Col. Timothy Sullivan speaks at a change of command ceremony, as he assumes command of Anniston Army Depot.
About 600 depot workers, Calhoun County residents and officials and state leaders attended a change of command ceremony 8:00 a.m. Friday to honor outgoing commander Col. S.B. Keller and welcome her successor, Col. Timothy Sullivan.
During a speech, Keller told the crowd she would miss both the depot and the Anniston area.
“I am proud of…what we do for war fighters, for our country,” she said.
Expressing her deep belief in the depot’s importance to the country and local community, she told a story about an army captain who visited the depot last year:
The captain toured the facility where workers repair damaged Strykers and discovered the vehicle that saved his life in Iraq was among those being worked on. Keller told the crowd the captain became filled with emotion at the sight of the repaired Stryker. She then quoted the words he said to depot workers that day, words she said truly represent the depot’s success:
“You are doing very noble work here.”
And Keller’s leadership for the past three years has been part of what makes that work so noble, so successful, according to Maj. Gen. Kurt J. Stein, the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management com-mander who oversaw the change of command.
During her command of the more than 7,500 depot employees and a $1 billion operating budget, Keller has accom-plished many milestones, including the repair of the 100th Stryker, the beginning of a new water-treatment plant and the advancement of public-private partnerships.
To recognize her service and dedication to the depot, ceremony officiator Sue Turton read letters and presented awards to Keller from Gov. Bob Riley and other state and local leaders.
“The state of Alabama is proud of your service,” Riley’s letter read.
From Sen. Jeff Sessions: “Your work is critical to (the depot’s) success.”
And Sen. Richard Shelby wrote, “You’ve ensured our soldiers have been provided (with equipment) that’s kept them safe,” referring to the tanks, armored launch vehicles, Stryker vehicles, grenade launchers and other military munitions repaired at the depot.
Some of those Stryker vehicles were among the last to leave Iraq, as the final combat troops crossed the border into Kuwait Wednesday evening. The last brigade’s Iraqi departure has raised questions about the future of Calhoun County’s largest employer as the army scales back.
Keller said she’s not worried and expects the army to continue to value the depot’s work, partly because it under-stands how to shift gears, so to speak.
In an interview after the ceremony, Keller told The Star that many of the Strykers coming home from Iraq will be shipped to the depot to be reset for other uses.
“And I can tell you the (depot) work force is standing and waiting for them (the Strykers) when they arrive here,” she said.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) attended the ceremony and said that kind of diligence and preparation is what saved the depot from closure during the last BRAC and will save it again come BRAC 2015.
“This is a living organization that continues to grow and be a part of the community…and these ceremonies are a good illustration of that,” Rogers told The Star after the ceremony.
As incoming commander, Sullivan said he will live up to the legacy Keller left him and thanked her for helping to make the transition a seamless one.
“The work is going to continue to move forward,” he said.
Contact Star Staff Writer Cameron Steele at 256-235-3562.
