ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- With almost eight months of training complete and graduation approaching, the students of Anniston Army Depot's High School Pathways program are ready for challenges to test the skills they have learned.
That's why, whenever Sam Ramsey, the electronics instructor for the program, sees an item in a production shop destined for the scrap pile, due to the time it would take to be repaired, he requisitions it.
Ramsey, who works overtime in the electronics area, recently saw an antenna for a Stryker which had been red-tagged and was unlikely to be repaired.
He requested, and was granted the ability to take the antenna to Pathways as a training aid.
Though the original equipment manufacturer wouldn't provide the plans for the antenna, that wasn't a problem for Ramsey's students.
Keon Woods and Tommy Roberts were given the part and asked simply to take it apart and see if they could determine what was wrong.
"I didn't look over their shoulder or anything," said Ramsey. "I just gave it to them and asked them to use their training to figure it out."
Not only was the duo able to fix the part, they set up a testing tool to check the antenna's hydraulics once it was repaired.
"When it was brought in, we thought it would be a challenge," said Roberts. However, he and his classmate quickly located the issue - gears which were out of place.
The repair took Woods and Roberts about 30 minutes to complete. Testing took a little longer, but the antenna was quickly verified as operational and sent back to the production floor.
Woods and Roberts are both set to graduate from the High School Pathways program this year and plan to continue their electronics education through Pathways internships, with the ultimate goal of working for the depot.
Roberts, a senior at Ranburne High School gained interest in the Pathways program through his school counselor. He enjoys the challenges he sees in the field of electronics.
Woods learned about the program through his cousin, who works at the depot. The Lincoln High senior has always wanted to work at ANAD.
"I like that electronics is hands-on. You have to look for a problem and fix it," he said.
There are currently five students in the Pathways electronics program. They periodically work on equipment from the production shops.
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