The commanding general of the Joint Munitions Command, Brig. Gen. Larry Wyche, visited Tooele Army Depot in mid-February, praising employees at the depot for their hard work and support to warfighters around the world.
The purpose of the generalAca,!a,,cs visit was to learn more about TooeleAca,!a,,cs mission and capabilities through overview briefings and seeing, first-hand, sites supporting the ammunition mission to include storage areas, as well as understand the design, development and fielding of Ammunition Peculiar Equipment.
Col. Yolanda C. Dennis-Lowman, Tooele commander, provided the overview to the general, highlighting other parts of the depotAca,!a,,cs mission and capabilities to include many of the organizationAca,!a,,cs private partnerships and development of innovative demilitarization equipment.
During his visit, Brig. Gen. Wyche thanked the Tooele staff for their hard work and stressed the importance of the current mission as the only west coast supplier of ammunition and materiel currently supporting global operations, including missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aca,!A"We are warfighter logisticians and supporters,Aca,!A? said the general. Aca,!A"We will never say no [to the warfighter] as long as we have one gallon of gasoline left to give or one bullet to give. That is selfless service. Although you may not be in close proximity to the fight, your heart and service are equally important.Aca,!A?
While on the installation tour, Wyche walked through TooeleAca,!a,,cs Pilot Model Shop, where he had the opportunity to see how the engineering and technical support for the APE mission is being carried out.
Aca,!A"Never think youAca,!a,,cre not making a difference,Aca,!A? Wyche said. Aca,!A"Our Soldiers thank every one of you for what they have. The look in their eyes when they see the ammo delivered will never be forgotten. Those Soldiers know that they have everything they need when they go to a firefight.Aca,!A?
He placed a large focus on ensuring the Tooele team understood the Materiel Enterprise Task Force, one of three task forces put together by the Chief of Staff of the Army.
Wyche also had the opportunity to meet with industry partners working with Tooele on various missions including Safety Management Services, Inc. who is conducting sensitivity tests at TooeleAca,!a,,cs Test Facility. SMS is one of four Department of Transportation approved organizations authorized to transport explosive materials.
Roger Hale, Tooele testing project manager and equipment specialist, explained that the technical skills within the depot have increased due to this partnership.
Aca,!A"The entrepreneurial spirit that I see here surprised me,Aca,!A? said SMS president, Robert T. Ford. Aca,!A"(TEAD employees) are responsive, skilled and safe. A lot of the follow-on work that we have received has been because of the TEAD partnership.Aca,!A?
Another partnership was visible at Hydrolysis, a part of the APE program, where Wyche ran the first licensed Cartridge Actuated Device/Propellant Actuated Device production run. The Hydrolysis was made possible through a partnership with General Atomics, who received a license the previous week to operate the equipment.
Aca,!A"We have a lot of potential here and we need to find a way to capitalize on that,Aca,!A? said Wyche.
At the conclusion of his visit to Tooele, the general emphasized improving understanding of the DepotAca,!a,,cs capabilities within JMC and the entire DoD. He also imparted some advice to Tooele employees.
Aca,!A"Taking care of the workforce is a top priority. We owe it to our younger workforce to be trained right,Aca,!A? said Wyche. Aca,!A"If you see potential in our young men and women, we have to make sure we develop it the right way.Aca,!A?
Wyche also emphasized that the continued training of the current workforce will always be a critical part of the success of any organization.
Aca,!A"[TEAD] is a good organization with a common focus,Aca,!A? Wyche said.
Aca,!A"Just remember that good leaders are not made in a day, they are made by the actions that you take daily.Aca,!A?
Special Insert:
Location: Tooele, Utah
Commander: Col. Yolanda C. Dennis-Lowman
Mission: Tooele Army Depot is a storage site for war reserve and training ammunition. The depot stores, issues, receives, renovates, modifies, maintains and demilitarizes conventional munitions. The depot also serves as the National Inventory Control Point for ammunition peculiar equipment, developing, fabricating, modifying, storing and distributing such equipment to all services and other customers worldwide. TEAD provides base support to Deseret Chemical Depot.
Fact: TEAD is located in an area rooted to American Indian history and culture. Early Desert Archaic Indians inhabited the Tooele Valley and portions of the North Area 11,000 years ago. The Late Desert Archaics, the Fremont culture and the Numic-speaking culture followed. The Goshute people, who currently inhabit reservations in the area, are descendants of Numic-speaking peoples.
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