Dual identities work well for super heroes. By day they tend to be the opposite of their heroic spandex-wearing selves.
For Maj. Donald Leath, the main difference between his dual identities is the clothes he wears.
"Other than the fact that I wear a suit and tie vice the Army Combat Uniform and deal with enlisted Soldiers and officers instead of interns, GS-11, 12 and 13s, the job is really not that different," said Leath, a reservist with the 915th Contingency Contracting Support Battalion, Baltimore, Md., and a branch chief with the Army Contracting Command-National Capital Region, Alexandria, Va. "While I do interact with my civilian counterparts more, the requirements and the procedures we use to award contracts are the same.
"I was fortunate enough my freshman year to earn a three-year Army ROTC scholarship and graduate from Hampton (Va.) University with a bachelor's degree in business management," said Leath.
"I never figured on making the Army a career."
A husband and father of two daughters, Leath initially expected to complete his Army obligation and then move on to the corporate world, but Desert Shield/Desert Storm changed all of that.
"After that experience, I figured I'd stick around a little longer," he said.
Currently deployed in Kuwait, Leath helps ensure the 408th Contracting Support Brigade is compliant with current regulations and policies.
"I also wear several different hats -- from being a coalition acquisition review board advisor to an alternate special competition advocate to being a government purchase card billing official. This ensures I never have a dull moment," said the 22-year veteran.
"Having been on the operational side for so long I now get to see things from a strategic 0rospective as I deal quite frequently with the Expeditionary Contracting Command, Army
Contracting Command and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement)," he said. "All and all, it has been a great learning experience and something else I can stick in my toolkit."
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