You may have noticed some familiar faces walking around the district office in a different uniform over the past year. These veterans have traded in their fatigues for suits and ties. After years of service to our country in a variety of positions and places around the world, these individuals have decided to bring their wealth of experience and knowledge to help continue the mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District.
“Being a career soldier, I’ve had several addresses and felt at home here in West Virginia,” said William “Josh” Miller, Bluestone Dam project manager. “The people of Huntington District have a great reputation, are fantastic to work with and the projects are exciting and wide reaching.”
From the executive office to the operations division to the project management division and more, many of our military coworkers have succeeded in many positions at the Huntington District. Now these same individuals are carving out impressive careers as part of the civilian workforce. The military experience these veterans bring to the Huntington District range from a couple of tours of service to 30-year careers, and some of them are continuing their military service while apart of the USACE Huntington team.
“I am currently serving in the US Army Reserves (763rd Engineer Facility Detachment) out of Fort Jackson, South Carolina,” said Maj. Roxanne Jones, assistant operations manager. “I continue my MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a Major. I transitioned to the Reserves/Civilian lifestyle to take a break from moving every three years and enjoy the closeness of family.”
While these veterans bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the district, the transition from soldier to civilian has brought its own challenges. Miller said understanding the systems, meetings and procedures, and how he fit into the cycle was the most difficult challenge he has faced since his transition. He also mentioned another challenge that took some time to get used to.
“The wardrobe change! I’ve had a pretty simple closet up to this point and it was a little intimidating to figure out what clothes to wear and when,” said Miller. “Once I had that figured out, COVID-19 descended upon us and I began teleworking nullifying all of my efforts!”
While all of these veterans have experienced different challenges, most have them have one thing in common: They share a strong connection with the USACE Huntington team.
“After retiring, I had stayed in the area and worked for engineering, manufacturing and construction companies in the Energy Industry,” said Robert “Bob” Peterson, Project Manager for the Buchanan County Nonstructural Flood Damage Reduction Project. “When the opportunity came up to work for the district as a Program and Project Manager, I was thrilled to work in the district on programs and projects that provide value to the nation and region. I really enjoy the USACE mission.”
Their work uniform and titles may be different, but the hard work and dedication these veterans brought to the Huntington District remains the same.
“I was away from USACE for almost 5 years, and the Huntington District for 7 years, and it’s wonderful to be back working with this great group of dedicated civil servants!” said Peterson.
For more information on the USACE Huntington District, visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USACELRH
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2021 08:29 |
| Story ID: | 411258 |
| Location: | HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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