OCR Text |
Show - The Sampler, June 20, 1985 BpjBJBBB r ' 4. ti j : Carr facility chambers seen as backbone by Ruth A-- Mecham The sun may be shining on Dugway Proving Ground, but there are always places o temperareceiving yo 1 sub-zer- tures, dust storms, heavy fog, and salt, water mist. Twenty three different environmental conditions, are simulated in controlled chambers at Carr Facilities, here. "Carr Facilities is the backbone of all testing at Dugway, we support 90 percent of testing in one way or another," stated Neil ' Ma-gan- n, chief of Weapons Sys- tem Branch. In one test chamber, fungi ' is grown to simulate a jungle environment. Ammunition and test equipment are subjected to this environment to test reactions to various jj types of fungus. Artillery and Mortar ammunition is subjected to many tests before it. can be fired. In one test they are dropped seven feet on to a metal plate. After each test, rounds are inspected to determine impact of the test. In some cases, are re-- , . x-ra-ys quired to determine the round's strengths and weak- nesses. Artillery projectiles, are onmental Testing Section, said, "This type of testing simulates actual field condi- V. - clothing manikin before chamber entry. ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN Jay Bryant (U.S. Army Photos by Vickie Bryant) makes final visual inspection of protective W n be irg ir Opposes Fear cut may hurt ireciru ifliinig 5 WASHINGTON (AFNS) Secretary of Defense Caspar v Weinberger strongly opposes a proposed cut of $4 billion to military retirement funding, insisting it would have a "devastating effect" on recruiting and retention and would "impair combat readiness." Reiteration of the longstanding military position was maae in an April 3U letter to Rep. Les Aspin, chairman of the D-Wi- s., House Armed Services Committee, who introduced a bill in April to cut $4 billion from the militarv retirement accrual account. "We oppose this bill and continue to oppose other proposals for change which set cost reductions without concomitantly evaluating the impact on combat force readiness,'.' the secretary's reads. letter a - -- ..ai...wwriv. .raw a such cut would require a mm - . mw wmu mmm m mrmmw- - significant reduction in retirement annuities and a possible reduction in cost of living adjustments. "While such- reductions - would affect only new entrants," he wrote, "the negative impacts on recruiting and retention would be felt almost immediately." . He cautioned the congressman that "unless one is willing to accept unspecified reduction in our national security posture, changes to the military retirement system of the magnitude required by this bill would be The secretary said the services would have to recruit 13,000 to 22,000 people to d." make up for the potential loss of 40 percent of the enlisted people who have served 20 years. For officers, a 10 percent increase in accessions would be required to offset loss of up to 30 percent of the senior members, he added. Weinberger predicted the "devastating effect" would build because of the loss of future income and a percep-tio- n that the retirement system would be unstable. Although the bill passed the House subcommittee after Weinberger's letter was sent, his position has not changed, according to Michael Burch, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. "We continue to worry about the effect this might have on future recruiting," he said at a press conference May 7. We understand the intent of Mr. Aspin is not to hurt or harm those people who are already in uniform or who are currently on retirement." Burch pointed out the military has been studying ways to restructure the retirement system, but said the " . studies are "still under way." "We continue to evaluate the total compensation pack- age for people currently in the military and those we may want to recruit in the future," he said. It's a pickup put do wn The back of a pickup truck is not a safe place to ride. The National Transportation Safety Board made a survey of fatal accidents involving pickup trucks that occurred between 1975 and 1979 and found that an average of 242 people Were killed each year while riding in the cargo space of pickups. .' .; : In addition, an unknown number, of passengers who may or may not have been riding in the back died later as a result of injuries they suffered or sustained abling injuries. dis- ; Most victims were 22 years old or younger, and in six specific accidents studied . by NTSB, an average of 1 eight people were riding; in the cargo area. , ' Carrying occupants in the back of a pickup affects ve. hicle handling because the unrestrained passengers are free to move around and can cause a shifting of weight or a sudden change in the vehicle's center of gravity. And an accident that would be trivial if an ordinary car was involved can be serious or fatal with a pickup. .. v'V degrees above zero. chambers help determine whether rounds can withstand the conditions of the tions." "v Most test projectiles' and components are subjected to regular artillery test. "Again," added Magann, "the information received from these tests are worth field and protect soldiers." chamber cost $450,000. "The testing, morale is- great, when work slacks off for one reason or another morale goes down. We're part of a information received from val- uable than the amount of team and we work together to get the mission done." Some buildings at Carr were built in 1946 as temporary structures. Included in the installation's modernization plan are six new buildings, an artillery shop, munitions supply building, two artillery component buildings, solvent storage buildings and a compressed gas storage building. All these buildings are to well, defensive equipment ranges from vehicles to all equipment soldiers use in the field including the clothing on .their backs. Magann added, "The testing is done to make conditions in the field the best they can be." The chambers are old and deteriorating due to age, however we'll receive new ones at a cost of 1.4 million dollars in the near future, which will really help," said Magann. "Dugway's location makes it special," added Magann, . the expense." People at Carr are at their best when busy. "When we're busy and have a lot of The expensive chambers play a major role in testing at Dugway. The altitude fired. Magann added, "Most Once rounds have survived the drop test, they're placed on a Lose Cargo Bounce Machine. This machine simulates the impact of a Zyz ton truck traveling down a 500 mile cobble stone road. Chuck Hope, chief of Physical and Envir- 2' -- money spent on them," said Magann. The chambers are sued to test defensive equipment as ing devices. 2 JAY BRYANT checks equipment in preparation for chamber testing. 24 hour conditioning before "we can test almost anythey're fired. The most comthing. Dugway has been mon temperature conditiontasked with smoke testing 145 deings range from because of its environment grees Fahrenheit to 50 deand location." Dugway also grees Fahrenheit. This subhas long range firing capajects the projectiles to exdue to the size of the bility treme temperature changes. installation. Many types of tests are On any one test there are conducted. Hope added, "We approximately 35 indivihave chambers that have exduals directly involved and treme temperatures like 100 the cost per day is approxidegrees below zero and 160 mately $6000 - $8000 for a All - these chambers is more ammunition tested at Dugway is experimental therefore it's fired by remote fir- . replace obsolete buildings; Carr Facilities was named after Capt. Gordon W. Carr, an artillery test officer, who died in April 1964 at the age of 33 while assigned to Dug If way. ' persons can get nonavailability statements when traveling CHAMPUS-eligibl- e If you're eligible for CHAMPUS, and are away from home on a trip and need non-emergen- cy medical care, you can get a nonavail- ability statement from the coinmander of a nearby military hospital, if that hospital can't provide the care you need. The nonavailability statement lets you get the needed New combat boot provides more comfort The new black combat boot will be available at military clothing sales stores in June 1986 and issued beginning in January 1988 to new soldiers, Army clothing officials have announced. The new boot features a padded collar, speed lacing, improved traction and support, and a replaceable heel.' The boot also has improved design features making it more comfortable, ' durable, and water and mildew resistant, said a senior-non-commission- ed officer with the Department of the Army clothing office. Liken its predecessor, the smooth-graileather footwear still requires polishing, he added. It will be available in 133 sizes, 22 more than the cur- rent issued boot, ranging from four to 14, with widths of AAtoEEEE. An optional version of the boot is now on sale in Army military clothing sales stores in at a cost of $46, but only -- sizes. the 22 new - i f breech loaded into the weapon to ' be fired. Mortar rounds are hand dropped into a mortar tube to be ;. : nonemergency medical care from a civilian doctor or hospital, then file a claim with CHAMPUS for sharing of the cost of the care. The Defense Department isn't worried about the reason for your trip, its distance or its duration; DOD simply asks the local commander (either of the hospital near where you're visiting, or the one near where you live) to reasonably determine that the trip was not made, and the civilian care was not obtained, for the primary purpose of avoiding use of a Uniformed Services hospital in the beneficiary's home area. Commanders are encouraged to "exercise prudent judgment, discretion, and compassion" in deciding whether to issue a nonavail ability statement, "since the purpose of (the DOD in- struction that applies to the situation) is to encourage economic utilization" of ser- vice hospitals and health care professionals, not to force overly strict rules on CHAMPUS- - eligible fami- lies. Members of service families, both active and retired, are urged to use military ho- spitals for care whenever possible. This saves you money, and squeezes the most benefit out of each tax dollar that goes to support the military health care sys- tem. If you have questions about any part of your military health benefits, contact the Health Benefict Advisor at the nearest service hospital. - CHAMPUS News Defective merchandise Army commissary customers may return merchandise purchased in the commissary .under certain circumstances, say officials at the U.S. Army Troop Support Agency. A customer who discovers hidden defects in a product, perishable or nonperishable, which obviously existed at the time of purchase may return the item and be given a cash refund. Cash refunds are not normally given for merchandise which is returned simply because the customer no longer wants it. If the product is intact, unopened, undamaged, within its shelf life, salable and is still stocked in the commissary, the customer may return it for a credit slip. The credit may be used in lieu of cash to make other commissary purchases. Cash refunds are not made for perishable items unless the merchandise contained a hidden defect which was unnoticed at the time of purchase. A merchandise ex- change may be authorized or a credit slip issued if this '. occurs. Commissary management personnel will answer any questions concerning merchandise returns to ensure e that each customer is satisfied with the quality of -he receives. Troop Support Agency. ser-vic- 1 'a .bz-a4i- A'iMi-.ln- WtoaumW j ,1 |