memory of Sgt. Edward W. Shaffer May 27.

Shaffer, a native of Mont Alto, Pa., was injured Nov. 13, 2006 during and explosion in the town of Ramadi. Suffering from burns on more than 80 percent of his body, Shaffer died Dec. 27, 2006.

Many members of Shafer's family attended the ceremony.

The $6.3 million LTL facility is 15,500 square feet and holds 10 working bays. The building incorporates all the support functions required, making it more efficient than the old building which did not.

The old building, built in 1943, was much smaller at 10,900 square feet and did not meet today's storage requirements for munitions and explosives.

The new building reduces truck traffic across the installation, conserves fuel and serves as a stand-alone facility.

"This new facility has long been needed. It will decrease the time commercial drivers will have to spend on the installation. Among the efficiencies brought by a modern LTL is that it now allows for the overnight storage of all categories of munitions, eliminating the need to return munitions prepared for shipment to the storage magazines, while awaiting arrival of commercial carriers," said Edward Averill, director of Letterkenny Munitions Center.

"It is clear that this new building eliminates a tremendous amount of inefficiency and reduces operating costs," said Col. Steven Shapiro, depot commander.