Mr. Leo Hillard

Mr. Leo Hillard began his 32-year career in the federal government in 1949 as a Superintendent of Ammunition Service Crews at Savanna Ordnance Depot in Savanna, Illinois. In 1951, he attended the Ammunition Inspector School at the Savanna Ordnance Depot and began his career as an Ammunition Inspector, and ultimately as a Quality Assurance Specialist, Ammunition Surveillance (QASAS) in the Department of the Army.

His career included experience with every type of ammunition, including conventional, missiles, chemical, and nuclear weapons, encompassing every facet of ammunition operations from hands on, as an operator loading projectiles on a line at Savanna Ordnance Depot, up to the highest levels of ammunition management for the U.S. Army.

Following his assignment as the Chief of Surveillance for the U.S. Eighth Army in Seoul, Korea, Mr. Hillard became the Chief QASAS at U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawaii in 1971. He had primary responsibility for explosives safety and stockpile readiness for the entire Army stockpile of munitions in the Pacific Theater, comprised of over 300,000 short tons valued at more than $2 billion dollars.

Mr. Hillard culminated his career in 1976 with his appointment as the Chief QASAS for the Ammo Storage Adviser’s Group for the U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command (DARCOM). He was responsible for the readiness, explosives safety and storage for Army munitions worldwide. He provided technical guidance to General Officers and senior civilian personnel and assured compliance with ammunition surveillance and explosives safety procedures worldwide.

Mr. Leo Hillard retired in 1981.