Vol. 12, No. 6 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY June 30, 2012

SALVO“Service to the Line, On the Line, On Time”

By John B. Snyder

Story continues on page 3, see Needs

Dave Blazejeski Jr. loading a trailer a few years ago with armor kits. The armor kit order was one of the Arsenal’s largest urgent opera-tional needs request this past decade.

Photo by John B. Snyder

While Soldiers in Afghanistan are clearing build-ings and roads as part of a battle drill, nearly 6,700 miles away in a small Army arsenal in upstate New York there is another type of battle drill often being played out to provide those Soldiers with the prod-ucts that will improve their chances of coming home safely.

The Watervliet Arsenal has been in continuous operation supporting our Army since 1813. During those nearly 200 years, the Arsenal’s product lines have ranged from packing flannel cartridges during

the War of 1812 to manufacturing 16-inch guns for U.S. Battleships during World War II to providing lightweight 155mm cannons to our troops in Af-ghanistan.

But what few people know is that behind the brick facades that have withstood the elements of time is a dedicated and highly skilled manufactur-ing workforce that the Army may immediately shift to accommodate an urgent need requirement.

Arsenal conducts battle drills, too

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The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorse-ment by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Watervliet Arsenal. News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg. 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: john.b.snyder.civ@mail.mil. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication.

Commander, Col. Mark F. MigaleddiPublic Affairs Officer, John B. SnyderEditor, John B. SnyderPhotographer: John B. Snyder Arsenal Facebook Page @http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm

Commander’s Corner

Mark F. MigaleddiCommanding

Manufacturer 6

For as long as I can remember, birthdays have always had special meaning to me. It wasn’t so much the new bike with the cool banana seat, Philadelphia Phillies autograph baseball, Flyers sweater, Eagles jersey, or the Sixers autographed basketball (I still have that) but simply the warm feeling that I received when family and friends came together to wish me a Happy Birthday. It was a celebration of my life of where I have been, as well as where I was going.

Although I have outgrown the customary birthday celebrations, I have not outgrown the significance of other birthdays such as the birth of our Army on June 14, 1775, our nation on July 4, 1776 and finally, the birth of the Watervliet Arsenal on July 14, 1813.

Each of these birthdays came about in the heat of battle and as hard as it may be to believe today, early Americans did not know from one day to the next about the long-term viability of our nation. During these trying times, families were often displaced, family patriarchs and matriarchs died in battles, and even our White House was set ablaze.

But after each conflict that tore at the fabric of our inalienable rights — Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — came about a stronger America. And,

after every conflict, the Arsenal too became stronger than the brick and mortar that houses our work.

We have just helped to promote the Army’s Birthday to nearly 2,500 Capital District residents at the City of Albany’s Father’s Day and Army Birthday Concert on June 17. I had the pleasure at this concert to join with so many of Capital Region’s citizens to help remind our community of the service and sacrifice of millions of men and women have made while wearing the Army uniform.

In a few days, we will have another opportunity to celebrate our nation’s birthday. When you do so, please think beyond the rockets’ red glare as you watch the fireworks celebration and reflect on our troops who remain in harm’s way in Afghanistan.

Next year the Arsenal will celebrate its 200th Anniversary on July 14. This is such a significant event that we should begin to celebrate throughout the year leading up to the Birthday. This, too, will be a celebration of life.

Thousands of men, women, and children have come before you, have toiled in the same machine and administrative shops, and have set the conditions for your success here. We owe them a large amount of gratitude and honor, and I look forward to your suggestions in what we may do to help promote this date in history to not only those inside of our fence line, but also to those in the local community.

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Needs cont.

From right to left, Sean Stephenson, Kevin Chase, and Frank Collins work late in the afternoon on a small assembly line that was for a recent non-core mission, urgent needs order. Top photo shows their accomplish-ment at the end of the day.

This is when the Watervliet Arsenal goes into a battle drill. Under normal circumstances, when a request for a quote comes to the Arsenal for such things as a 120mm gun for an Abrams Tank or a 60mm lightweight mortar base plate, the quote process may take about 10 days and delivery may not be for up to two years, said George Roach, an Arsenal production planner. When an urgent operational needs request comes in to sup-port a war fighter, the quote process may take as few as three days and the manufac-tured product shipped in just days from the acceptance of the quote, Roach added. Urgent operational needs requirements often come to the Arsenal because it is an Army-owned and –operated facility with the “warm” capability in critical skill sets and experience to respond to an urgent wartime need when no one else can. Additionally, responding to an urgent need often requires the Arsenal to modify its produc-tion line to manufacture a non-standard product. “When we receive an urgent needs request, we bring together an integrated product team con-sisting of every slice of the Arsenal’s manufacturing, from procurement to packaging to production plan-ning, to focus on this requirement,” Roach said. “Just recently, we responded to an urgent need request for critical components that were needed for MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle exhaust kits,” Roach said. “We received the request on April 3rd and by April 13th, we had shipped our first set of kits.” This was the first time the Arsenal had made this product.

Immediately following that order, there was anoth-er request, but this time for Gunner Restraint Systems for Stryker vehicles. This order, too, was shipped

within weeks of the request for a quote. This was the first time the Arsenal had made this product. Respond-ing to an urgent need

request is not something that can become routine because it does absorb much of the Arse-nal’s production team’s focus and energy over a short period of time, Roach said. Nevertheless, the Arsenal’s capability transcends traditional manufacturing by its proven effectiveness meeting urgent wartime needs. For Fiscal Year 2012, the Arsenal accelerated 12 weapons programs and suc-cessfully supported two Joint Urgent Operational Need State-ments, which speak volumes about the responsiveness and capability that resides at the Watervliet Arsenal.

Why Urgent Needs Requests? According to the Government Accounting Office or GAO, Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced rapidly changing threats to mission failure or loss of life, highlighting the Department of Defense’s (DOD) need to develop and field new capabilities more quickly than its usual acquisition procedures allow. Since 2006, Congress has provided nearly $16 billion to counter improvised explosive devices alone.

Photos by John B. Snyder

the products that will either make them more lethal or more survivable on the battlefield. Those words quickly were shared with the entire workforce. Nevertheless, as final preparations kicked off last week for Stein’s visit, there was excitement in the air. Just the thought of the commanding general coming

to visit, and why he was coming, set off a flurry of discussions, as well as reflections. Whenever an Army leader, be them a commanding general or a platoon sergeant, leaves a unit there are always mixed emotions. And, as the Arsenal workforce reflected this week, there were a flurry of emotions, too. But one emotion stood out above all others: Pride. Why pride? During Stein’s tenure, the Arsenal had manufactured and shipped thousands of tank, howitzer, and mortar products that ended up in the hands of U.S. warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stein provided the direction, as well as created the operational environment for that support to be at

the right place and at the right time. So, in a strange way, Stein’s non-visit still served a purpose. Just knowing he was coming and that this would be his last trip inspired great thought, conversation, and a sense of pride that the Watervliet Arsenal had done just fine under his command. As preparations for his visit came to a close, there was another sense in the air that this proposed last farewell by a commander had been witnessed here before — in fact, hundreds of times since the Arsenal’s humble beginnings in 1813. And, as the Arsenal workforce has done countless times in its nearly 200-year history, it wishes its commanding general the very best for continued success.

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Photo by John B. SnyderMaj. Gen. Kurt J. Stein speaking to the Arsenal’s workforce during the September 2011 retiree ceremony.

Although bad weather prevented Army Maj. Gen. Kurt J. Stein’s visit to the Arsenal this month to thank the Arsenal’s workforce for its professionalism and commitment to our Nation’s war fighters, his presence was still felt by many. Stein, the former commanding general of the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command at the Detroit Arsenal in Michigan, turned over his command June 21 to Maj. Gen. Michael J. Terry and this month’s visit was to be Stein’s last to the Arsenal. In the two-plus years that Stein had been the commander of TACOM LCMC — which is the Arsenal’s higher headquarters — he visited the Arsenal four times. During each visit, Stein had made clear his admiration and respect for the Arsenal workforce and so, the Arsenal workforce already knew how Stein felt about them whether he made this trip or not. “I remember during a visit by Gen. Stein in April 2011, there were about 20 of us who were lucky enough to have lunch with him,” said Lee Glenn, an Arsenal industrial management specialist who often coordinated Stein’s tours to the Arsenal’s manufacturing center. “The discussion between him and the workforce could not have been any better because he seemed genuinely concerned about our comments, as well as having thanked each of us for what we do.” Stein also visited the Arsenal in September 2011, when he participated in the Arsenal’s retiree ceremony talking directly to more than 50 workers. Stein told the workers just how important their work had been to providing servicemen and women in combat with

An arsenal’s renewed sense of prideBy John B. Snyder

Page 5 Salvo June 30, 2012

The “power of one” ... amazingBy John B. Snyder

Photo by TACOM LCMC

Rotary forge operator Douglas Bushee took a simple thought and transformed it into an Army Suggestion that will save the Arsenal tens of thousands of dollars.

The Arsenal’s leadership has been talking up the Army Suggestion Program and LEAN for many years in hopes of making the Arsenal a safer and more efficient manufacturing center of excellence. But at the end of the day, it boils down to individuals who must step up to make any program a success. In an Army line unit, everything starts at the Soldier level. Once Soldiers have mastered individual tasks, they then move to squad, platoon, and company-level tasks. This rings true at the Arsenal, too. Most things start with an individual. Of the 131 suggestions submitted to the Arsenal under the Army Suggestion Program this fiscal year, 130 were submitted by individuals, said Richard Hopson, the administrator of the Arsenal’s Army Suggestion Program. Within the 131 suggestions is a top monetary award of more than $1,500 that went to Douglas Bushee, a rotary forge operator at the Arsenal. Bushee suggested sandblasting just the weld areas of a mortar baseplate, versus, sandblasting all the 57 parts of the baseplate. His suggestion was tested and adopted because it was determined that it has the potential to save nearly 45 minutes of manufacturing time per baseplate. Potential savings will be nearly $30,000 in the first year. “By nature, I hate inefficiency and waste,” Bushee said. “I have been at the Arsenal for a little over three years and this was my third suggestion to improve the safety or the efficiency of our manufacturing.”

Within the Arsenal’s LEAN program, there have been 16 projects this fiscal year, said Mark Ripley, the Arsenal’s continuous improvement specialist. “Of those 16 projects, all began with one person’s good idea on how to make the Arsenal more efficient or effective,” Ripley said. So, here it is, the “Power of One” cannot be discounted whether it is in a line unit or at an Army-owned manufacturing center. Because of the initiative of a handful of individuals at the Arsenal, the Arsenal will become safer and more efficient, both of which will help the long-term viability of the Arsenal. The power of teamwork also cannot be discounted. Behind every individual idea, there is a team that processes, evaluates, and puts in place the adopted suggestion.

Photo by John B. Snyder

From left, Maj. Gen. Kurt Stein, Lt. Gen. Dennis Via and Maj. Gen. Michael Terry salute the colors during TACOM LCMC Change of Command ceremony on June 21, 2012.— at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich.

“One of the Most Important Army Traditions ... Change of Command”

Lt. Gen. Dennis Via

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Relatively unknown Union officer lives on in the Arsenal’s museum

By Mark Koziol

From 2010 to 2015, museums and historical societies will have the opportunity to educate the public about the history of the Civil War. While in the midst of the 150th anniversary of events, the Arsenal Museum will be show-casing relevant artifacts from its collections. Recently, the museum staff had a display table at the Troy Civil War Encampment week-end where we exhibited a Union officer’s sword with connections to the Capital District. According to museum records, this sword and scabbard, Model 1850 Staff and Field Offi-cers Presentation Grade Sword, was manufac-tured by W. Clauberg in Prussia. It was pre-sented to Lt. William H. Lyons from his men of Company H, 169th Regi-ment of New York Vol-unteers on Oct. 28, 1862. This company was formed in Troy, N.Y. The elaborate sword, engraved on one side of the blade with the design of an eagle spread-winged and carrying a banner. On the reverse side the letters “U.S.” appear. The guard is an elaborately designed and crafted eagle with the words “E Pluribus Unum.” The sword’s grip is wooden at its core and is wrapped with a “Ray’s Skin Grip.” The manufacture used fish skin to cover the wooden handle, usually using stingray or shark skin because such material won’t break down when damp or wet. A single pair of twisted brass wires wrapped around the skin to keep it tight and firm. The sword was donated on Oct. 28, 1962 to the Watervliet Arsenal by Capt. Lyons’ granddaughter, Mrs. Fred B. Polk. It became a museum artifact in 1969. The 169th Regiment of New York Volunteers, Com-pany H, was formed in 1862. The company consisted of 66 men from Rensselaer and Washington counties who signed for a three-year enlistment. They were mustered

into the Army between Sept. 25 and Oct. 6, 1862 and mustered out on July 19, 1865. The 169th were engaged in more than 20 battles including Malvern Hill, 1862; Fort Wagner, 1863; Cedar Creek, 1864; Cold Harbor, 1864; Siege of Petersburg, including the Battle of the Crater, 1864; and Fort Fisher, 1865. Doing research led to the discovery of numerous facts about the military career of Capt. Lyons. For instance, he

was 28-years-old when he enlisted on Aug. 20, 1862. He began his mil-itary service as a second lieutenant, Company H, on Oct. 6, 1862, promot-ed to first lieutenant on April 6, 1863 and pro-moted again to Captain on May 10, 1864. For unknown reasons, Capt. Lyons did not serve his 3 years and resigned on Aug. 15, 1864. Currently, research has not yielded a photo-graph nor much personal information about Capt. Lyons outside of his birth year, 1834. We do not know the year of his death, what he did with

his life after the Civil War and where he was buried. A check of the internet into the 1880 U.S. Census of Troy showed five men living in that city with the name Wil-liam Lyons. Unfortunately, none of them were listed as being 46 years old, Capt. Lyons’ age in 1880. Further research at the National Archives and Records Administration Center in Pittsfield Mass., will be con-ducted. On file are microfilm copies of the valuable Civil War Pension and U. S. Census Records that might yield information. Finally, the Arsenal Museum will participate in two regional Civil War events this year: during August 18 and 19 at the Civil War Heritage Days at Schuyler Flats Cul-tural Park in Menands; and during September 21 and 22 at the Congress Park in Saratoga Springs. The museum shall be discussing the critically important role of the Arsenal during the Civil War, exhibiting the sword and scabbard along with other Civil War artifacts.

Episcopal minister Edgar T. Chapman, a chaplain for the 169th New York Infantry Regiment, performs an open-air religious service on July 3, 1864, at Union general William F. Smith’s headquarters near Petersburg, Va.

Capt. Lyon’s sword

Sketch provided by the Library of Congress

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A strange case when shutting down manufacturing is actually an investment

When an Arsenal shuts down its wartime operations, this is usually big news. Reports should be immediately sent to higher headquarters alerting Army senior leaders that there is a significant problem that may affect the critical resourcing of our troops. No reports went out this week when the Watervliet Arsenal shutdown its operations for four hours, but that doesn’t mean that this shutdown was not significant, because it was. The Arsenal turned off its machines and office lights June 12 to take a step back and re-look workplace safety. Now, why is that important? The Arsenal is manned at the minimum level to achieve its mission, which means there is simply no fat or excess in manning, said Anthony Urban, an Arsenal resource manager. “Every loss, be it for an hour or for a week, may affect the Arsenal’s ability to provide military hardware to the war fighter where and when needed,” Urban said. So, this was an investment, if you will, for the Arsenal to stop its manufacturing for a few hours to retrain and review procedures that will make the Arsenal workforce safer, at work and at home. The training ranged from understanding blood-borne pathogens to putting into action a fire extinguisher to motorcycle safety. In all, seven safety-related areas were trained during

the four-hour training period. Karen Heiser, one of the Arsenal supervisors who provided training, said that stopping work for four hours was a great opportunity for the workforce to see the command’s commitment to safety. And the Arsenal commander, Col. Mark F. Migaleddi, viewed shutting down operations for four hours as an investment — in lives and fiscal management. “Although our key goal for the training was to raise the level of safety awareness within the command, there was another goal that went beyond that of saving lives and limbs,” Migaleddi said. “Due to previous safety-related accidents, more than $1 million in Workman’s Compensation costs go into the cost of our products every year,” Migaleddi said. “The safer we are the lower our overhead expenses will be, which in turn will help us hold down the cost of our products to our customers.”

By John B. Snyder

Photos by John B. Snyder

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Improving performance in individuals, teamsBy Mark Ripley

Photos provided by John B. Snyder & 1st Lt. Jonathan J. Springer

What does Continuous Improvement really mean, and how will we know when we’re done? “continuous”, according to Merriam Webster, means “going on without any interruptions.” Synonyms include ceaseless, incessant, non-stop, perpetual, uninterrupted, and unrelenting. “improvement” means enhancing value or excellence. Synonyms include: advancement and refinement. One of the basic Lean principles is the continuous pursuit of excellence. It means looking forward to new improvements and better performance instead of being sat-isfied with yesterday’s efforts and today’s results. Change is not easy because to some people, it is easier to stick to “That’s the way we’ve always done it” frame of mind. But there is one thing that should give us hope that change will come to the Arsenal: Values. The Arsenal could not have survived nearly 200 years of operation unless its workforce embraced the “value” of im-proving performance, as individuals and as teams. Some-times improving performance begins with an individual who recognizes the need to improve their personal lives. Today’s rapid pace of technological advances, which is heavily advertised by the media, lead many of us to be-lieve that we are “so yesterday.” Commercials showing all kinds of cool electronic devices, from big screen TVs to 4G phones to iPad2 devices, entice us to make that leap of faith purchase that will make our lives either more efficient or more enjoyable. With personal technology, we’re more open to consider-

ing change if we think it will benefit us. We are influenced by our personal values – wanting to have more time with family, spend less money, have better health, learn new things, keep up with the Jones’, etc. But, if we are so willing to accept change in our person-al lives, why is it so hard to implement change at the work-place? After all, a Lean culture is one that continuously evaluates itself and is open to improvement. At work, change can be challenging because there are many sets of values in play. Employees have their personal values and there are also organizational values. And, very rarely do one’s values have the horsepower to effect change in an organization. Therefore, change in an organization must come from a team effort with a completely set of direction points. In-stead of looking inward, the team must look beyond the Arsenal fence line for a new direction. In a company committed to Lean, these values should reflect the needs of the customer. While a business cer-tainly strives to stay in operation and keep its people em-ployed, its primary values must be to maximize value to its customers. This means continuously assessing yesterday’s performance and thinking about ways to make tomorrow’s even better. Lean events, Standard Work, our Transformation Plan of Care (TPOC) – every improvement and accomplishment we celebrate today are open to change tomorrow. A Lean culture means continuously assessing our practices for new opportunities to improve them. It is a given, we will change. But will that change be reactive or proactive? The answer lies with you.

The Arsenal workforce has embraced change through the years as evidenced by the dramatic comparison between the 1914 3-inch gun on the left and the 105mm howitzer that is currently in use in Afghanistan on the right. Both guns were manufactured at the Watervliet Arsenal.

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CPAC Corner

If you have any questions, contact the CPAC office

at 266-4058.

Did You Know that Accrued Sick Leave is Your Safety Net in a Personal Emergency?

Unlike many private employers, the federal government does not offer its employees disability insurance. Sick leave is a paid absence from duty. An employee’s accrued sick leave can cover a wide range of personal emergencies to include:

· Personal medical needs

· Care of a family member

· Care of a family member with a serious health condition

· Adoption related purposes

· Bereavement

A full time employee accrues 13 days of sick leave per year. There is no limitation on the amount of sick leave that can be accumulated. Part-time employees and employees with uncommon tours of duty are also entitled to use sick leave, and the amount of sick leave which may be granted is pro-rated in proportion to the average number of hours of work in the employee’s scheduled tour of duty each week. For additional information, you can go to http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/html/sicklv.asp.

Arsenal History UpdateDeath of former commanderEdward V. KarlColonel, Ordnance, US Army (Retired)

Col. Edward Vincent Karl, United States Army, Retired, died on May 25, 2012, at his home with his family in Arlington, Va. He was 74.

He commanded the Watervliet Arsenal from July, 19, 1983 to Jan. 22, 1986.

A funeral mass will be held at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer at 8:45 AM on Friday, Sept. 14,2012, followed by a gravesite ceremony at Arling-ton National Cemetery.

Photo provided by the Arsenal Museum

Page 10 Salvo June 30, 2012

Arsenal coordinates City of Albany concert

Photos by John B. Snyder

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Arsenal Appreciation Night with the ValleyCatsSaturday, 18 August

at 7 p.m.

Contact John Snyder at 266-5055

orin Room 102Building 10for tickets!!!

• The Arsenal has coordinated with the Tri-City ValleyCats baseball organi-zation for the 4th Annual Arsenal Appreciation Night.

• Game is on Saturday, 18 August, at 7 p.m. (Fireworks Night)• Department of the Army Civilians and Arsenal family members may pur-

chase a "Reserved Box" ticket for only $5.50 (42% discount). These are betterseatsthanwhatwehadinthepast(Section230).And,forthefirsttime, if you want to save a few bucks, you may purchase Grandstand tickets for only $4 (38% discount). Yes, a price for everyone.

• Even though we have better seats, All Arsenal Military Veterans will still receive a free ticket.

• You may also purchase a reduced meal voucher for only $3.50 This voucher is good for one hot dog, small soda, and bag of chips.

• Forticketsandinformation,contactJohnSnyder,room102,Bldg.10.

Ticket sales

have begunBest seats go to

those who purchase early

Contact John Snyder at 266-5055

orin Room 102Building 10for tickets!!!

Our own Suzanne Delaney will sing the National Anthem

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