Thursday, October 20, 2011

Defense and Security Day/Leadership Calhoun County

Today I skipped a state library meeting for what I consider a "once in a lifetime" experience...an adult field trip to The Depot and The Center for Domestic Preparedness.  First and foremost I learned that if a soldier drives it, shoots it or eats it, the Depot probably had something to do with it and that the military is the largest industry in the state.  The Depot has continued to remain in operation as it partners with other industries to help meet their goals.  They do there best to add value to their current clients, but are also always seeking new partnerships.  The Depot has one 2 "Shingo" awards which is like the manufacturing equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize.  We got to see Strykers being made and newly refurbished machine guns being tested.  I encourage each of you to talk to your friends who work at The Depot and find out for yourselves why it is such a great place to work.

Next we went across town to the old Ft. McClellan to the CDP.  Class members went through a metal detector...but no gun parts from The Depot were found.  Mariah almost got squirted by fake blood spurting from the newly amputated leg of a $35,000 manequin used in medical catastrophe training situations.  We also viewed what I'll affectionately refer to as "Teddy Bear Triage" which related to a mass casualty situation.  Finally we saw where they train folks to respond to chemical disasters and terrorism.  It was a real eye opener to think about what it would be like to be a leader in such a situation.  Sure made me glad for my day job!

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