ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Three Germans recently spent about a month at Anniston Army Depot learning to weld and repair Stryker vehicles.
Reinhard Winkelmaier, Konrad Dotzler and Herbert Speth are U.S. Army civilians who, combined, have more than 50 years of welding experience.
Recently, their home base in Kaiserslautern, Germany, began repairing some of the Stryker vehicles stationed with Army forces nearby.
Welding certification was needed and ANAD is the only Army installation with the capability to certify welders for Strykers.
"The skills these gentlemen already had and the skills they learned here will be of great benefit to them at their home station when they work on vehicles," said Jeff Simmons, the depot's director of production.
Welders in the installation's Combat Vehicle Repair Facility trained the Germans during their time on the installation, imparting to them how critical it is to follow procedures and perform each weld correctly.
Winkelmaier said the tests each welder had to complete were hard and different than any welding certification test he had ever done.
On his first few attempts, though the welds looked good, they had to be redone because they would not hold.
The three men quickly caught on, however.
"They adapted to the correct way of doing things quickly," said Dewayne Kiker, an engineering technician for the depot's Directorate of Production Engineering.
"Their ability to correct issues was instant," said Jeremy Steward, a welder in the Directorate of Production.
Winkelmaier credits their ability to learn quickly to the ANAD employees who worked beside them, saying they were always willing to answer any question and explain not only how things should be done, but why welds were performed that way.
"We had good instructors and we passed everything," he said. "We really didn't know what to expect when we came here, but it has been really great."
The trio earned high praise from all employees who worked with them - from their work ethic to their ability to learn intricate techniques quickly.
"Since they have been in the shops with us and having on the job training, they have been exceptional, said Zach Bragg, a depot welder leader. "They picked up on the instructions we gave them instantly."
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