Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Michael Garutti, an infantryman with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor...... read more read more
By Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger
BAGHDAD — Staff Sgt. Michael Garutti is no stranger to wearing multiple hats. When stateside, the infantryman wears the hats of non-commissioned officer, squad leader, husband and father.
However, when the Merritt Island, Fla., native deployed in late 2009, he had no idea he would be handed two additional hats—those of joint security station mayor and contracting officer representative—which he would wear first at JSS Istiqlal and later at JSS Al Rashid, while deployed with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, United States Division – Center.
For the past nine months, Garutti has juggled mayoral duties—managing daily operations and life support for the bases—as well as COR duties.
As a COR, Garutti has served as the “eyes on site” at both JSSs to ensure U.S.
government contractors deliver the services they’ve been contracted to provide.
Garutti said the two positions he has filled are altogether “a totally different animal.”
“Being an infantry squad leader, (this) definitely wasn’t what I expected to be doing over here,” he said. “A lot of people skills and managerial skills come into play.”
A typical day for the mayor and COR—who is on call around the clock—includes monitoring the work conducted by Iraqi contractors, monitoring fuel usage and water consumption, issuing supplies and occasionally learning a new trade.
“I came here and had to build quite a few things just out of necessity,” Garutti said. “I’ve learned carpentry by Google and trial-and-error.”
Since moving to JSS Al Rashid in May, the infantryman has constructed a flight of wooden stairs and a containment area for petroleum- and oil-based products. He also partitioned off a room to provide more billeting space in the building his unit occupies.
Garutti said the most challenging aspect of being a mayor and a COR has been learning how to work through cultural differences with the Iraqi laborers and business owners.
“You have to know how to work with people,” he said.
Garutti said while his efforts are not publicly recognized, he always maintains a sense of pride in what he accomplishes.
“I’ve shown my command that I can get the job done,” Garutti says. “I’ve got people that count on me to do the work I need to do. If I fail at that, they don’t get what they need.”
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2010 02:37 |
| Story ID: | 58153 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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