To my friends, neighbors, program partners and colleagues of Eastern Oregon/ Washington:
Back in the late 1960s, before the buzzwords of political-correctness, cultural diversity, and sensitivity training there was an old advertising slogan “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.” Regardless of its intended demographic, product and message, I am hard-pressed to find a singular sentence like that that summarizes where we are today in regards to the destruction of chemical weapons at Umatilla.
Today, we stand on the brink of a memorable milestone along the Columbia River. We are about to terminate the operating permit at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) near Hermiston, Oregon. All of the chemical weapons are destroyed. The demilitarization building and furnaces are gone. Most all of our workforce has moved on. What a remarkable journey!
We have negotiated some tremendous “rapids” on that journey. Make no mistake; the success of the program rests clearly at the feet of many partners, coming together, rolling up sleeves, addressing tough situations, and working collectively to accomplish the goal. As the project manager for the UMCDF, it was truly personal for me and I am humbled and awed by the collective effort of all who played a part over the years. I want to just say ‘thank you’ for allowing me to be a part of that and engaging on the noble mission of ridding eastern Oregon, and ultimately this country, of our chemical weapons stockpile. You should know that your efforts have made the world safer for our children and our children’s children.
It’s been a long journey. Nationally, the stockpile was declassified in 1985. A Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement was completed in 1988. Johnston Atoll and Operational Verification Testing started in 1990. Our Utah plant began stateside operations in 1996. The US ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. All those events played locally here in Oregon.
Our contract to build the UMCDF was awarded and groundbreaking occurred in 1997. Disposal operations of the chemical weapons, which totaled approximately 12 percent of the original 1985 tonnage of 31 ,500 tons, began in 2004. They were completed in 2011. And now the permit closure draws near. These short sentences do not do justice to all the hard work done by you as our program partners. Through it all, the Army never compromised it’s commitment to safety, and you never wavered in your valuable oversight in keeping the program transparent and moving forward.
I have been blessed in my current assignment with the US Army Chemical Materials Activity to have had the opportunity to return to this area and monitor our progress to the end. My current trip might be my last as the permit closes, and it gave me pause to reminisce and realize how humble and gracious it was to serve with you all and share in this collective accomplishment. Again, thank you for that.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks to all our partners and employees for the tremendous support provided to the UMCDF project. I was lucky enough to be a part of this team for 14 years and without the collaborative teamwork of everyone we would certainly not have been able to accomplish the mission. A mission to make the world a safer place is a significant undertaking and the result of everyone’s hard work is absolutely amazing. My hope is that everyone involved takes tremendous pride in this accomplishment for the rest of their lives. Job well done.
As for that old-time saying, I’d change it slightly to ‘We’ve Come a Long Way,” simple yet direct. Thank you for being a part of this historic milestone and allowing me to share it with you.
Sincerely,
Don E. Barclay
Project Manager, UMCDF
