NAWCWD hosts hiring event for wounded warriors, individuals with disabilities

Photo By Kimberly Brown | A candidate at the NAWCWD Individuals with Disabilities/Wounded Warrior recruiting event held March 5 in Point Mugu, California, listens as his interviewer describes the opportunities available in his department. (U.S. Navy photo by Kimberly Brown)  

POINT MUGU , CA, UNITED STATES

03.07.2019

Story by Kimberly Brown and Stacie Lawrence

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division

Twenty candidates came from as far away as Kentucky to participate in Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s annual recruiting event for individuals with disabilities and wounded warriors held March 5 and 7 in Point Mugu and China Lake, California.

The invitation-only event matches pre-registered candidates with hiring managers for on-site interviews for available positions with NAWCWD.
Dan Carreño, director of the Weapons and Energetics Department, welcomed China Lake candidates.

“I’m excited that you’re here, because we need you,” he said. “There is just so much work that our fleet needs from our Navy warfare centers. We need engineers, we need office managers, we need business professionals, we need technicians. There’s no end to the people that we need to get our mission done.”

Paul Moseley heard about the recruiting event through the Workforce Recruitment Program point of contact at his college. He was interested enough that he travelled from Louisville, Kentucky to participate.

“I wasn’t able to join the military, but I thought this would be a great chance to support those who serve,” he said.

Army veteran Michelle Prieto saw the event as getting back to what she’s done for her entire career- taking care of service members.

“I’ve never not taken care of them,” she said. “I want to go back to that, to help them with their mission.”

Making that transition to the civilian sector can be difficult. Current NAWCWD employees who made the move shared their experiences with participants.

“I’ve sat where you are; I was hired through a program similar to this,” said Matt Denny, Information Technology Team lead in China Lake. “I came directly from the Marine Corps to here. That was a big transition for me; it still is. I’ve worked with some great folks who helped me learn new models for management as well as new leadership and following techniques. I’ve had some really great opportunities.”

That reassurance resonated with attendee Sarah Wersan.

“I felt really inspired by what Matt Denny said about his ability to integrate here and all the support that he received,” she said. “I thought, ‘that’s great,’ because then, I can do my best.”

Rich Burr, retired Navy aviator and current director of the Threat/Targets Department, greeted participants at Point Mugu. He noted that after four active-duty tours with NAWCWD, he knew this was the only place he wanted to work, and he thinks the candidates will feel the same.

“I feel like I’m doing something very important for the warfighters who are still out there,” he said. “I was one, and I have kids who will probably follow in my footsteps. At NAWCWD, we feel this greater sense of mission. You feel proud of what you do. It feels like a family.”

Army veteran Gerald Felton, a training specialist with the Total Force Strategy and Management Department, put it a little more simply when addressing Point Mugu candidates.

“You will not be disappointed,” he said. “I get up excited to come to work.”

• Date Taken: 03.07.2019
• Date Posted: 03.13.2019 14:45
• Story ID: 314115
• Location: POINT MUGU , CA, US