With a name like Dlugosch you can bet I took much ribbing as a child.  It's a last name that is simply quite difficult to pronounce, and it's different.  Even worse, it rhymes with goulash, that wondrous Hungarian treat.

Fortunately for me Dlugosch also rhymes with Oshkosh, a small town in neighbor state Wisconsin, and that more user friendly name stuck as a nickname.  Needless to say, I have always had an affinity for anything associated with Oshkosh.

That's why on Friday, in the midst of all of craziness with regard to the government bailout and credit crisis, I was pleased to see specialty truck maker, Oshkosh Corporation (OSK) in the news in a positive way.

In a press release the company stated that its results for its fiscal fourth quarter ending on September 30 would be better than previously expected.  OSK now expects earnings to meet or exceed the range of $0.50 to $0.65 per share.  In addition, the company expects to reduce its debt load as a result of cash flow and working capital initiatives.

The news was a sigh of relief in a difficult market and was welcomed by investors with a move of 15% to the upside.  Now granted, it has been a difficult year for OSK, but its results in a difficult period are encouraging.

Going further, OSK's CEO, Robert Bohn, stated "with a defense business that we believe will grow, and a sharper focus on cash flow generation, we expect to drive significant cash flow and debt reduction in fiscal 2009 in spite of challenging market conditions and exit fiscal 2009 with a stronger balance sheet."

It has been a horrific year for OSK.  A year ago its stock was trading near $60 per share.  Before the news on Friday OSK traded in the single digits.  What happened?