Gen. Dennis Via, commanding general, Army Materiel Command, and AMC Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Riling II, share a chuckle Feb. 7 that the TA 312 field phone is still as reliable as it was when they entered active duty. (Photo by Greg Alderete, 404th ...

Gen. Dennis Via, commanding general, Army Materiel Command, and AMC Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Riling II, shared a laugh Feb. 7 that the TA 312 field phone is still as reliable as it was when they entered active duty.

The analog, 2-wire, battery operated TA-312 replaced and will interoperate with the World War II and Korean War EE-8 field phone. The rugged and reliable TA-312 was used from the 1950s through the 1980s before being superceded by the TA-838 analog field phone. TA-312's continue in use throughout the U.S. forces as well as many allied countries.

Via and Riling were visiting the Central Issue Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. They also visited with the I Corps commanding general, Lt. Gen. Robert Brown and the 404th Army Field Support Brigade commander, Col. Leafaina Yahn, during their trip.