From Infantry to IT: The Making of a DA Civilian

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kathleen Polanco | Grafenwoehr, Germany (Feb. 10, 2017) - At the tech expo here, Brandon Waugh explains his transition story to a Soldier who is in the process of a medical retirement. Waugh used tech expos as a resource to transition from a Soldier to a Department of the Army civilian.  

GRAFENWOEHR, BY, GERMANY

02.10.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Kathleen Polanco  

7th Army Training Command

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- "I did things I never thought I would achieve," said Brandon Waugh, a 6-foot tall barrel-chested man, as he looks in the rearview mirror of his car as if he was looking at his past.

Waugh was a staff sergeant when he medically retired from the Army in 2014. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder among other physical injuries while serving two combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

The former infantryman, who is now an information technology business operator at 7th Army Training Command, found his calling through multiple resources: one of them being a tech expo.

Ironically, the eight-year combat veteran never thought he would be one of the IT experts to coordinate a tech expo like the one at the Fitness Center, here, Feb. 10.

Dale Agee, 7ATC's deputy communications staff, said tech expos are important for anyone interested in advancing technology.

For Waugh, it wasn't a matter of an interest in technology. He saw the tech expo as a resource to transition from a Soldier to a Department of the Army civilian.

Waugh saw an opportunity to continuing serving his country by providing support to the military.

"I still wanted to feel that I am part of the team and that I make a difference," Waugh said.

Although Waugh never had an interest in IT, he knew the IT field was never going away as he saw the Army adapting to technology advances.

"Every office has a computer and nearly every conference room has video teleconference capabilities," said Waugh. "We are using emails and Blackberry cell phones to communicate rather than driving hours to relay a message."

Waugh would go to IT expos and ask the representatives what he had to do to get into the IT community. Among a list of prerequisites, the representatives would also provide contact information and available resources.

Waugh had a family and nearly two years remaining in the service to get the ball rolling on the list of tasks to complete.

"If you become lazy and say that it's too difficult, then you obviously aren't going to achieve it," said Waugh. "You have to tell yourself you can do it or that you must do it."

Waugh used discipline and advice from the tech expo representatives to meet his goal of entering the field.

"Everything that the military gave me is the reason why I'm successful: the attention to detail, the pursuit and that nothing is too difficult to achieve," said Waugh. "It's just a matter of your mindset, where you want to go and putting in the amount of time and effort into something you want to."

After many late nights of staying up until 2 a.m., a bachelor's degree in IT and four certifications later, Waugh now tracks and updates all of the technology assets in 7ATC, to include six of the directorates.

"I had a mission in my mind; I wanted to conquer it and I did," said Waugh.

• Date Taken: 02.10.2017
• Date Posted: 03.08.2017 08:50
• Story ID: 226109
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, BY, DE