CAMP DODGE, Iowa—Pvt. Christopher Stetler, a resident of Philadelphia, serves as a tactical power generation specialist with the 108th Area Support Medical Company, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Tactical power generation specialists care for power generation equipment, internal combustion engines and other equipment utilized as a power source by a unit.
Stetler said he chose this occupation in the Army because he couldn’t picture himself working at a “desk job”.
“Going out and working with my hands and getting physical has always held my interest more”, he said. “I like this a lot and I’m enjoying it.”
Outside of the Army, Stetler has another hands-on job as a foundry manager for a company that melts down aluminum and makes castings out of it.
Both his civilian job and his Army occupation are challenging and keep him physically active. His position as a generator repairer also tests his problem-solving skills.
“When troubleshooting the generators, if you mess up one thing or read one thing wrong, you can go down a whole different path that is wrong”, he explained. “Overall, it’s fun: finding the fault, identifying the paths and using the technical manual step-by-step.”
Stetler decided to join the Army at an early age, wanting to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
“My grandfather served in Vietnam, so I wanted to serve and to do my part”, he said. “I joined the National Guard because I wanted to go to school too.”
Stetler said his favorite things about the Army are the leadership, discipline and responsibility that are created through the organization of his unit. He is also able to cross-train and work together with other specialty mechanics during his training weekends.
“There’s a lot of teamwork involved and working with other people. When you work together and get the job done, it’s pretty fun.”