AMC deputy commander visits Natick

By USAG-Natick Public AffairsMay 29, 2013

AMC deputy commander visits Natick
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

NATICK, Mass. (May 29, 2013) -- The deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command got a close look at the many things that Natick Soldier Systems Center does each day for the joint warfighter during a May 24 visit to the installation.

Upon her arrival, Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion received an overview of NSSC and Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center from Dr. Jack Obusek, NSRDEC director. NSRDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, a subordinate organization of AMC.

McQuistion then was briefed about some of NSSC's world-class facilities and programs. While learning about altitude research at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, McQuistion related one of her own experiences with performance effects well above sea level.

"I landed on a (forward operating base) at about 12,000 feet," McQuistion said. "I was physically impaired."

Later, at the Ouellette Thermal Test Facility, McQuistion watched as a four-second flash-fire test was conducted on a full-scale manikin.

"I can feel that heat," McQuistion said.

The AMC deputy commander since Aug. 7, 2012, McQuistion is no stranger to this area. She earned a master's degree in acquisition management from Babson College in nearby Wellesley, Mass.