US Army thanks ArcelorMittal Cleveland

“You may think what you do is just a job, something to pay the mortgage and provide for your family. However, what you do every day has the potential to protect and save the lives of men and women in service to our country,” said Lt. Col. Thomas E. Lippert during a recent visit at ArcelorMittal Cleveland. Read on to learn why…

Speaking to an audience of 50 people gathered at the Dave McCall Union Hall in Cleveland (USA), Lippert offered gratitude and appreciation for the “professionalism and dedication of ArcelorMittal employees” and for their ongoing support of US troops.

Lippert directly referenced the role that the Cleveland plant and other ArcelorMittal facilities have played in the production of armor plate used in manufacturing Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) vehicles. The MRAP is specially designed to protect armed forces from roadside bombs. Its v-shaped hull depends on high-quality steel on the vehicle’s underside to deflect potentially deadly blasts from explosives.

“I’ve had the opportunity to travel in these vehicles and there’s no doubt they have saved lives,” Lippert explained. By the way, in the picture he’s standing next to his name painted on the American Soldier locomotive at ArcelorMittal Cleveland. The vehicle displays the names of employees’ relatives serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ArcelorMittal contributes to the company’s operations and core competencies, and for that I’m grateful.”

One of the main reasons for Lippert’s visit is because his younger brother, Brian, is Division Manager of Finishing and Shipping at ArcelorMittal Cleveland. The siblings explained that they never imagined their very different career paths would intersect in such an important way.

Collaboration: Summer Paris and Candice Olson, ArcelorMittal USA