July 25, 2026, was National Hire a Veteran Day, an observance that was initiated in 2017 to encourage employers to consider hiring and supporting veterans in the workforce. Hundreds of veterans from all branches of service make up the workforce at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
For Ryan Yazdzik, serving among the ranks of Team Tobyhanna is personal.
Prior to joining the depot’s dynamic workforce, Yazdzik served his nation in the Army. Yazdzik served from 2015-2020 and was deployed to Kuwait twice with a focus on air defense. He cited his family’s long history of service as a prime motivator for enlisting.
Yazdzik said he enjoyed his deployments and time in the Army and that Tobyhanna “felt right” when looking for a civilian career.
Yazdzik continued his service to our nation when he joined Team Tobyhanna four and a half years ago as a material handler. In this role, Yazdzik’s work is the heartbeat of the cost center, ensuring peak efficiency in logistics. His day-to-day entails shipping, processing, and more to support a wide range of systems vital to our nation’s warfighters.
Yazdzik said his service helps to inform his work and fuel an enhanced sense of pride and importance surrounding it.
“A lot of systems we work on I’ve used in deployments and in the field. I know firsthand the importance of these assets to the warfighter.”
Outside of work, Yazdzik likes to play cornhole, fish, and spend time with his wife and son.
For Electronics Mechanic Denise Pfister, the mission of serving the nation didn’t end when she hung up her Navy uniform. Today, nearly two decades after leaving active duty, she continues supporting the warfighter at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
Pfister served four years in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronics technician after enlisting in July 2001. Her decision to join the military began years earlier when a Navy recruiter visited her high school.
“I was a sophomore in high school,” said Pfister. “A Navy recruiter came in and showed a video, and I was like, ‘Oh wow, that looks really awesome. I want to do that.’”
Assigned to a squadron responsible for training pilots to fly the S-3B Viking aircraft, Pfister said one of the most rewarding parts of her service was seeing the results of her work.
“The sense of accomplishment that you get from walking away from fixing a $50 million aircraft—it was an awesome feeling, knowing that I helped fix that aircraft and got it airborne,” said Pfister.
Her military service also coincided with a defining moment in American history. Pfister was in her sixth week of boot camp when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred.
“The world changed when I was in boot camp,” said Pfister. “Here I am, 18 years old, learning what Threat Condition Delta was and knowing we were going to war.”
After leaving the Navy in 2005, Pfister worked a variety of jobs before joining Tobyhanna Army Depot in 2018 after attending one of the depot’s career fairs.
Now an electronics mechanic working on Sidewinder missiles, she credits her military experience with preparing her for civilian service through the discipline, commitment and mission-focused mindset it instilled.
For veterans preparing to transition into civilian employment, Pfister encourages patience and taking advantage of available resources, such as those offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“When you go from having the camaraderie that you have in the military to being in the civilian world, it’s different,” said Pfister. “You don’t really have that brotherhood like you do in the military.”
As National Hire a Veteran Day recognizes the value veterans bring to the workforce, Pfister believes employers benefit from the qualities military service develops.
“Most veterans are detail-oriented,” said Pfister. “They’ll show up on time or early. They’re dependable, committed and focused on the mission.”
That same sense of purpose continues to motivate her every day.
“I love working at Tobyhanna because I know I’m still doing my part to help keep this country free,” said Pfister.
When Harry Heck signed up for the National Guard on a whim in the 1980s, he thought he was just following in his father’s footsteps. He had no idea he was charting the course for the next four decades of his career.
Heck served two years before continuing his service with the U.S. Air Force on active duty. The skills he earned over that seven-year enlistment supporting travel and pay functions created the springboard for a successful career in finance, both in the public and private sector. Serving on active duty also taught Heck skills he carried with him through the rest of his life.
“Life in the military taught me to embrace routine, and be regimented,” he remarked. “Knowing how to do that benefitted me working in a financial capacity where you have to really be disciplined.”
After separating from the Air Force, Heck worked at Sallie Mae as well as other financial institutions. He also briefly worked in a production facility similar to Tobyhanna, where he gained useful insight that would later help him understand the experiences of those working on Tobyhanna’s production floor.
A career opportunity with Team Tobyhanna presented itself in 2008. Heck says he jumped at the chance to serve his nation again.
“I was eager to use my experience to support the military and civilians at the depot.”
Over 18.5 years, Heck has held several different positions in the Resource Management directorate, all using his financial management skills to aid and advance Tobyhanna’s readiness mission. He started as a travel accounts technician, then progressed to a lead approving official, and now serves as the Defense Travel System administrator for entire depot.
Looking back, Heck says his winding path led him to the right position at the right time.
“I really enjoy helping people and assisting them as they go out to serve our warfighters. It means a lot,” he said.
Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering, and field support. A key enabler of operational readiness for Joint and Allied Forces globally, TYAD leverages new and emerging technologies to further expand the Department of War’s organic capabilities for microelectronics, secure communications infrastructure, uncrewed aircraft systems, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), and the Army’s Next Generation Combat Systems (NGC2). TYAD’s ability to rapidly surge production, deploy field support teams, and scale for contingency or theater-level operations makes it a vital contributor to strategic readiness and operational reach.
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