Tobyhanna sergeant major arrives excited and motivated

Tobyhanna Army Depot Sgt. Maj. Cory P. Alkire’s excitement to serve among the ranks of Team Tobyhanna is palpable.

Tobyhanna is the latest stop in Alkire’s impressive military career spanning more than two decades. His service has taken the central Ohio product to both coasts of the continental United States, Alaska, Egypt, and Korea. He has also deployed to Iraq and Kuwait.

Alkire follows in the footsteps of his father who served in Vietnam and his grandfathers who served in World War II. His globetrotting journey of opportunity and purpose can be traced back to a couple of chance encounters with military recruiters.

Alkire said he was bouncing around between jobs and figuring out who he was when a Marine recruiter happened to be in line with him at a grocery store. Alkire was at boot camp a month later and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1999-2003.

Newly married and fresh out of the Marines, Alkire pursued a civilian career. He eventually settled in Pennsylvania with a job in industrial sales. The career was short-lived. Alkire’s next door neighbor was an Army recruiter, noticed his Marine Corps car decals, and told Alkire they needed to talk. Three months later, he was in Redstone Arsenal getting issued Army uniforms.

Alkire believes these chance encounters changed the trajectory of his journey, saying “the structure the military has given me over the last 25 years has been everything to me; it changed my life.”

Alkire said he is excited to have an opportunity to be a part of an organization that has helped him throughout his career.

“My initial reaction to my assignment to Tobyhanna was excitement. I have worked with Tobyhanna several times throughout my career, and the depot’s reputation precedes itself,” said Alkire. “When I actually got here and found out the things the depot is doing, it excited me even more because we are on the cutting edge of everything the Army is doing.”

Equally or perhaps more exciting for him is the opportunity to work with the dynamic civilian workforce of Team Tobyhanna.

“The whole reason I joined the military is to be part of a purpose bigger than myself and that is exactly the opportunity Tobyhanna has afforded myself and my family. I am excited to be here because of the dynamic of Tobyhanna, I’m excited to be here because of the people, I’m excited to be here because of the direction, because of the purpose, because of the weight, and how innovative the depot has been.”

Alkire describes his leadership style as adaptive and encourages members of the workforce to offer him feedback on how best to serve Team Tobyhanna.

In his free time, Alkire enjoys spending time with his wife of nearly 24 years, Kristi, as well as his children Jason and LeAnn. Alkire said he loves how tied into the community Tobyhanna is and looks forward to exploring the natural beauty of the area. Having lived in Alaska, Alkire said he has come to “really enjoy the snow”, something essential for success in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He also has passions for photography, reading, and continuing his education. He is currently working toward his first master's degree and plans to pursue a doctorate.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering, and field support.

A key enabler of operational readiness for joint and allied forces globally, TYAD leverages new and emerging technologies to further expand the Department of War’s organic capabilities for microelectronics, secure communications infrastructure, unmanned aerial systems, joint all-domain command and control, integrated air and missile defense and the Army’s Next Generation Combat Systems.

TYAD’s ability to rapidly surge production, deploy field support teams and scale for contingency or theater-level operations makes it a vital contributor to strategic readiness and operational reach.