Veteran Volunteers Recognized at the Detroit Arsenal

By Bill Gattie, TACOM LCMC Public AffairsOctober 10, 2012

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Military veterans who were recently recognized for their volunteer service at TACOM LCMC included (left) Henry Lusier, Col. Ron Shun (presenter), Lisa Pomilia, Cole Grace, Brian Butler (presenter), Stephen Carnahan, Danielle Bowlson, Cynthia Murray, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WARREN, Mich (October 4, 2012) -- Nine military veterans were recognized for their volunteer service to the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) at an awards ceremony held recently at the Detroit Arsenal. Eight of these volunteers had been assigned to TACOM through the Department of Veterans Affairs Non Paid Work Experience (NPWE) Program and one through the Department of Defense (DoD) Wounded Warrior Operation Warfighter Internship Program. TACOM LCMC Chief of Staff Col. Ronald Shun and TACOM Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC) Director Brian Butler, were there to present the awards.

The NPWE provides eligible veterans with the opportunity to obtain training and practical job experience concurrently through assignments in various federal, state, and local government agencies. In addition to gaining valuable work experience, these veterans are an asset to their employing agencies because they can perform valuable work at no cost to the agency.

DoD Wounded Warrior Operation Warfighter Internships enable Soldiers who are recovering at 29 Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) around the country to complete internships at local federal agency offices to maintain skills in their current field or gain experience in a new occupation. Because Soldiers still receive their salaries through the Army, there is no charge to the federal agencies for this program and the Soldier does not count against the agency's allowance for full time employees.

During their remarks prior to presenting the awards, both Shun and Butler praised the recipients for their hard work and dedication and cited them as examples for all employees to follow. Now, let's learn a little bit about each of the recipients. It is worth noting that several of them have since been hired as permanent federal employees:

Lisa Pomilia -- Pomilia served in the U.S. Air Force from Sep. 26, 2001- Oct. 25, 2005. She was in the 75th Security Forces Squadron out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah and was deployed to United Arab Emerites and Kuwait with Raven missions conducted to Baghdad International Airport and Jordan. She served as a volunteer in the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) from Nov. 21-Dec. 11, 2011. She was hired by a contractor on Dec. 12, 2011 and continued working in TARDEC. She was hired as a permanent federal employee in the ILSC effective Sep. 23.

Stephen Carnahan -- Carnahan retired as a First Sgt. from the U.S. Army in Nov. 2004, with 21 years of service. He has a B.S. in Aviation Technology and multiple Computer Certifications. He was a volunteer in the ILSC from Jan. 17-July 15 and was hired as a permanent federal employee effective July 16.

Henry Lusier -- Lusier served on active duty in The U.S. Marine Corps from 1967 to 1970, including one tour of duty in Vietnam. He has been serving as a volunteer in the TACOM LCMC Logistics, Engineering, and Environmental Division (G4) Since Jan. 5.

Paul Cox -- Cox, who has been a volunteer in the ILSC since March 5, served in the U.S. Navy for seven and one half years. During that time, he served in the Persian Gulf twice and Bosnia once. He has worked in Information Technology since 1994. He is currently taking classes at New Horizons, Walsh College and Macomb Community College for Windows 7, Security+ and Business in Information Systems.

Danielle Bowlson -- Bowlson served in the U.S. Air Force with over 7 years of service from 1994-2001. She has two Associates Degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Information Management. She is currently finishing her Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management with a graduation date of May 2013. She served as a volunteer in the TACOM LCMC Secretary of the General Staff (SGS) office from Jan. 9-March 12. She was hired as a temporary employee in the ILSC on March 12 and was made permanent on Sept. 9.

Cynthia Murray -- Murray served in the U.S. Army with over 13 years of service from 1978 to 1991. She became a stay at home mom to raise her children and decided to return to school to complete her degree after they were of age. She has a General Studies Associate Degree and Business Management Degree. She served as a volunteer in the ILSC from Jan. 17 to Aug. 12. She has been a permanent employee in the ILSC since Aug. 13.

Cole Grace -- Grace served in the Army National Guard, as a combat engineer for 7 years. He completed a one year deployment to Iraq in 2005 working in IED route clearance. He was medically discharged in 2008. In 2010 he went back to school where he is pursuing an Associate's Degree in Computer Information Systems with a Homeland Security focus. He plans to transfer to Oakland University to pursue his Bachelor Degree in Computer Science. He has been serving as a volunteer in the TACOM LCMC Corporate Information Office since Feb. 6.

Michael Raad -- Raad served in the U.S. Marine Corps from Jan. 2004 to Jan. 2008. He had a deployment in Okinawa and Camp Fallujah, Iraq. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Global Studies. He was a volunteer in the ILSC from April 23-30 and is currently employed with another federal agency.

Sgt. Alan Gabriel -- Gabriel joined the Army in 2009 and has been on active duty since Jan 2010. He is a reserve IRR (Inactive Ready Reserves), 09L Company HRC, Fort Knox, Ky. He has been volunteering in the ILSC since April 13 through the Operation Warfighter -- DOD Wounded Warrior Program.