402nd celebrates veteran workforce

By Katie Nelson, 402nd AFSB Public Affairs OfficerNovember 10, 2021

The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade's Department of the Army Civilian population is 75.9% veteran. “I think what makes the 402nd unique and so successful is because our workforce is made up primarily of veterans,” said Col. Erik Johnson, commander of the 402nd AFSB. “The years of technical experience and depth of expertise we have in our organization, between the brigade and the 402nd Army Field Support Battalions in Hawaii and Alaska, I think, is unmatched and allows the 402nd to provide top-notch readiness support to the warfighter in the Pacific.”
The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade's Department of the Army Civilian population is 75.9% veteran. “I think what makes the 402nd unique and so successful is because our workforce is made up primarily of veterans,” said Col. Erik Johnson, commander of the 402nd AFSB. “The years of technical experience and depth of expertise we have in our organization, between the brigade and the 402nd Army Field Support Battalions in Hawaii and Alaska, I think, is unmatched and allows the 402nd to provide top-notch readiness support to the warfighter in the Pacific.” (Photo Credit: Katie Nelson) VIEW ORIGINAL

There is an old saying at U.S. Army Materiel Command: “If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.” As AMC’s “face to the field” in the Indo-Pacific region, the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade’s workforce provides Soldiers the support they need to ready and successful.

“I think what makes the 402nd unique and so successful is because our workforce is made up primarily of veterans,” said Col. Erik Johnson, commander of the 402nd AFSB. “The years of technical experience and depth of expertise we have in our organization, between the brigade and the 402nd Army Field Support Battalions in Hawaii and Alaska, I think, is unmatched and allows the 402nd to provide top-notch readiness support to the warfighter in the Pacific.”

According to the 402nd’s personnel section, the organization’s Department of the Army Civilian population is 75.9% veteran.

“I knew we had a lot of veterans, but I didn’t know it was that high,” said Capt. Jason Vryhof, a member of the brigade’s current operations section.

When asked, veterans in the organization say the reason they continue to serve as a civilian is because they want to give back to an army that gave them so much.

“I continue to serve as a Logistics Assistance Representative, or LAR, as a way to pass along my 23 years of skills and knowledge to a new generation of Soldiers and avionics system maintainers,” said Jeremy Gafford, a U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command LAR for the 402nd AFSBn-Alaska at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The United States Army realizes heavily on what they refer to as the Army Civilian Corps. According to an Army information paper from 2019, the Army has the largest civilian workforce in Department of Defense with roughly 330,000 civilian professionals.

Lindsay Riddick-Lui from AFSBn-Hawaii says she decided to become an Army Civilian because she enjoys the military environment.

“The military environment is very unique. After serving for eight years in the U.S. Navy, I became a Department of the Army Civilian because working with the military gives me a sense of pride that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Riddick-Lui.

Veterans Day, celebrated each year on the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, offers an opportunity to honor the legacy of generations of patriots who dedicated themselves in defense of the United States and made this country a strong and resilient nation.

“I continue to grow as a Soldier and a leader in part from working alongside the veterans of the 402nd. They are not only what makes this organization special, but this country special,” said Johnson. “The 402nd is lucky to have them on our team.”