The Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, Gen. Benjamin Griffin, and members of his staff visited Anniston Army Depot and the local community on Wednesday and Thursday as part of his quarterly tour.

Accompanying him were Col. Archie Davis, chief of public and congressional affairs; Lt. Col. Rich Dix, aide-de-camp; Lt. Col. (P) Kathy Burba, special assistant; and Lew Ashley, ombudsman.

The morning began with stops at the Combat Vehicle Assembly and Disassembly area where Griffin presented the Shingo medallion to the Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle, or FAASV, line for being recognized as a silver recipient for excellence in manufacturing. "Achievements like this means two things," he said while addressing an audience of approximately 50 men and women who work on the FAASV line and were instrumental in the accomplishment.

"As a workforce, you have earned this recognition. Secondly, this is the Nobel Prize for production in the public sector. This emphasizes the quality of work we do and the work we put into our facilities. Out of the 31 that were submitted, 17 were awarded to members of the AMC family.

"I travel to Iraq every four to six months, and you all continue to receive high compliments from the field. The 1st Calvary Division said to me 'make sure the tanks go through Lima and Anniston Army Depot'. They get five times the rate of first run, meaning the tanks are much more capable of hitting its target. For that, you should be proud. Congratulations to you and your leadership," he said in closing.

Stops also included the Turbine Engine Facility, where he recognized that value stream as a Shingo bronze recipient. "This depot offers the best against anybody in the private and public sector," he said. "Continue to excell because others are benchmarking themselves again Anniston."

At the same location, the general presented the National Women of Color Technology Star of 2007 award to Alberta Freeman, the director of information management "From the 50,000 employees at AMC, congratulations on this distinguished honor," Griffin said.

Additional stops included Bldg. 130, home of the Reciprocating Engine; and the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. He was briefed on the new Powertrain Facility, which has an estimated construction completion date of December 2011. The facility will include disassembly, machining, welding, repair, reassembly, and shipping in the overhaul of M88, M9ACE, M109, Stryker, AVLB, M1, Hercules, M113 Family of Vehicles, Paladin FAASV, and 1100 and 200 transmissions.

Though the visit was short-lived, the general emphasized the importance of the work performed by depot employees. "Keep up the good work; it gives quality to the Airmen, Soldiers, and Marines whom we are supporting."