Courtesy Photo | Mr. Jeffrey Lynn, Information Technology (IT) Specialist, 7th Signal Command, 106th...... read more read more
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz.,-- Recognizing the Army’s Network Enterprise Technology Command’ s top global civilian talent for 2021 is perhaps one of the most enjoyable activities this year for NETCOM’s new Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Christopher L. Eubank, as he announced NETCOM’s Global Civilian and Junior Civilian of the Year winners April 29, 2022 after a panel of senior civilians from across the global command, selected the top civilians from the annual winners nominated from the respective units under NETCOM.
Mr. Jeffrey Lynn, Information Technology (IT) Specialist, 7th Signal Command, 106th Signal Brigade, Network Enterprise Center - SOUTHCOM, earned the title of Calendar Year 2021 Civilian of the Year. Additionally, Mr. John Martinez, System Administrator, 7th Signal Command, 106th Signal Brigade, Network Enterprise Center (NEC) Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), earned the title of Calendar Year 2021 Junior Civilian of the Year.
“The voting panel consisted of senior civilians from the NETCOM Headquarters and Theater Signal Command/Separate Brigades,” said Eubank.
“The panel had a very tough decision in selecting one top performer from a group of outstanding Civilians in each category. The competition was extremely close, with nominations from each of the Commands competing for the top spot.”
“My congratulations go out to Jeffrey and John for being selected as the 2021 NETCOM-wide Civilians of the Year in their respective category,” said Eubank.
To Mr. Lynn and Mr. Martinez, the nominations and winning selections came as a welcomed surprise.
“As an IT professional, I really appreciate when leaders can take time out of their full schedules to review and recognize some of the amazing work that is going on throughout the globe,” said Lynn.
“My selection came out of left field for me. My supervisor, William Watson, mentioned that I was put forward for candidacy but with our workload at JBSA FSH NEC, I did not have time to give it much thought,” said Martinez.
“So, when the NETCOM-wide announcement happened, I thought there was another John Martinez who got the award. It wasn’t until I had colleagues from other sites and overseas reaching out to congratulate me that it dawned on me that the announcement was in fact talking about ‘me’.”
“It’s humbling, if more so surreal, to be selected this year,” said Martinez.
Lynn and Martinez credit their leadership for providing the latitude and trust to accomplish the mission.
According to Lynn, working on JBSA at Fort Sam Houston can be a daunting task as they have quite a few Major Commands operating on the base.
“These Major Commands missions don’t always align with our goals, but we still need to complete our own missions at the end of the day,” said Lynn.
“The NEC Leadership empowered me to complete our missions in our unique environment by trusting my judgment and supporting my decisions. They [my leadership] always stood by me and never left me to the wolves,” said Lynn.
Martinez in contrast worked in a totally secluded environment but also relied on his leadership for support.
“I work at Soto Cano air base in Honduras. The base has a high rotation rate and I can have anywhere between 800 to 1000 users at any given time. I am the only NEC civilian employee onsite, and many times in a situation like mine you are considered [out of sight, out of mind],” said Martinez.
“However, my leadership maintained excellent communications with me and provided me support when requested.”
“They also recently made a trip to my location and were able to see the scope of my duties here, which I think also prompted them into putting me in for the initial Civilian of the Quarter board, which led to my current award,” said Martinez.
Lynn and Martinez thanked their coworkers and supervisors for their support throughout the year and for helping them achieve the prestigious title Civilian of the Year and Junior Civilian of the Year.
“There are a number of people who I would like to thank,” said Lynn.
“James Herron, who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of working at the NEC when I transitioned from a field tech. James Wyatt and Cliff Koch for being fountains of knowledge. Luis Lozano and William Watson who guided me in my professional development.”
“Onofre Garcia, Mike Espinosa, Rene Rodrigues, Shad Sullivan, Rubin Gonzalez, John Pawlak and Tom Humes, who each brought different perspectives that inspired me to look at problems differently. Paul Smith for being Paul Smith. This list is long and ever growing,” said Lynn.
“Working here at JBSA FSH NEC is the epitome of the phrase; No man is an island,” concluded Lynn.
Martinez, working in an isolated environment, often looked at his coworker for support.
“I would never have made it to this level if not for the friendly and timely assistance from Ms. Maria (Mercedes), Miranda. She really cares for her coworkers and truly wants us to achieve our best!” said Martinez.
Both winners want to encourage others in NETCOM to do their best and they offer these words of advice.
“Be yourself and enjoy your work. I don’t think I could have accomplished half the projects this past year without some enjoyment of the work I do,” said Lynn.
“It can be daunting and frustrating at times but at the end of the day I do enjoy my mission here [JBSA].”
“I also never let myself get complacent and always strive to increase my knowledge by always trying to learn new skills,” said Lynn.
“Document your accomplishments daily, set goals that are achievable but significant and treat every day as important,” said Martinez.
Judging was tight as nominees from across the command vied for the title of Civilian of the Year and Junior Civilian of the Year.
“I also want to recognize the great Civilians who competed for the honor this year,” said Eubank.
“Ms. Judith Wick, Information Technology Specialist, NETCOM Headquarters; Mr. Ashworth Gray, Logistics Management Specialist, NETCOM Headquarters – Regional Cyber Center-Korea; Mr. David Lutman, IT Specialist, 2d Signal Brigade 52d Signal Battalion; Ms. Tiffany Turnbow, IT Specialist, 311th Signal Command, 30th Signal Battalion, LNEC- Ft Shafter; Mr. James Johnson, Supply Specialist, 311th Signal Command, 30th Signal Battalion; Mr. Noah Hemker, Information Technology Specialist, Cyber Protection Brigade; and Mr. Sean Letendre, Data Engineer, Cyber Protection Brigade.”
“Each of these Civilians won their respective Command’s Civilian of the Year and should be very proud of their accomplishments. NETCOM is great because of the exceptional teamwork across the command and the incredible Civilians enabling NETCOM to complete its mission,” said Eubank.
“Job well done! Congratulations to all,” said Eubank in an email to the NETCOM workforce as he made the announcement of this year’s global Civilian of the Year and Junior Civilian of the Year awards.
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2022 18:39 |
| Story ID: | 420627 |
| Location: | FORT HUACHUCA-SIERRA VISTA AIRPORT, AZ, US |
| Hometown: | SOTO CANO AIR BASE, HN |
| Hometown: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NETCOM Recognizes Global Civilian Top-Talent for 2021, by Enrique Vasquez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT