Editor's note: In honor of Anniston Army Depot's 75th anniversary, TRACKS is looking back at the installation's changes through the eyes of those who were present.
ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- When Jeff Simmons came to work at the depot in 1981, he was awed by the size of the installation, the massive buildings and the vast array of equipment repaired or overhauled here.
Though everything seemed so big at the time, in his work in the Missile Guidance Branch, he still was only seeing a small portion of the installation or the workforce's capabilities.
"I really didn't fully understand the scope at the time. I didn't understand we would be traveling all over the continental United States and overseas to work on assets," he said.
In his 35 years on the depot, Simmons has been witness to, and part of, many of its changes.
He has worked in or with nearly every directorate on the installation, though much of his time has been spent in production, where he began his career.
From there, he moved into planning, working for Production Planning. Then, he was selected for a supervisory quality specialist position. Quality has always been important to him, no matter the job title he held.
"The quality of the product has always been important," said Simmons. "It was always stressed that each piece of equipment was going into something a Soldier would use."
In the 1990s, he was chosen to be on the staff for the General Manager of Production Operations, assisting with plans regarding the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
From there, he returned to production, first as the deputy director for night shift operations and then day shift.
In August 2009, he was chosen as the director of Production, a role he will return to next Monday, May 23.
For the last six months, he served as director of Production Management during the selection process for a permanent head of the organization.
"I've worked quite a few places and have interacted with all the directorates across the depot," said Simmons.
Throughout the years, said Simmons, depot leaders have maintained a vision of modernizing facilities. As buildings aged, new roofs were put on or the entire facility was renovated on the inside.
There have also been numerous new facilities constructed.
Though changes occurred around them, the heart of the depot, its people, have maintained their focus on the mission.
"A constant, while faces have changed, is that there is still a sense of pride and a desire to get the work done and do a quality job," said Simmons. "The depot is not an individual effort -- we've always been a team."
The equipment repaired, overhauled or rebuilt as part of the installation's mission has changed significantly over the years as well.
"We went from working on M551 Sheridan tanks and the M60 family of vehicles to M1s. Then, over time, we got the M113 family of vehicles, M88 family of vehicles, M9ACE, Paladin and FAASV, and the Stryker vehicles," said Simmons, as he added towed artillery, such as the M119 and M777, to work which has been added to the depot over the years.
With the changes in the vehicles have come a need for a more technical workforce.
At the same time, the nation as a whole began trending more toward higher education levels. Simmons said these factors have ensured the development of a more highly educated workforce.
"The Sheridan really didn't have a lot of electronics, neither did the M60. But, the M1 has its optics and electronics and the Stryker has computer systems, which manage the vehicle systems and weaponry," said Simmons.
"We also have better programs now to assist people with college educations and more of our employees are seeking higher levels of education on their own."
As technology improved inside the vehicles and equipment, it blossomed throughout the rest of the installation -- taking the workforce from typewriters and key punch computers to cordless phones, cell phones and desktop as well as laptop computers. Now, with the Logistics Modernization Program Increment 2 coming online, tablet computers will soon be in many shop areas.
"LMP is a huge change for the depot. It's a huge cultural change that will really affect our workforce and help us remain competitive," said Simmons.
"We have to be adaptive to the change and accept it. That is how everyone can help this installation and the customers we support."
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