Photo By Capt. Eric Hudson | Paynesville Mayor Cyvette Gibson, left, meets with Lt. Col. John Hartke, deputy...... read more read more
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MONROVIA, Liberia – The lessons learned from the engineers’ response to potentially one of the world’s deadliest outbreaks of the Ebola virus won’t be left in Liberia. Instead, one senior engineer will be taking them back to the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York so that others will benefit.
Lt. Col. John Hartke, the deputy commanding officer for the 36th Engineer Brigade and 1988 graduate of West Point, was selected more than a year ago to be a professor at the academy and the deputy head of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, which requires confirmation from the U.S. Senate. Once getting appointed to be a professor at the academy, individuals are allowed to stay on active duty at West Point until they retire at age 64.
Hartke has already served as a faculty member at the school since 2005 and previously taught there from 1997 to 2000.
“For me, that’s a long time for someone to stay at West Point,” said the 48-year-old from Waukegan, Illinois.
Since others in this position could similarly be fixed at West Point, the chief of staff of the Army started a new initiative.
“They wanted to make sure that the folks that are in those positions stay in touch with the Army. There is a responsibility to maintain the academic integrity, and the senior leaders at the academy wanted make sure we know what’s being asked of our graduates,” he said.
Because of that initiative, Hartke said West Point professors have to serve in an operational assignment within two years prior to being approved as a deputy head.
“Anybody who gets selected for this job, before their packet is allowed to go to the Senate, they have to get an operational experience for one year in the field Army,” he said. “The goal is for us to stay at division and below.”
When Hartke was initially assigned to the 36th Engineer Brigade as the DCO, he had no idea the unit would be deploying to West Africa. At that time, the unit was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.
“Since the global war on terrorism started, the Army has had the process where you’re resetting, preparing for deployment or deployed,” he said. “So there is a level of predictability built in.”
But when the deployment to Afghanistan was dropped and the deployment to Liberia took its place, Harke realized that predictability is changing.
“What’s new is old,” he said. “The ‘are you ready to fight tonight?’ mentality is getting re-energized into this brigade in particular but I think across the Army in general. It’s the mentality I grew up with in the Army.”
There are many lessons he will take back with him from Liberia, including how he thinks the core curriculum at West Point sets young officers up for success.
“As I watch what we’ve been asking the lieutenants of this brigade to do, there’s not a single course that’s a part of that core curriculum that hasn’t been touched,” he said. “Our lieutenants had to reach back and use the knowledge that was taught in that course – whether it is the engineering pieces of it, the physics or the science. We can go all the way through the chemistry of the disease, the physics associated with building the ETUs and trying to do the electricity.”
Hartke said he keeps up with what the younger officers are doing, such as 2013 West Point graduate 1st Lt. Jordan Springer, contracting officer representative and platoon leader for the 104th Engineer Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade. Hartke taught Springer at West Point in his capstone military science class.
“He’s been one of my touch points, because we had a relationship and he and I have a shared experience,” said Hartke. “When you see a cadet, and he had problems staying awake in my class, to see him come out here and do as well as he’s done, that’s been very satisfying. I know that’s not because of me, but because of the entire experience he had at West Point.”
Springer, who lightheartedly contends he was drowsy due to medication following a sports-related surgery, said Hartke reached out to him and almost every other West Point alum in the brigade. Springer, a native of Atlanta, said his major in engineering from West Point has helped him tremendously during Operation United Assistance. As a COR, Springer manages and oversees the construction of Ebola treatment units.
“Especially in project management, I can see where things in a project are going wrong and advise them so they are ready,” said Springer.
Hartke said he has been pleased with what he has seen from the young officers.
“When we came here, we had no idea what to expect, and what we saw was completely different than what we anticipated,” he said. “So watching how leaders have adapted to that uncertainty and how they tried to reduce the uncertainty and get after the mission has been one of the things I think is a strength of this organization in particular. As I watch others across the formation, it’s been pretty refreshing to see how well they have done.”
Besides being a faculty member at West Point, Hartke has another reason to be invested in the success of the Army’s young cadets. In March, his son and recent West Point graduate, 2nd Lt. Matthew Hartke, will also be joining the 36th Engineer Brigade.
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2015 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 152216 |
| Location: | MONROVIA, LR |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | WAUKEGAN, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 813 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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