This document provides a summary of stories from current and former employees of the Watervliet Arsenal in Watervliet, NY. It begins with highlighting two former employees, Ernie Blanchet and Frances Brooks, who will soon turn 100 years old and worked at the Arsenal during World War II. It then discusses current efforts to improve efficiency, such as relocating the box packaging operation. Finally, it profiles Dr. Giuliano D'Andrea and his more than 50 year career at Benet Laboratories, including contributing to weapons development and advising forward-deployed troops.

1. S ALVO
“Service to the Line, On the Line, On Time”
Vol. 12, No. 9 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY Sept. 30, 2012
Who Built
Watervliet?
For nearly 200 years,
there has been a
man or a woman
behind every
product made.
Their stories are in
the Arsenal’s DNA.
Story on page 3

2. Page 2 Salvo Sept. 30,, 2012
So, how can you become part of this communications
effort to tell our story?
Commander’s Many of you are engaging a variety of audiences via
Corner
social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Join the Arsenal’s social media sites and relay and
share the Arsenal’s postings to your sites. But you
don’t have to wait until something is new on the
Arsenal’s social media sites, you can tell your personal
story of your daily experiences on the Arsenal.
You have often heard me say during my tenure “You
are too good to be ignored.” In a perfect world,
The fact that we machine cannons, mortars, and
that statement requires no further explanation or
associated materiel to hundreds of thousandths of an
qualification. The problem is, however, we don’t live
inch, that we use the highest quality steel, that we just
in a perfect world.
shipped 100 percent of our product on time, and that
we have just added a new machine is not classified
Throughout our nation’s history, wars start and end,
information. But should you have any question or are
economies rise and fall, and defense budgets go
unsure of what information is sensitive in nature, give
through ebbs and flows. Given those statements of
the public affairs officer a call. If he doesn’t know, he
fact, our future workload and viability are unknown
will check with our security folks.
because we are entering an environment where each
one of those statements is impacting our lives.
Many of you are involved in community events,
from coaching football to participating in Veteran’s
And so, I ask you that if you truly believe that we are
organization events; take every opportunity to tell our
too good to be ignored, who else knows this?
story to some of the folks you meet.
The Arsenal public affairs officer is working very hard
These are just a few ideas to ensure that your story is
to tell your story to internal Army audiences, as well as
told. After all, you are too good to be ignored.
to a broader world audience via such communication
efforts as social media, press releases, and community
events. But at the end of the day, he is only a power of
one … one voice. Mark F. Migaleddi
Commanding
Just as our manufacturing capability is based upon Manufacturer 6
the synergy and integration of all of our efforts, from
machinist to mail clerk, our communications capability
should also be based upon all of our efforts and not on
one person.
Commander, Col. Mark F. Migaleddi The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department
Public Affairs Officer, John B. Snyder of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorse-
Editor, John B. Snyder ment by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or
Photographer: John B. Snyder
the Watervliet Arsenal.
Arsenal Facebook Page @ 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,
http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm 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.

3. Page 3 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Even at 100, Arsenal pride
has never been forgotten
Photo by John B. Snyder Photo by John B. Snyder
Ernie Blanchet, who began working at the Arsenal in Frances Brooks joined the Arsenal’s World War II work-
1941, will turn 100-years-old June 2013. Although very force after her husband enlisted and deployed. She
proud of his World War II military service, he is just as turned 100-years-old this month. She was one of the Arse-
proud of his service at the Arsenal. nal’s “Rosie the Riveters” whose pride still shines bright.
By John B. Snyder day’s workforce get a better understanding of the
Arsenal’s history, but also to get a renewed sense of
Many people might believe that having supported appreciation for what they do today will affect future
our nation’s uniformed men and women continuous- generations of Arsenal workers.
ly since the War of 1812 is a pretty significant event, Ernie Blanchet from Troy, N.Y., and Frances
but that statistic may pale in comparison to the fact Brooks from Schenectady, N.Y., stepped out of re-
that two former Arsenal employees will soon turn or tirement this month in hopes that their stories will
have recently turned 100-years-old. Given that the help inspire today’s workforce to better understand
life expectancy of someone born in the early 1900s that what they are doing today is bigger than them
was only about 50, living to 100 is truly a remark- — it is about maintaining the Arsenal’s rich history
able achievement. and tradition.
It is amazing that as the Arsenal prepares for its Ernie said that his father was once a machinist on
upcoming 200th anniversary, which will occur in the Arsenal during World War I and as a kid, he re-
July 2013, powerful stories are flowing back to the calls walking along the Erie Canal that once flowed
Arsenal from the living rooms of former Arsenal
employees. These stories are not only helping to-
Story continues on page 4, see Centenarians

4. Page 4 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Centenarians cont. ciation, as well as run the Arsenal’s pitch and put golf
course.
Frances was the epitome of the American icon,
through the Arsenal. The Arsenal filled in its part of Rosie the Riveter.
the Erie Canal more than 80 years ago. When World War II broke out, she and her hus-
As one of 12 children in his family, Ernie found band, Carl, ran a beauty salon and barbershop in the
that he had to go to work at an early age to help sup- Capital District. Business had slowed due to the war
port his family. He worked in local textile mills for and when her husband enlisted in 1943, Frances said
$12 a week and was even a caddy at the Troy Country she felt compelled to do her part to support the war ef-
Club. But he said that those jobs never provided him a fort, as well as to provide for her family.
sense of purpose as he went from job to job until 1941. Although she did not have any mechanical train-
At age 28, and just months before the Japanese ing, Frances was quickly accepted as one of the more
attack on Pearl Harbor, Ernie landed a job at the than 3,000 women who worked at the Arsenal during
Watervliet Arsenal. World War II. As can be
“Things were quiet understood, there was a
when I first arrived, but on “They were some of the best years shortage of able-bodied
Dec. 7, 1941, everything of my life. They were truly the men in the Albany area
changed,” Ernie said. good old days!” to support the Arsenal’s
“The first day I came to production line and
work after the Japanese Frances Brooks therefore, women, from
attack there were armed all walks of life, were
guards at the gate and ac- welcomed into the Arse-
cess between buildings had been tightened.” nal’s workforce. They still are today.
What the attack did to the workforce, however, was After a short training period, Frances said she was
that it brought everyone together as a team, Ernie said. rushed into the production lines as a machine tool op-
Within a few months, the Arsenal workforce went erator. There was no time for apprentice training back
from a few hundred to several thousand workers. then and whatever training she acquired came from the
As the workforce grew from one shift to three experienced machinists who worked side-by-side with
shifts, working seven-days-a-week, Ernie said there her.
was a high sense of pride because everyone knew that After the war ended, Frances joined her husband
each cannon made meant that more of our Soldiers and reopened the beauty and barber shops. Although
would come back home alive. she closed her beauty shop in 1977, she continued to
He said that not everyone had an important position work into her 90s.
at the Arsenal during World War II, but that everyone When asked how she would define her Arsenal
was important. years, she said, “They were some of the best years of
Ernie enlisted in 1944 and served on a U.S. Navy my life. They were truly the good old days!”
Destroyer Escort ship until he was discharged after the From the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941
war. He came back to the Arsenal after his discharge to the Normandy Invasion in 1944, Ernie, Frances and
where he worked until he retired in 1971. During the more than 9,000 Arsenal workers manufactured
those years, his expertise was in quality control but nearly 23,000 cannons with an on-time delivery rate of
somehow found time to start up an Arsenal Art Asso- 99.6 percent. Those statistics would never be equaled.
It’s Coming...
287 days and
counting until our
200th Anniversary

5. Page 5 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Arsenal joins the shipping wars
By John B. Snyder Eureka! Or was it a blind-
ing glimpse of the obvi-
ous?
Not a day goes by that you After some analysis,
can’t read about FedEx, UPS, or they believed that if they
the U.S. Postal Service employing moved the fiber box opera-
some money-saving technique that tion from one building into
will make their organizations more the main production build-
competitive in the field of shipping. ing, a savings of one-quar-
At a small, but important, Ar- ter mile of transportation
my-owned and -operated manufac- could be achieved from the
turing center in upstate New York, process.
they too are looking hard at their This quarter-mile trans-
shipping process to squeeze more portation savings would
value out of its operations. translate to about one-half
“In an era of declining defense man-hour of direct labor
budgets, we are reviewing each cy- per product line. Keeping
cle of the production process, from in mind the box operation
procurement to shipping, to look handles about 700 product
for efficiencies that may be quickly lines a month, this move
attained with little or no cost to has the potential to have
production” said Tim Allard, the a cost savings exceeding
Watervliet Arsenal’s Chief of Man- $100,000 a year, as well
ufacturing Support Division.
One of Allard’s lines of oper-
ation is packaging, or more spe- Top: Kevin Chase packaging
spindles for immediate shipment.
cifically, the box shop operation. According to Chase, no matter the
The box shop operation touches intensity of workload, his operation
each one of the 700 line items has never been backlogged.
or product lines that are shipped Left: Kevin Chase, left, and fellow
out each month from Watervliet. box operation handler Sam Hinton
But for as long as Allard can are unpacking box-making material
brought over from another building.
remember, and he has worked They moved much of the box opera-
at the Arsenal for more than 25 tion during the Arsenal’s annual
shut down in August.
years, there has never been a re-
Photos by John B. Snyder
design of the box shop operation
process. as move items through the Arsenal “In addition to getting the prod-
Having recently been trained on more quickly. uct faster from the production lines,
the Lean Six Sigma process, Allard And so, Koza directed his box there is now no need for special
said he knew that if he could find team during the Arsenal’s annual banding or packaging to get the
waste in the process that true sav- shut down last month to begin the product to our location,” Chase
ings could quickly be realized in relocation process. One month lat- said.
regards to time and money. So, he er, the fiber box operation is up and Given today’s uncertainty in
and Steve Koza, the Arsenal’s su- running in the new location. how future defense budgets will
pervisor of the box shop operation, Kevin Chase, one of the box play out, there can be no doubt
started looking at the transportation team members, said the move may that even at the smallest of Army
involved to move components to actually be saving more man-hours installations there is a dedicated
the box shop from the production and other resources than may have workforce who are doing all that
lines that were in separate build- been estimated in the original anal- they can to save the Army and the
ings. ysis. American taxpayer money.

6. Page 6 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
From immigrant to Watervliet’s Face of
Strength, a 50-year journey
Watervliet Arsenal called Benét Laboratories.
By John B. Snyder
During these past 50-plus years, Benét Labs has been very good
to him, Giuliano said.
For nearly 200 years, most Arsenal employees began their ca- “The Benét and Arsenal leadership, such as Dr. Bob Weigle
reers here and ended them here. Given the unique and special- and Fred Class, took great care of me in the 1960s to not only
ized skills required of the Arsenal’s workforce, few have sought give me more challenging work at every opportunity, but they
the opportunity to venture off to work at some other Army arsenal also gave me a better education,” Giuliano said. “Benét fund-
or depot, nor may the Arsenal leadership want them to. ed my master’s and my doctorate degree in Mechanics from the
Some might have thought that being able to raise families at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.”
one location was a blessing, His work while at Benét
while others might have won- Labs has been rich with ac-
dered what life would have complishments from writing
been like if they had worked at numerous publications, attain-
some other installation. There ing five U.S. Patents related to
is one current employee, how- improving gun systems, to ex-
ever, who is living the life of tending his service to forward-
both extremes and has been for deployed troops.
more than 50 years. Giuliano said that although
The year of 1961 was an in- his work at the Arsenal has
teresting year: the first Ameri- been very challenging and ex-
can to be launched in space, citing, his service to overseas
Navy Cmdr. Alan B. Shepa- troops have been some of the
rd, shoots up 115 miles into most memorable and reward-
the atmosphere; approximate- Photo by John B. Snyder
ing of his career.
ly 1,200 U.S.-supported anti- What this photo does not capture is the strong sense of pride that Dr. “I have been Benét’s eyes
Castro rebels invade Cuba at Giuliano D’Andrea has from the more than 50 years of awards and coins and ears for forward deployed
the Bay of Pigs and are either that were on display. Each award on this table represented some form troops on three occasions,” Gi-
killed or captured; the Organi- of support to the warfighter. uliano said. “I have served
zation of Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC is constituted; twice as the science advisor for U.S. commands in Italy as part of
and a young Italian immigrant began work at a research facility the Army’s Southern European Task Force and the U.S. African
that would soon become Benét Laboratories. Command, as well as served as the Directory for the U.S. Army
Giuliano D’Andrea, who is the Foreign Science & Technology Far East Research Office in Japan.”
Science Advisor for Benét Laboratories, lived most of his youth Giuliano listened to the troops’ needs and brought to them
in Italy. But when his father immigrated to Connecticut in 1952, “fixes” and new technologies such as the new aviation general
Giuliano followed in 1956. His dad worked in a foundry, which mechanics tool box needed by the 502d Regiment and later ad-
was tough, backbreaking work, and he would sometimes bring opted by the U.S. Army and industry, and a small-unmanned aer-
Giuliano to the foundry and say, “This is what you will do if you ial vehicle named Pointer and later renamed Raven that became
don’t stay in school.” part of the U.S. Army arsenal. Two of his latest projects deal
Giuliano didn’t need much encouragement after that and so with the modernization of a large caliber recoilless rifle system
there was little doubt that he would go to college. The question and the fielding of a Waste to Energy Portable System to remedi-
was, what should he study given that he spoke little English? ate waste and create energy at forward operating bases.
He said he was always good with math and thought that mechan- In 1981, Giuliano was promoted to the position of Director of
ical engineering might be the best college route for him. After Research for Benét Labs and held that position until 2011 when
all, how much does one need to speak to do well in engineering he accepted the new Benét Labs Foreign Science & Technology
classes, or so he thought. Science Advisor position.
He breezed through his mechanical engineering studies at Although Giuliano has been continuously employed at the Ar-
the University of Bridgeport, Conn., and after graduation began senal since 1961, he doesn’t sound as if he plans to slow down.
work at a U.S. Navy weapons lab in Dahlgren, Va., earning about “I will never retire as long as I love doing what I am doing,” Gi-
$5,000 a year. uliano said.
But in 1961, Giuliano said he yearned to get back to the For his more than 50 years of professional, personal support to
Northeast and was delighted when he learned about a job open- our nation’s servicemen and women, D’Andrea is truly a Face of
ing at a future Army research center that was standing up on the Strength at the Watervliet Arsenal and in our Army.

7. Page 7 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Photos provided by the Library of Congress and CivilWar.net
From left: The 3-inch rifle gun was one of the most widely used and reliable Union guns during the Civil War and a sepia-
tone illustration of a Maryland artillery battery depicts the battle of Antietam.
From Watervliet to Antietam
By Mark Koziol gaged yesterday and last evening Second Battle of Bull Run (Sec-
and they are now, Sunday, hard at ond Manassas), and was one of the
During the American Civil War, work in the filling of ammunition bloodiest days ever in American
the Watervliet Arsenal was very chests for 3” guns, in making of military history.
busy manufacturing a variety of implements and equipment and in When the Confederate armies
items such as saddles, ammo box- packing the supplies, etc.” commanded by Gen. Robert E.
es, cannon carriages, and traveling Lee met the armies commanded
forges. Which 3-inch gun was the com- by Union Gen. George B. Mc-
Stored at the Arsenal Museum mander referring to? Most likely Clellan, there were many different
is a ledger book written during the it was the lightweight, yet power- types of artillery pieces brought to
war recording in detail what items ful Griffen 3-inch rifle gun. These bear, including the 3-inch rifle. It
were made at the Arsenal. For ex- wrought iron guns were sleek, is estimated that the Union had 93
ample, the April 1861 record show strong and reinforced artillery tubes three-inch rifles firing against the
eight pages of data of production bought in large numbers by the 48 three-inch Confederate rifles.
numbers such as: 100 sponges for federal government. They proved It is a logical assumption that
the 24-pound howitzers; 18 horse to be more accurate, mobile and much of the ammo made at the
bridles, collars and halters; 650 superior to larger guns such as the Watervliet Arsenal was on hand
canisters filled for 8-inch seacoast 10-pound parrott rifle. that day and used by the Union
defense guns; and thousands of The unique quality of the artillery batteries. The 3-inch rifle
linen cartridge bags used to secure Griffen was that it was a rifled gun gun performed well at Antietam,
the ammo fired from the 12, 18, 24, when most artillery units in the firing accurately and often upon the
32, and 24-pound artillery pieces. Civil War used smooth bore guns. advancing Confederate forces.
In late summer of 1862, the Like the infantry’s Springfield ri- The Union victory came at a
Arsenal was in full production fles, Griffen’s rifling grooves meant heavy price with high casualties
employing close to 2,000 people. it fired its projectile with accuracy, suffered on both sides. The follow-
On Aug. 18, 1862, Arsenal Com- efficiency, and with deadly conse- ing listing underscores the heavy
mander Maj. William A. Thornton quences. toll:
wrote to the Chief of Ordnance The 3-inch guns were used ex-
in Washington, D.C., Gen. J. W. tensively at the Battle of Antietam Total casualties: 23,582
Ripley, about the Arsenal activity. (Sharpsburg) on Sept. 17, 1862. Confederate Killed: 1,512; Wound-
Included in the letter was this para- Antietam, the last major engage- ed: 7,816; Captured, missing: 1,844
graph: ment of the Maryland Campaign, Union Killed: 2,108; Wounded:
“Our men were strenuously en- began on August 16th with the 9,549; Captured, missing: 753

8. Page 8 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
When coloring problem areas is good
By Mark Ripley • Overview of the area with machine status, part
number/operations expected to run with expected
Visual Control of work and processes is a subject times of completion (with actual operations/times).
we have been talking about a lot lately at the Arsenal.
It is a common technique used in Lean companies and • Machine status lights – red, yellow, and green.
the theory behind Visual Control is that if something
is clearly visible or in plain sight – when it’s actually • Operator attendance and assignments.
happening - then it will be seen and addressed quickly.
• Routine maintenance or 6S checklists with sign-
Proper Visual Control should highlight that a
offs and Supervisor validation.
problem exists, even to someone unfamiliar with the
specifics of the process. Colors help – green = good, Visual Controls should be designed to make manage-
yellow = possibly going bad, red = bad. ment of a process easier and the process itself easier for
There are several categories of Visual Control: the operator. Most Visual Controls should be worker-
managed. Employees performing the work should be
Visual Controls that make a process more efficient engaged in the design and upkeep so they can work
with fewer defects - steadily unless something goes wrong. This is called
• Tool storage that includes all needed tools and “management by exception.” You don’t have to man-
shows when a tool is missing. age the system when it is working; you just have to
deal with the issues that come up that interfere with the
• A posted “Key Points” sheet that lists the criti-
process.
cal steps in a process with helpful hints.
With the application of Visual Controls comes great
• Lines on the floor or wall showing the best
responsibility. Managers must respond to abnormali-
place to put things.
ties quickly and try to ensure they will not occur again.
• Reorder points for raw materials or parts. Managers must routinely visit their workplace to re-
view the visual controls. Also, we all must be sensitive
Visual Controls that show the status of a process - to the fact that a processes “dirty laundry” is out there
• Hour-by-hour comparison of planned produc- for all to see. An abnormality indicated by a Visual
tion to actual production with issues encoun- Control is an opportunity to see and correct a problem
tered and corrective actions (by machine or by you would otherwise never notice until its impact is
line). felt.
Suicide Prevention Stand Down Day - October 10th
8 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- Building 110 (Town Hall area)
We all have a responsibility to take action to pre- Agenda:
vent suicide. One of the most critical things we must Commander’s Remarks
do is to defeat the stigma associated with asking for MWR Programs to Promote Wellness
help regarding suicide. Substance Abuse
The Army has established September as Suicide Safety/VPP - Resiliency
Prevention Month. On October 10th, the Arsenal Break
will conduct a Suicide Stand-Down Day. The Stand- Employee Assistance Program
Down theme is “Shoulder to Shoulder, We Stand Up Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
for Life.” Suicide Refresher Training (Dr. Hunter, VA Hospital)

9. Page 9 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Practice makes perfect ... well, almost
The Watervliet Arsenal’s Softball team,
Howitzers, placed 2nd Sept. 15. in a North-
east Region Softball Tournament that took
place at the Picatinny Arsenal. Competi-
tion was fierce as teams from New York
City and Pennsylvania competed.
Kyle Buono, the Arsenal Fitness Pro-
gram Specialist, said the team practiced for
four weeks leading up to the tournament.
One practice a week focused on fielding,
hitting, outfield, double plays, pitching and
situational hitting.
They played four back-to-back, round-
robin games leading up to the single-
elimination tournament. They made it to
the championship game but lost in the
finals and got 2nd place with a large trophy.
Everybody on the team also received
2nd place plaques and two players on the
team received all tournament team plaques
(Kyle Buono and Matt Marsh).
The other teams that competed were:
Fort Hamilton Devil Dogs
Brooklyn Marines
Picatinny Arsenal Thunder (Champions)
Picatinny Arsenal Lighting
Photo provided by Kyle Buono
Players in the picture from left to right: Jordan Selin, Kyle Buono, Matt Marsh, Josh Desnoy-
ers, Zach Kirsch, Tom Pond Jr., Rob Cavanaugh, Chad Peters, Chris Ryan, and Alex Ratigan.
Arsenal History Trivia
SALVO: Oct. 1999
Elected officials meet on the
future of the Arsenal
Elected officials representing the region
and state met with AMC and Army leaders to
discuss the future of the Watervliet Arsenal.
The Army Materiel Command’s command-
er, Gen. John Coburn, told the delegation
that, “Closing the Arsenal is not an option.”
A U.S. Senator said, “Today, I reiterated
to Gen. Coburn my belief that the Arsenal
should remain open and that maintaining a
government workforce at the Watervliet is
vital to the community.”

10. Page 10 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Life at the Arsenal sometimes
flows into the community
Photo provided by Arsenal Emergency Services
The Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department provided mutual aid support to the City of Cohoes on Sept. 20 from
1:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. With the recent placement of the Arsenal’s ladder truck, the Arsenal team was able to
help save 75 percent of the structure. The Arsenal’s ability to integrate and work closely with local mutual aid
partners and other first responder organizations from the surrounding communities was successfully tested in
this real-world, 5-alarm fire event.
Arsenal Town Hall
The Honorable Mae D’Agostino, U.S. Dis-
trict Court Judge for the Northern District
of New York, was our guest speaker this
month and she talked about the importance
of the Role of Women in Federal Govern-
ment. There were also updates on work-
load, safety, strategic planning, and Public-
Photo provided by Billy Martin Private Partnerships.

11. Page 11 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Arsenal Family Day
Photos by John B. Snyder

12. Page 12 Salvo Sept. 30, 2012
Albany County’s Veterans’ Day Parade
Monday, 12 November
If you missed your opportunity to support our nation’s Veterans and the
Arsenal during Memorial Day, you will have another chance to join us this Novem-
ber. As you read this, the Arsenal parade committee is already working hard to
prepare the Arsenal for the Albany County’s Veterans’ Day Parade down Central
Avenue. In addition to two Arsenal floats, we will have several vehicles from Emer-
gency Services, and about 10 vehicles from the Hudson-Mohawk Military Vehicle
Collectors Club.
We need folks to march with us on Monday, 12 November. More info to follow!!!
Photos by John B. Snyder
IF YOU WISH TO SUPPORT...CALL
John Snyder at 266-5055 or
Jim Grenier at 266-5605