TOBYHANNA, Pa. - Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) wouldn’t be the world-class organization it is today without the skill, dedication, and precision of its tradespeople. On National Tradesman Day, Tobyhanna joins our nation in recognizing those who utilize trade skills to make missions successful. Their craftsmanship is the backbone of every successful project, ensuring our warfighters have the tools they need to excel.
If not for the work of the dynamic civilian professionals in Tobyhanna Army Depot’s Mobile Equipment Branch, depot equipment, and the operations it powers, would quite literally come to a screeching halt.
The comprehensive lifecycle maintenance and preventative and rapid repair work of the branch includes law enforcement vehicles, roads and grounds equipment, the General Services Administration fleet, construction equipment, mobile elevated work platforms, and forklifts.
This vast portfolio which includes industrial electric and fossil fuel vehicles requires a wide range of skillsets, and Mobile Equipment Branch Chief Paul DePrimo said his expert team rises to the occasion every time, doing whatever they can to meet the needs of the organization.
“The Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic team is the operational backbone of this installation. Managing an inventory that spans from zero-emission electric vehicles to heavy-diesel material handlers means mastering hundreds of complex systems across dozens of different types of manufactured equipment,” said DePrimo.
“There is simply no repair beyond this team's technical reach. Their skill, dedication, and adaptability ensure our installation and tenant missions stay mobile, fully mission-capable, and ready for any operational challenge.”
Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic Kyle Emerson said “my teammates and I arrive to work each day motivated to keep the mission going. We all take a lot of pride in our work.”
Several vital depot functions including Law Enforcement and Fire & Emergency Services support, materiel movement, snow plowing, and lawn care are made possible by the work of the Mobile Equipment Branch. Their work ensures Team Tobyhanna enjoys a safe working environment in which they can most efficiently provide readiness to our nation’s warfighters.
Roads & Grounds Branch Chief Edward Bentler emphasized the importance of the Mobile Equipment Branch, saying that the services they provide give his team a boost when it comes to keeping Tobyhanna Army Depot infrastructurally sound.
“The Mobile Equipment Branch is the backbone of our operation, and we couldn’t do our jobs without them. The skill and hard work of these mechanics keep our excavators, loaders, and other heavy equipment running safely and reliably year-round. Their behind-the-scenes work is what directly allows our team to clear roads, maintain infrastructure, and respond to base emergencies,” said Bentler. “We are incredibly proud to serve alongside this talented team and deeply appreciate their support in keeping our depot moving forward."
Mission Support Division Chief Chester Tracewski echoed Bentler’s sentiment, driving home the fact that, without the Mobile Equipment Branch, the depot would be a much different place.
“Mobile Equipment Branch provides critical mission support across all of Tobyhanna. Without this skilled team, parts that our shops need to fabricate and repair systems would not be able to get from point A to point B. In addition to providing repair and maintenance for all material handling and ASRS equipment (forklifts, tugs, boom lifts, etc.), they also provide service and repair on machinery for Roads and Grounds, Law Enforcement, Fire Department, the GSA Fleet, and other tenants’ mobile equipment across the Depot,” said Tracewski. “They also have a dedicated team that provides safety inspections for all of this equipment. Their efforts ensure reliable and smooth transportation of components and materials throughout TYAD!”
Other accomplished artisans work in the Equipage and Composite Branch. Although the branch may be small, the impact it has on the depot is huge.The team supports nearly every commodity on the installation, according to Brandon Pauselli.
“We work on gaskets, foam, adhesives, fabric, rubber, etc. Internally we make the decorative shadow boxes you see on post, and we even make the internal toolboxes that employees use,” he remarked. Pauselli recently handed over leadership of the branch to Keith Knecht.
The branch’s mission consists of four main disciplines: air conditioning, carpentry, composites, and equipage/fabrication. Boasting diverse skillsets, each discipline must navigate a dynamic workload that shifts daily while maintaining focus on enduring depot requirements.
The composite team is currently busy supporting the M136 Volcano workload, which entails manufacturing, repair, and assembly efforts with materials like carbon fiber, glass and Kevlar. Volcano is a vehicle-mounted, automated mine-dispensing system designed to shape terrain and restrict adversary mobility. It can be integrated into various tactical vehicles or deployed on driverless trucks for remote minelaying, and the support of the branch is vital.
“The Equipage and Composite Branch currently supports multiple high visibility Volcano programs,” said Michael Wartella, a logistics management specialist in the Production Management Directorate. “The team has provided enthusiastic, exceptional support on several different types of requirements for this important program.”
In addition, expert carpenters within the branch handle a variety of wood-based projects – cutting, shaping and installing everything from pallets to customized cabinetry. Air conditioning equipment mechanics help keep warfighters cool or warm under pressure by installing and maintaining environmental controls where the soldiers will be working.
The equipage/fabrication team handles a variety of fabrication needs for systems such as Nett Warrior, the Rolling Airframe Missile Launcher and various radars. The artisans use a vast array of materials – cotton, polyester, nylon webbing, Velcro, silicone, and rubber – to create vital accessories like cable sleeves, battery packs, and covers.
Eunice Hartranft outlined the difference between the perception of fabric work and reality.
“What we do here is not hobby sewing,” she emphasized. “It is a highly complex process to create something from start to finish through measurement, design, prototyping, etc. There is a difference between knowing how to operate a machine and knowing how to sew,” adding that her skills were honed over many years.
“I learned sewing from my mother and then expanded my abilities while working for a dozen years making fire tarps,” said Hartranft.
Fabric Worker Phyllis Miller has dedicated over twenty years of service to Tobyhanna Army Depot, directly supporting countless critical missions. Throughout her career, she has found her most rewarding milestones in passing her specialized skills to others.
“I always think it’s interesting when we have soldiers in the shop and we teach them to sew,” she said with a smile.
Members of the branch, such as Kimberly McNaughton, said they take great pride in the work they do every day.
“What we do is gratifying because it helps our warfighters,” she said. “It is nice to leave here every day knowing I accomplished something important.”
Fabrication & Tactical Support Division Chief Thomas Petroski says the branch’s importance cannot be understated.
“[The branch] is a crossroads for many of the programs here at Tobyhanna to pass through. They help to support, protect, and transport the vital items that we manufacture. Due to the vast number, and often complex systems that the equipage branch is called upon to support, the enhanced skill of their not so average employees is immeasurable. They are truly the foundation of the depot!”
Team Tobyhanna proudly salutes all our skilled artisans, whose dedication and craftsmanship directly empower joint warfighters across the globe.
TYAD is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering, and field support.
A key enabler of operational readiness for joint and allied forces globally, TYAD leverages new and emerging technologies to further expand the Department of War’s organic capabilities for microelectronics, secure communications infrastructure, unmanned aerial systems, joint all-domain command and control, integrated air and missile defense and the Army’s Next Generation Combat Systems.
TYAD’s ability to rapidly surge production, deploy field support teams and scale for contingency or theater-level operations makes it a vital contributor to strategic readiness and operational reach.
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