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MS. MCCASKILL Hi. I’m Michelle McCaskill and welcome to this edition of the AMC News Dispatch.
The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, in Independence, Missouri,
produces small caliber ammunition for the entire Department of Defense. Pam Proper from the Joint Munitions Command
recently paid a visit to the plant and discovered that the most fascinating part of the production process
is the people who make it.
MS.. PROPER The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant has a history of small caliber manufacturing that dates back to the Second World War.
It’s a fascinating process to watch as bullets fly off the line at the rate of about four million rounds per day.
Even more fascinating are the people who actually make them. The lineage behind the craft is most certainly a family affair.
MS. EYKKCH My grandmother was one of the first employees here at Lake City.
MS. MCGUIRE I had a great uncle who was a guard during the war. He couldn’t go in the service so he worked out here as a guard.
I had a great aunt who worked out on the floor during the war and later. She ended up with over 30 years after.
My parents both worked here for 35 years and retired.
I’ve been here for 28 and I have a daughter who’s been here for six or seven years now.
MR. DAY We’ve got 18-year-olds all the way up to 80-year-olds, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-grandfathers,
three to four generations of one family on plant working different locations. So it’s --- yeah.
It’s kind of an interesting dynamic --- the demographic that’s out here at Lake City.
MS.. PROPER There’s also a long tradition of women in this line of work.
It dates back to the days the doors opened in 1941 and the ladies have just kept coming.
MR. COLE During the post Vietnam era I think the women likely outnumbered the men because the men were out ---
actually fighting the battles at that time. And I continue to see that trend throughout 9/11 up to this very moment.
MS. SHIPP We see more and more women coming on board every day.
Just to know that the women and we as women take so much pride as do our men, it’s a great feeling, great feeling.
MR. POLLARD Women are good at this because they pay attention to detail,
they ask questions, and they want the best to go out with their name on it.
MS.. PROPER For the people who work here there’s more to this business then turning brass into bullets.
There’s a commitment that begins and ends with just the right amount of pride.
MS. MCCASKILL The Joint Munitions Command manages all conventional ammunition for the Defense Department
to include the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.
Well, that’s all for this edition of the AMC News Dispatch.
Don’t forget to visit the AMC website and click on the news and information link for the latest items of interest about the command.
Thanks for watching and be sure to tune in next time.
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