SPOTLIGHT MR. JARED HIGGS
by Ms. Susan L. Follett S
ome of Jared Higgs’ earliest memories are of time spent with his father in his shop at the Red River Army Depot (RRAD), in
Texarkana, TX. So it’s no surprise that when the time came to determine his own career path, he followed his father and grandfather and became a heavy equipment mechanic. Altogether, three generations of his family have worked at the depot for a total of 60 years.
“My dad has always been a mechanic, and since I was little, I was with him, working and watching. I can remember coming out to the depot to see his shop. I’ve always had some type of interest in it, and I enjoy working with my hands,” said Higgs, 30, a native of Texarkana.
“When I was 8 or 9 years old, we came out for a Christmas event, and I got to take my first ride in an Army tank. Tat’s a day I’ll never forget,” he said. “When I was older, we had what they called a shadow day, and I was able to come out and spend a whole day with my dad, walking with him to all his meetings and seeing what his job at RRAD entailed day to day.”
Higgs’ father, Eddie Higgs, recently retired from RRAD after a 37-year career that began in 1976. His grandfather, John Woodard, worked at the depot from
1974 until 1994. “He worked on Brad- leys for as long as I can remember,” said Higgs. “It’s definitely a family affair. My great-grandfather worked for the depot, too, before I was born.”
A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE Te mission of RRAD, in operation since 1941, is to conduct ground combat and tactical system sustainment maintenance operations and related support ser- vices for U.S. and allied forces. RRAD repairs and rebuilds a variety of mission- essential combat and tactical vehicles and equipment, including the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle,
the High Mobility Multipur-
pose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and the Bradley fighting vehicle system. Te depot is the Army’s only two-time win- ner of the Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence, given by the secretary of defense. Te award recognizes
outstanding achievements
by field-level units engaged in military equipment and weapon system mainte- nance within DOD.
In addition, RRAD is a Center for Industrial and Technical Excellence for several combat and technical vehicles, the Multiple Launch Rocket System, rubber products and Patriot missile recertification. Its HMMWV recapitalization facility can
produce up to 40 vehicles per day, and its Rubber Products Division is the only DOD organization capable of remanufac- turing road wheels and track.
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE Having joined RRAD in 2004, Higgs has worked on a variety of vehicles, includ- ing HMMWVs, Bradleys, the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and several types of MRAPs. He currently works on the M1117 armored security vehicle. “I’m working on the CROWS, which is the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, checking the weapon systems out,
DURING MY TIME OVERSEAS, I REALLY VALUED THE ABILITY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH SOLDIERS—TO MEET THEM AND TALK WITH THEM, AND TO KNOW THAT WE WERE HELPING GET THEM BACK OUT IN THE FIELD.”
154 Army AL&T Magazine January–March 2014
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