Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD)

Army Depot (LEAD)
200 Lincoln Way East
Chambersburg, PA 17201
(717) 267-8111
Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) is surrounded by Franklin County in the Cumberland Valley of south-central Pennsylvania. The northwestern part of the installation is mountainous, enveloped in the forests of the Appalachian foothills, which compose the valley's slopes. The valley widens and flattens to rolling hills in the major portion of The Depot. The Borough of Chambersburg is 3.6 miles from the southern fence line. To the east, south, and west, the installation is bordered by farmland. The north is bordered by forest.

Positioned midway between Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Hagerstown, Maryland, Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) is approximately 1 and one quarter hour from Harrisburg www.harrisburgpa.gov, and within 100 miles from both Washington, D.C. www.washington.org and Baltimore, Md. http://baltimore.org.

Directions
From Harrisburg International Airport
• Follow airport access road from the airport to I-283. • Take I-283 North toward Harrisburg. Watch for exit to PA Turnpike.
• Take PA Turnpike West toward Pittsburg and exit at Carlisle (Exit 226), staying to the left at the toll plaza. Follow signs to I-81 by taking Route 11 North about 2 miles to the I-81 interchange. Travel I-81 South to Exit 20 (Scotland).
• Take Route 997 North (4 miles) to the traffic signal at Route 11. Travel straight across Route 11 and continue on Route 997 (1 mile) to the next light. Leave Route 997, while continuing to go straight (the road slightly bends to the left) into Letterkenny and to the next light.

History
Because of its location to power, water, transportation hubs, and an available workforce, Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) was established in 1942 by the War Department to store and ship ammunition, trucks, parts and supplies. Its vehicle maintenance mission was added in 1946. Nike missile repair missions were added in 1953, followed shortly thereafter by Air Force missile missions.

Its future was shaped and reshaped throughout the 1980s and 1990s and LEAD's maintenance missions continued to diversify and grow with overhaul of tanks, artillery, and tactical vehicles being added. LEAD is the Army's Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) for Air Defense and Tactical Missile Ground Support Equipment and now stands as a worldwide repair asset by continuing to develop publicprivate partnerships with companies like BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and AAI Corporation to increase the depot's value to the military and bring jobs to the surrounding civilian community LEAD is also the CITE for Mobile Electric Power Systems in sizes 5KW to 150KW and provides rapid response by sending mobile teams to support units all over the globe. With the increasing tempo of the war on terrorism, LEAD specialists recently provided maintenance and training for the repair of 450 generator sets, crucial for Fort Huachuca's 11th Signal Brigade's return to Iraq.

Close on the heels of this successful mission was LEAD support to return the generator sets of B Company, 50th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., to combat-ready status. These generator units are essential since there is no other power source when personnel move into a combat area. LEAD continues to strengthen its technical development by initiating partnerships with Penn State University's Applied Research Laboratory and the Applied Technology at Hagerstown Junior College. Known to the local civilian community as "The Depot," LEAD is one of the area's top employers and pumps more than a quarter billion dollars into the region's economy through payroll contracts and retiree annuities.

Chambersburg
The joke that Pennsylvanians tell about their state is that it has Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other, and Alabama in the middle. Chambersburg is in the Alabama part. The Depot's major host community and its local culture owe more to Nashville than to Washington. The people of Chambersburg (18,000 population) value being kind, agreeable, and they revere the past. The city is rich in history with twelve sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The famous abolitionist, John Brown, was a famous resident and Chambersburg was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Raided three times during the Civil War, the Confederates burned the town down during the third invasion in 1864 when residents refused to pay a $100,000 ransom in gold. A bronze soldier, dedicated in 1878 at the beautiful memorial fountain square, continues to stand ready to protect Chambersburg.

Area festivals include the Apple Fest, ChambersFest and Franklin County Fair. To find out when these festivals are held, visit their Web site at www.discoverchambersburg.com. The local chamber of commerce has an excellent Web site that contains information on area events, housing, medical, education, parks and recreation activities at www.chambersburg.org. You can request a relocation packet online or visit in person at the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce in person at 100 Lincoln Way East, Suite A. Or call (717) 264-1701.

The Capitol Theatre, built around a charming and historic 1927 movie house, is the hub of Chambersburg's cultural activity. The Capitol Theatre Center, located at 159 South Main St., houses the newly renovated Capitol Theatre, The Wood Center Stage, Council for the Arts (www.councilforthearts.net), Caledonia Theater Company, Chambersburg Community Theatre, and Chambersburg Ballet Theatre School and Youth Company. Visit the Capitol Theatre For more information, visit their Web site at www.thecapitoltheatre.org

Each summer, audiences enjoy professional theater productions from June through August at Totem Pole Playhouse located in Micheaux State Forest. For more information, visit their Web site at www.totempoleplayhouse.org
 
ID Cards and In-Processing
Call (717) 267-8751 for information and hours of operation.

Family Concerns
Housing and Visitor Quarters
Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) is a closed post. Except for Letterkenny's three most senior military personnel, everyone else lives off post. For more information, call the LEAD protocol office at (717) 267-5102 (DSN 570-5102).

LEAD's Web site also offers a list of commercial accommodations within a ten-mile radius of the facility. For military and civilian personnel who will be working at The Depot, the LEAD Web site includes a video, command information, and an installation telephone directory for its various units at www.letterkenny.army.mil.

Schools
The Borough of Chambersburg, including the township of Letterkenny, is served by the Chambersburg Area School District (CASD), which covers 250 square miles, and enrolls about 8,300 students. It has seventeen elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high school, and one high school. CASD administrative offices are at 435 Stanley Ave. in Chambersburg. Call (717) 263-9201 for enrollment information. The greater Chambersburg area also has quality private, parochial, and residential schools, including the Scotland School for Veterans' Children (SSVC). www.milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/987htm.

This unique, state-funded residential school offers quality residential education to the children of Commonwealth veterans. Established in 1895, the school has been administered by the Commonwealth's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs since 1996. Students in grades 3 through 12 live on its 183-acre campus, located in southern Franklin County, near Chambersburg.

Child Care
There are no on-post child care services available on the Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) installation.

Medical
Eligible Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) personnel and dependents are served by the Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic, located at Carlisle Barracks and are covered by TRICARE Prime. This program has no enrollment fees for active duty family members, but does require enrollment. Updates can be made during in-processing activities or in-person at the TRICARE Service Center at the Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic. The Clinic Health Benefits Advisor can be reached at the Durham U.S. Army Health Clinic at Carlisle (717) 245-4112 for advice about health care options.

Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic
450 Gibner Road
Carlisle, PA 17013
(717) 245-3400

On-Base Services & Recreation
Letterkenny AAFES PX
Building 627
(717) 267-1713 for hours of operation.

Recreation
There are no morale, welfare or recreation (MWR) activities or facilities at The Depot. However, the surrounding communities provide many opportunities to enjoy a wide range of parks, recreation and nature trails. The Chambersburg Rail-Trail path, beginning at South Street and ending at Commerce Street, is a one-mile respite from a busy day within the borough limits. Chambersburg Memorial Park is a 38-acre recreation center and the park's amenities include tennis courts, a swimming pool, sand volleyball courts, miniature golf courses, picnic pavilions, and an outdoor amphitheater along with softball and soccer fields. Just outside of Chambersburg (in nearby Guilford Township) is Norlo Park. This 143-acre park has sand volleyball courts, nine horseshoe pits, a walk-jog trail, picnic pavilions and three gazebos.

Mission
As CITE for Air Defense and Tactical Missile System Ground Support Equipment, the installation is home to missile systems maintenance, depot support for Chemical and Biological Defense. LEAD provides rebuild, repair, and modification for Ground Mobility Vehicles, specialized Special Operations vehicles, Biological Integrated Detection Systems, Force Providers, Mobile Kitchens, Containerized Chapels and various Soldier Support Systems.