FORT GORDON, Ga. (July 11, 2014) - He was going to give four years to the Army, his obligatory service requirement upon completion of ROTC, however for Lt. Col. Hollis L. Bush Jr., Fort Gordon's provost marshal officer, its 27 years later and the eve of his retirement.
"Teamwork," said Bush, "it's about teamwork," when asked to share what it is about serving that stands out for him.
"A leader is as good as the folks who work with him," said Bush when asked about his career, preferring to talk about the team members of the Directorate of Emergency Services instead of himself.
"I have a senior enlisted advisor, four chiefs, and without those five folks this organization -- the DES -- would not run smoothly to support Fort Gordon," he said. "And that's got to be understood up front. One person cannot make this engine run."
According to Bush, his role in the organization is to provide guidance and purpose that's achievable. Upon his arrival to Fort Gordon in 2012 he and his team established the DES keys to success that include: Everything starts with team work; execute
24-hour professional emergency services; communicate effectively -- up, down, across, to include the 3Cs - coordinate, collaborate, and cooperate; exercise positive/proactive/adaptive leadership; and maintain a value-based directorate with the highest standards and discipline.
Those keys to success proved fortuitous when budget cutbacks and sequestration resulted in the decrease of authorized gate-guard personnel in February 2012. In September of 2012 the number of guards manning the gates dwindled from 72 to 44, as did the hours of operation at installation access points. By November of 2013 the guard force had been reduced to 34.
Bush and his team came up with a solution to the reduction in gate guards by creating a plan called the Key Leader Gate Program that incorporated using key leaders from law enforcement and physical security to assist with gate guard duty. The result was a smoother flow of traffic and longer hours of operation. Due to the reduction in the guard force gate hours had been reduced with Gate 5 being the hardest hit.
Bush pitched the team's plan to Maj. Gen. Alan Lynn, former commanding general of Fort Gordon, and it was approved.
"We had 28 key leaders who volunteered to work the rush hour traffic from 6 to 8
a.m.," said Bush.
According to Bush the program was successful as it helped establish a third lane at Gate 1 and also provide enough key leaders at the remaining gates. It also decreased the amount of delay patrons experienced during morning rush hour unlike other larger Army posts.
"With the key leaders and other guards and law enforcement working over time we were doing about 1,080 hours a month of over time," said Bush. "That was on average and it was not sustainable."
The next step was the approval by the commanding general of borrowed military manpower.
"Local units would provide Soldiers on a 90-day rotation to support the gates program," said Bush. The teamwork behind creating the Key Leader Program and request for use of BMM allowed the installation to keep gate closures to a minimum and provide patrons access without the same type of delays and limitations often experienced at other military installations.
Bush, a military police officer and Army Ranger, received his commission in 1987 after completing ROTC at Morgan State University in Baltimore where he majored in business administration. He has deployed four times; three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
The 49-year Baltimorean plans to retire in the Central Savannah River Area where he'll have a "beautiful view of Fort Gordon".
"I have been very blessed and fortunate," said Bush about his nearly three-decade military career. When asked if he had anything to say to someone considering joining the military, he replied, "It's a great opportunity to learn how to become a leader and also to travel, to see how America stacks up against other countries and how we take care of our people. They would be amazed at what our country does for its citizens and what we do for folks abroad."
Social Sharing