Before taking on my current role as an Army civilian in the CECOM Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC) Logistics and Technical Support Directorate (LTSD) in January 2023, I proudly served my country in both active duty and contracting positions.
I first enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2012, and my active duty was split into two different areas over the course of five years. First, I guarded nuclear weapons in a fireteam of four personnel. My main responsibility was to serve in static and mobile positions for weapons being loaded and transported from land storage to arming submarines. Following this assignment, I served in an Infantry unit known as 3/5 for deployments in Japan and Korea. There, I learned battlefield tactics and battlespace awareness, and I developed leadership capabilities through fireteam management.
Among the many memorable encounters that I had, I particularly enjoyed deploying OCONUS to see the different cultures and the battlefield tactics practiced by the Japanese Self Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Marines. This rewarding experience came to an end when my Exiting Active Service date arrived, after which I went directly into government contracting for the Navy and continued to support our warfighter.
I worked on many ships for the Navy, from destroyers to aircraft carriers, usually working in a team of five contractors. The primary responsibility of this position was to confirm the chemical readiness of the sailors’ chemical gear, its readiness for a mission-oriented-protected posture situation, all gear being accounted for, and checking to see how the gear was being stored.
Throughout this whole time, I always wanted to be a government civilian, as the job security and the ability to continue working with our military were important to me. I was presented with just such an opportunity through CECOM when I applied for a position with the ILSC through an online job fair, and I was hired within the Logistics and Technical Support Directorate, where I currently serve as a Technical Writer. In this role, I am able to bring both my military and contractor experience to the table.
Since I have worked directly with soldiers and communicated with different levels of civilians, I find that I am proficient at the technical aspects of verifying accuracy in equipment and reviewing documents for correctness according to military standards and organizational practices to ensure uniformity and minimize confusion. Learning MIL-STD 40051 and gaining familiarity with Extensible Markup Language (XML) has been challenging, but it has also been enjoyable to see how I am able to positively affect the work that is being done for the benefit of the warfighter. Being a prior warfighter myself, I understand and appreciate the difference that everyone makes to ensure that we accomplish the mission; we must all be thorough in the work we do since it has a direct impact on our soldiers.
At CECOM, I am part of an active and supporting community that also has a wealth of knowledge and limitless opportunities. Since starting in LTSD, I have learned something new every day, and I see growth everywhere I look as I continue supporting the Army mission and making my contributions towards it. There is a real sense of purpose here, and it has me excited and looking forward to the roles I will fill as I continue my career in CECOM. At the end of the day, “It’s all about the warfighter”, and knowing how I make an impact in that arena brings me great pride!
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