Army apprentices are experiencing the best, most difficult years of their lives

Photo By John Snyder | Third-year apprentice Derrell Barefield is finish turning a howitzer barrel at the Watervliet Arsenal in July 2017. Barefield has completed a little over half of his 8,000 hours of hands-on training en route to becoming a certified machinist  

WATERVLIET, NY, UNITED STATES

08.14.2017

Story by John Snyder 

Watervliet Arsenal

WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. (August 2017) -- Older machinists here are sometimes overheard telling first-year apprentices to get ready for the best years of their lives. But those mature machinists know that the best years do not necessarily mean easy years. Because they aren't.

"There is nothing easy about the first year of an apprentice's life here," said Robert Day, the Arsenal's apprentice program supervisor. "In fact, there is nothing easy in any of the four years during which apprentices attend schooling at a local community college and obtain 8,000 hours of hands-on training here."

Day said that the first few months of apprenticeship can be overwhelming as apprentices attempt to balance a heavy workload with school and sometimes, with their families whose school plays, holiday lunches, and kids sports compete for their time.

"Time management is critical," Day said. "If they (apprentices) can't get into a rhythm in their first few months of the program, they won't survive the four years."

Even if the apprentices have some mechanical experience, they can still have a rude awakening, Day said. The sheer size of the Arsenal's heavy machinery supersedes any machine they may have known in a local mom and pop-type of machine shop. And, when you combine the size of the machines with the scope of the Arsenal's manufacturing mission, apprentices can become overwhelmed.

To mitigate the potential for apprentices dropping out of the program, which happens to about 15 percent of every apprentice class, Day said the Arsenal goes through a rigorous selection process.

"For the last apprentice job announcement, we had more than 400 apply for 14 positions," Day said. "This deep pool of talent truly allows us to hire the best applicant."

Even after several years in the apprentice program, the best years of their lives remains a challenge.

Earlier this summer, third-year apprentice Jeff Empie was pressing howitzer tubes with nearly 900 tons of pressure in an effort to straighten the bores.

"Although I have often worked by myself since my first year as an apprentice, I am still intimidated by the fact that any mistake that I make may cost the Arsenal up to $100,000 or cause the Arsenal to miss a shipment to our troops," Empie said. "So, my goal every day is to learn something new and if I come into a situation where I am unsure of myself, I will ask a senior machinist for help."

For the last six months, Empie has studied under the tutelage of senior machinist and now acting machinist supervisor Ryan Putnam.

"We, as Army machinists, have an awesome responsibility to the Arsenal and to our troops to ensure that every product we make is made to an extremely high standard," Putnam said. "And, that responsibility begins the first day an apprentice cuts his or her first piece."

Putnam said that he and other senior machinists have an inherent responsibility to be part of the education of apprentices to ensure that they (apprentices) not only meet the requirements of their hands-on training, but also to ensure that apprentices add value to the production process.

"I know that there is nothing easy about the apprentices' training," Putnam said. "In fact, there is nothing easy about being a machinist knowing that our products will soon be in the hands of Soldiers. But as long as apprentices have a positive attitude, I can train them to be great at what they do."

Fellow third-year apprentice Derrell Barefield was recently finish turning the outside diameter of a 155mm howitzer tube when he said that he has survived the rigorous apprentice program by having a positive attitude, which is exactly the point that Putnam made.

"I come into work every day thinking about how appreciative I am to work at the Watervliet Arsenal that has been in continuous operation since 1813," Barefield said. "I love my job here and the fact that I am making products that will help our troops survive on the battlefield."

Barefield echoed Empie's comments by adding that he owes a lot of his success to the senior machinists here who have always provided him guidance when he asked for support.

Putnam, who graduated from the Arsenal's apprentice program in 2008, said he looks forward to the new class of apprentices that will begin this month.

"One of the great things that apprentices offer is their ability to ask questions that really make senior machinists take a step back to internalize and visualize why we are doing a certain operation," Putnam said. "I learn or relearn something every day that I am training an apprentice."

This new apprentice class, as well as the other two classes currently ongoing, are here at an opportune time for the Arsenal, as the Arsenal is about to enter one of the greatest years for workload since 2010.

The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812.

• Date Taken: 08.14.2017
• Date Posted: 08.14.2017 13:29
• Story ID: 244817
• Location: WATERVLIET, NY, US