ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- From June 1, 2012, to July 22, 2014, Tony Pollard served two tours in Southwest Asia as a Department of Defense civilian working with Product Manager Assured Mobility Systems.
His job, to manage vehicle platforms used to locate improvised explosives devices, relied heavily on knowledge he gained through years working at ANAD.
"I was the product manager forward," said Pollard. "I was the government technical monitor for the contractor performing maintenance on 1,200 vehicles in theater."
In short, that meant Pollard had to ensure the iron scrapes, bar armor, chevron armor, mine plows and mine rollers for Husky, MRAP, Buffalo and other vehicle platforms were up to specifications and ready for the Soldiers, Marines and the United Nations forces when and where they were needed.
"We fielded and issued mine rollers and other equipment to Soldiers from several other countries," said Pollard.
Having his depot contacts stateside gave Pollard the ability to track equipment being repaired here as it was processed and shipped, so he was able to facilitate the war fighters' needs more efficiently.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Peeples was the battalion maintenance officer for Task Force Warhorse from March to December 2013.
Peeples said Pollard regularly supported TF Warhorse's route clearance platoons with parts location and transportation, ensuring mission readiness for the platoons through his support of their maintenance teams.
"Pollard and his team greatly contributed to the overall readiness of the route clearance patrols supported by TF Warhorse with less than 0.01 percent non-mission capable status throughout the deployment," said Peeples. "His efforts and dedication to the support of the war fighters were beyond the scope of his duties and reflected his 'can do' spirit."
For William Roell, an engineer equipment officer with BRTRC Federal Solutions, a defense contractor working with PM AMS, Pollard's arrival in theater was timed perfectly.
"We had experienced complications with the installation of bar armor for route clearance vehicles. Pollard's experience on the fabrication of bar armor at Anniston quickly made him the subject matter expert in theater," said Roell.
Roell said Pollard was a key element in surveying potential sites for additional maintenance activities overseas. With his knowledge of the contractors' capabilities, the route clearance mission and the overall strategic plan, he stood up a number of sites without issue.
"Pollard's understanding of maintenance was also a plus," said Roell. "He served as a tool for PM AMS to validate the accuracy of the contractor's supply program by inventorying on-hand items against automated databases. These results were then used by TACOM to address issues with the contractor."
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