Army Reserve-Puerto Rico continues hiring for its civilian team

By Carlos Cuebasmedina and Jose Santos SantosMay 11, 2020

Army Reserve-Puerto Rico continues hiring for its civilian team
On the right, Julio C. Aponte, Army Reserve-Puerto Rico Command Executive Officer takes oath to Mr. Luis M. Calvo (on the left), to support and defend the U.S. Constitution and faithfully execute his duties, as the 699th Engineer Detachment Army Reserve Administrator. (Photo Credit: Jose Santos Santos) VIEW ORIGINAL

Fort Buchanan, PR –In a small ceremony led by Julio Aponte, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico Command Executive Officer, Luis Calvo became the newest civilian employee at the largest federal U.S. Army command in the Caribbean, May 11, at the command’s headquarters.

I feel happy of being selected over the people that were interviewed," expressed a joyful Calvo, while making reference to the competitive process for selection.

Calvo a native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico is the Retention Non-Commissioned Officer, for the 166th Regional Support Group (RSG), a brigade size element under the U.S. Army Reserve Multi-functional Geographic Command for the Caribbean.

Calvo accepted a position to serve as the Army Reserve Administrator (ARA) and became the first civilian hired for the 699th Engineer Detachment, the newest military element under the 448th Engineer Battalion that will be activated at the end of the current fiscal year. As ARA, Calvo will be managing the detachment’s operations and will make decisions on behalf of the Commander during his/her absence.

I am the first civilian on this position and there is no shoes to fit, hopefully I will be that person to set the high standards”, he added.

This hiring action represents how the command continues recruiting talent, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, while implementing strict preventive measures to safeguard the force’s safety and well-being.

Even though we are going through rough times during this pandemic, we have the commitment to continue our mission by providing a ready force in support of our Nation needs” stated Aponte.

“As part of our Organization Transformation and Modernization, we continue hiring personnel – Non Stop – filling multiple available positions in order to enable our forces to achieve the highest standards of readiness to answer the Nations call at any given time, whether is abroad or in the Home front”, added Aponte, who is the senior U.S. Army civilian in the region.

Calvo joins more than 100 civilian Army Reserve-Puerto Rico employees, a workforce of talented and qualified people that fill critical non-combat positions. The Army Reserve civilian payroll represents over $7 million annually to the local economy.

Army civilians are an integral part of the Army team, committed to selfless service in support of the protection and preservation of the United States.