Depot opens last missile shop

April 23, 1997

By RICHARD F. BELISLE

Staff Writer

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Army, civilian and community officials at the Letterkenny Army Depot Wednesday morning officially opened the last of 19 missile system repair operations that have been transferred to the Franklin County, Pa., depot since 1995, a base spokesman said.

The transfer means another 10 jobs will remain on the base, said depot spokesman Allen Loessy.

Base Commander Col. Thomas W. Resau was joined by Lt. Col. Henry Turner Jr., chief of Weapons Systems Management, Redstone Arsenal, in welcoming the more than 60 employees, military personnel and Franklin County officials to the brief ceremony.

Letterkenny Army Depot, which opened on 25,000 acres during World War II, maintains armored equipment and missile systems for all services.

The depot was high on the Base Realignment and Closure Act list in 1993 for closure or serious cutbacks. The base will lose several thousand jobs over the next few years, but the transfer of all missile repair to the depot has made the cutback much less severe than originally anticipated, Loessy said.

The new operation consists of two major items, a guided missile test station and shop equipment, Loessy said. Resau called the move "another feather in the cap of the Letterkenny workforce who have demonstrated time and again their expertise in tactical missile repair."

In other Letterkenny news, the sprawling base is preparing for its annual Armed Forces Day celebration and open house to be held May 17 this year.

Visitors can see live firing firing of Paladin howitzers, see ordnance destroyed, take bus tours of the base, plus view exhibits and displays throughout the day.

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