Photo By Capt. Cheresa D. Clark | Cpl. Shawn Wharton (right) supervises Pfc. Anthony Cooley as he verifies his corrosion...... read more read more
By Tech. Sgt. Cheresa D. Theiral
Colorado National Guard Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment welcomed more than 65 employers to its training facility on Sept. 6, 2008, to give the civilians a taste of what their employees do when they're not in the office.
"It takes dedication to make this all work," said Lt. Col. Scott Frederickson, commander of the 2-135th, as he described extended training and mission requirements in the National Guard. "One weekend a month and two weeks a year is the bare minimum. As employees, that's why we have to ask for additional time off, so we can train to standards or support missions, whether locally, nationally or overseas."
"We can't function as a battalion or support our state and nation without Soldiers," said 2-135th Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Imfeld.
In addition to a mission briefing, employees were given a tour of the aviation facility and the opportunity to fly in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.
"It was educational to me, because I knew about the National Guard, but not a lot about the operations that were described," said Carol Alwon, a first-line manager for IBM. "I think it's a great opportunity to see what the employees are doing in their time away from the office."
Frederickson described the military skills, such as leadership, communication, organization and accountability that Citizen-Soldiers bring to their civilian jobs.
"The skills that these guys have, trying to keep one helicopter running, let alone a whole battalion of them, lends itself great to what we have to do in the projects management area," said Jonathan Dietz, a third-level manager for IBM. "It's all about timing, keeping things running and keeping things on track."
"There are a lot of similarities between what I do here and what I do at work," said Officer Candidate Caleb Payne, who spent his summer interning as a project administrator at IBM. "Project management is definitely about keeping a schedule of people who have various people underneath them who are all working toward a common goal. Here I'm responsible for 136 Soldiers; at work, the numbers are lower, but the logistics are similar."
Also acknowledged was the reciprocal relationship between employers and the National Guard regarding deployments and other military commitments that remove Citizen-Soldiers from their civilian jobs, as well as the necessity to support those troops when they're away.
"Regardless whether our Soldiers work for a small or large company, in the public, private or government sector, the absence of employees during their times of duty presents a hardship to their civilian organizations," said Frederickson. "It is this sacrifice, which our employers make, that enables our Soldiers to fight our country's wars and preserve our American way of life."
While many employers admitted to knowing little about the National Guard and the work their employees perform in uniform, several were impressed by the knowledge, skills and commitment of Citizen-Soldiers, and reiterated their commitments to their Guardsmen.
"I think it's very important that we take care of the military," said Bob Dean, the manager of a local Costco warehouse. "If I can't be there [in uniform], by heavens we better make sure that they're taken care of."
"I didn't realize how complicated and how much time it takes and the commitment that these guys have to go through to make it all work," said Dietz. "It's a small price for a company to make, to give people the time to do it."
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2008 18:02 |
| Story ID: | 24444 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 270 |
| Downloads: | 234 |
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