Last week, during the successful conduct of an annual training exercise here, Calhoun County Commissioner Eli Henderson observed and evaluated the Army’s Emergency Operations Center at the Depot. A mock chemical weapons accident was played out from beginning to end. He was impressed by those operations. Many people, too numerous to mention, are to be commended on the success of that exercise.
This exercise was designed to test the preparedness of Alabama’s Emergency Response System regarding response to a chemical weapons event, despite the highly unlikely probability of such an event ever occurring. All of the CSEPP counties’ emergency management folks are to be commended for a job well done.
In his visit to the Army EOC, Henderson said, “The real heart of this exercise and the thing for which we should all be most thankful is that almost 50 percent of the GB-filled M55 rockets have now been destroyed.” He was right to proclaim that as a part of the rest of the story surrounding this exercise.
The ANCDF team takes quite seriously its mission to safely destroy the chemical weapons stockpile located here in Anniston. With each passing day, my fellow staff members and dedicated employees safely reduce the risk that the stockpile presents to our community. As of noon Wednesday, more than 21,300 rockets have been safely destroyed. This represents 50 percent of the GB M-55 stockpile. This truly significant milestone includes more than 5.2 million man-hours worked without a lost time accident.
This is not, however, a time to rest on any laurels. When people do great things they need to be recognized and they need to be motivated to always perform in the future just as we have in the past. Again, my thanks and congratulations for jobs being done well and missions being accomplished. My thanks to Henderson and all others for being knowledgeable, capable and involved in this process.
Timothy K. Garrett,
ANCDF Site Project Manager
Anniston