A diverse set of skills

Courtesy Photo | West Point, Ky. native, Sgt. Charles Hayes, a chaplain's assistant for the...... read more read more

Courtesy Photo | West Point, Ky. native, Sgt. Charles Hayes, a chaplain's assistant for the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Sustainment Brigade, prepares to make a make signs to announce times for religious services on Camp Taji. Hayes is a shipping and receiving dock team leader who also refurbishes electronics for various businesses and individuals when not on duty for with the military.  see less | View Image Page

10.19.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. James E. Brown 

1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade

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By Staff Sgt. James E. Brown Jr.
1st Sustainment Brigade

The Army National Guard is a large and diverse institution that is spread throughout each of the 50 states. This organization is made up of citizen-Soldiers who essentially lead double lives.

Each Soldier serves their Nation by performing their duty one weekend a month and two weeks during annual training. At the same time, they maintain full-time employment in the civilian world.

For some National Guard Soldiers, their civilian job mirrors their military duties; but in most cases, it does not. They must master two sets of skills – one for their Nation and the other to provide for their families.

The following Soldiers of the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, an Indiana Army National Guard unit attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade, are a snapshot of the diversity in its ranks.

2nd Lt. Shaun Tompkins is a native of Whiteland, Ind., and works as a lead pharmacy technician in his civilian career. As a pharmacy technician he fills prescriptions, inputs prescriptions into a database, troubleshoots insurance issues, and also runs the register. He has been doing this for almost five years and he enjoys it.

Although he works as a pharmacy technician in the civilian world, Tompkins has served as the unit's signal officer for the past two years. He supplies the communication needs for the squadron commander, troubleshoots and maintains network and radio equipment, and runs telephone and internet wire to create much needed communications connectivity.

"The Signal Corps is more challenging than what I do in the civilian sector. [I] can take a lot of the experiences that [I've] learned in the military and transverse that into the civilian sector making a pretty good career in Information Technology, and use that if I ever decide to make a career change," said Tompkins.

When not serving in her military capacity, Pvt. 1st Class Jennifer Bowser serves up hot wings and fries at a local restaurant and also works as a hostess at a crab joint in her hometown of Indianapolis.

"I deliver food and drinks, greet customers that enter the business, arrange seating for everyone, and ensure that their visit was a good one," stated Bowser.

Although Bowser has been serving customers for a year in the food service arena, she serves customers in a different capacity in her military job. Bowser works as a human resource specialist for the 1st Sqdn., 152nd Cav. Regt.

It is her job to prepare and process recommendations for awards and decorations as well as handle the unit's personnel accounting, strength management, and overall administration requirements.

When asked what she thought about her military occupational skill, she stated, "It's an opportunity to serve with the Guard, do different things, and get more experience, not only in my civilian life, but also the military life."

For Sgt. Charles Hayes, being a chaplain's assistant is a lot different than working as a shipping and receiving dock team leader back home in West Point, Ky.

In his civilian career, Hayes ships and receives items through courier services, manually loads and unloads semi trucks, and also refurbishes laptops and screen TVs for various businesses and individuals.

Hayes has been working in the shipping and receiving field for 12 years and as a chaplain's assistant for 11 years. While the two jobs have nothing in common, Hayes revealed he chose his particular MOS to fulfill a more spiritual and personal need.

"I assist the chaplain in setting up religious services, administrative paperwork, and [personal security]," said Hayes. "I became a chaplain's assistant because I wasn't sure on my religious background, and I figured that this job would help me find my religious background."

Even though most National Guard Soldiers have military duties that don't mirror their civilian jobs, this type of job skill diversity can prove much more valuable when they are deployed because they have something extra to add to the fight.