Risk vs. Reward: Crane Army Employee Moves Across the Nation to Pursue Career

Photo By Maj. Amy Ross | Crane Army Ammunition Activity employee Evan Prichard inspects equipment during operations. Crane Army Ammunition Activity provides conventional munitions support for U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness including production, demilitarization, transportation and storage.  

CRANE, IN, UNITED STATES

03.19.2018

Story by Capt. Amy Ross 

Crane Army Ammunition Activity

CRANE, Ind. – Evan Prichard, a native of Socorro, New Mexico, hired on as mechanical engineer at Crane Army Ammunition Activity through the pathways internship program. He attended New Mexico Tech for college and learned about the U.S. Army at Crane during a job fair at his school.

“During a career fair, there was a person from Crane who had set up a booth,” Prichard said. “I had never even heard of the place before, but was interested in the work they did.”

Crane Army attracted Prichard because of his background in explosives and munitions. For the past five years he worked at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center. There he studied mechanical engineering, but never had the chance to put his studies to the test.

Toward the end of his school, Prichard applied for the various internships through USAJOBS, Crane Army one of them.

“When I went to school I told myself that I wouldn't care where I ended up going for a job,” Prichard said. “There were certain companies that I wanted to work at, but I also know that you have to make the best of what you can get. If I liked where I worked then I would stay, if not then I would put in some time and see what other opportunities I could find.”

Prichard accepted an internship at Crane Army and moved across the country. He hoped the internship would lead to a full-time position.

“I took a risk,” Prichard said. “But it was a fairly confident risk because I felt prepared for the job, but it was still a bit of a risk.”

According to Prichard, a risk that turned out to be a reward in the end. He said his education prepared him for the internship, along with his experience as a project manager. After his internship ended, he earned a full-time mechanical engineer position with manufacturing and engineering demilitarization. His job focuses on analyzing drawings of munitions and creating methods to safely take them apart and destroy them.

“I really like my job here,” Prichard, said. “I like the people I work with and I like that the projects change most of the time. Each project deals with a new munition and requires new methods.”

Crane Army provides internship opportunities and pathways to civilian Army careers for a variety of positions. More information is available at http://www.crane.army.mil/pa/careers.html.

Crane Army Ammunition Activity produces and provides conventional munitions requirements in support of U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness. It is one of 14 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial bases under the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots, activities and ammunition plants. Established Oct. 1977, it is located on Naval Support Activity Crane.

• Date Taken: 03.19.2018
• Date Posted: 03.19.2018 15:14
• Story ID: 269869
• Location: CRANE, IN, US
• Hometown: SOCORRO, NM, US