TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- Technicians at Tobyhanna Army Depot were able to salvage just a few items from a communications system destroyed by fire recently on Interstate 95. Soldiers watched smoke turn to flame as the Army convoy, headed to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, was forced off the road.
Components retrieved from the damaged shelter were tested and installed into a new AN/TRC-170 Tropospheric Scatter Microwave Radio Terminal shelter, which was completed by the end of August. Personnel here were also successful in locating another truck to replace the ruined one.
The convoy consisted of assets and personnel assigned to the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, which is part of the 35th Signal Brigade (Theater Tactical), headquartered at the Fort Gordon Cyber Center of Excellence in South Carolina. The signal battalion, located at Fort Stewart, Georgia, deploys worldwide to engineer, install, operate, maintain and defend LandWarNet, the Army's information technology and communications network.
A few hours into the journey a vehicle broke down, subsequently needing a tow. Everyone expected the vehicle to be fixed at the forward training location, but soon realized that wasn't going to happen. Soldiers first noticed smoke billowing from the towed vehicle and then they saw flames.
The local fire department and highway patrol responding to the 911 call put out the fire and moved the system from the shoulder of the road. The entire front end of the truck was destroyed and the shelter damaged beyond repair.
Battalion officials were particularly interested in the survivability of a valuable modem, its associated wires and components. A replacement shelter had been overhauled at Tobyhanna in 2009 and placed in storage without the modem. Since depot personnel were able to salvage the modem from the fire damaged system, the shelter was released from DLA Distribution-Tobyhanna. The modem was installed and the shelter was rain tested after replacing the rain flaps.
It was up to Electronic Integrated Systems Mechanic John Wasko to determine if the modem was still functional and, once it passed muster, install it into the new shelter. Systems Integration and Support personnel contributed to the project by touching up the paint and conducting the rain test.
Wasko, who started working on the AN/TRC-170 system more than 30 years ago, spoke highly of his coworkers. Although he was the lead technician for this project, he relied on the expertise of the team to get the job done on schedule. Wasko is assigned to the C4ISR Directorate's M3L Disassembly Section.
"Installing the modem upgrades the shelter to meet the customer's needs," said Mike Broskoskie, production controller in the Production Management Directorate's C4 Program Management Division. He remarked that the modem is irreplaceable and critical to the AN/TRC-170 mission. The system consists of a vehicle-mounted shelter with trailer-transported antennas and air conditioner.
"In addition, Tobyhanna just happened to have a truck on site and I was able to persuade the item manager to release it for this project," he said.
Section Chief John Scott applauded the efforts of Team Tobyhanna to meet the customer's needs in such a short period of time.
"This team's dedication to the AN/TRC-170 program is unbelievable," he said, explaining that with everyone's help the project slipped seamlessly into the existing production schedule. "The circumstances that brought this system here may have been unusual; however, the quality of the workmanship in the finished product is exceptional as always." Scott says the team's strong work ethic is the reason for the programs zero-defect rate.
Tobyhanna is the primary depot for repairing and overhauling the AN/TRC-170 for the Army National Guard, according to Joshua Choppy, electronics mechanic leader in the M3L Disassembly Section. On average, the small cadre of technicians work on 12-16 systems a year.
"We are fortunate to work with a number of people who can help keep everything on schedule," Choppy said. "Their support has proved invaluable to the success of this project."
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna's Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C4ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna's unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our Joint Warfighters.
About 3,200 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.
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