Mr. William J. Gaines

Mr. William J. Gaines was born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1923 and attended Virginia Union University in the 1940's. He is best known for his development of three critical systems which improved the management of Army munitions and were adopted Army-wide.

As a Munitions Systems Analyst, he was the Functional Project Manager for the Worldwide Ammunition Reporting System which was integrated into the Pacific area during the Vietnam Conflict and later throughout the world. As the Department of the Army Project Officer, he contributed significantly to the acceptance and proliferation of the Automated Depot Operation and Management Information System, SPEEDEX, which as the Standard Depot System is now Department of Defense standard. He was responsible as the project officer for the development, design, baseline documentation, staffing, approval and implementation of the Standard Army Ammunition System.

Finally, he developed an automated management system for the Army in Europe for use in managing munitions at the theater level and below. Since 1978, he has been the Civilian Executive Assistant at Miesau Army Depot in Germany, where he orchestrated the installation of the Standard Depot System, utilizing a commercial satellite link to the United States, a pioneering effort in overseas munitions logistic management.

Mr. Gaines' efforts have produced quality systems, saved millions of dollars in man-hours, eliminated inefficient management practices, and provided unprecedented worldwide operational and management capability to the ammunition community.