Photo By Maj. Brendan Cassidy | U.S. Army Spc. Bobian Timah (left), a Geospatial Intelligence Analyst, and U.S. Army...... read more read more
LAUREL, Md. – “She said she knew from the start.” confided Spc. Jean-Paul Konkon. Remembering the moment that he told his mother he wanted to join the National Guard, she unlocked memories he’d forgotten of him as a toddler telling her “I want to be a soldier!”
Spc. Konkon is originally from Yaoundé, the national capital of Cameroon. Enlisting in 2017, he presently serves in the Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion (EMIBn) of the Maryland Army National Guard. While he entered without any particular MOS in mind, a chance assignment to Laurel, Md. as a 91D [generator mechanic] left him considering what other military options were out there.
Konkon enjoyed the opportunity to learn as he tuned up the unit’s generators and vehicles. He worked in Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland in support of the state Department of Health during COVID-19 activations in the early 2020s. He felt it provided an authentic military experience, saying “One thing I really appreciate in the Army is the fact that we’re all different but all follow the same call.”
While Konkon appreciated his work as a mechanic, he found the years of experience drawing him toward a different military calling. Enrolled in civilian education for network engineering, Konkon inquired with the unit about options among the various MI paths, realizing that his preferred military career lay right there at the 629th. He will soon be in MOS training to be a 35T [military intelligence systems maintainer].
“Much like many other aspects of life, we as individuals must be willing to adapt and change to the landscape around us. Our MI Soldiers of the future will be the most technically proficient and highly intelligent members of our force.” said Lt. Col. Joseph Pieper, Spc. Konkon’s battalion commander.
Pieper has quite a bit of credibility regarding the evolution of the Military Intelligence Branch: he started in the 629th EMIBn in 1998 as a private. Since then, he has seen the branch’s role expand, especially in Maryland. His battalion has been part of the 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade since the formation’s re-designation from “battlefield surveillance brigade” in 2015 and has played a pivotal role in the Maryland National Guard’s military intelligence operations.
Spc. Bobian Timah, from Bravo Company, is a newly minted subject matter expert on the dynamics of military intelligence units, having completed MOS training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., in October, 2023. Also originally from Cameroon, he started with the 629th EMIBn in 2019 as a 91B [wheeled vehicle mechanic]. Like Konkon, he found battalion staff informative and supportive as spark of interest motivating him toward the MI branch.
Timah first looked into military intelligence for career progression. Working in information technology [IT] as a civilian, he plans to pursue his Cisco Certified Network Associate [CCNA] and recalls his MI-qualification course as a career highlight. Timah worked diligently to ensure his scores and paperwork were in order, poured his efforts into his new training, and has now fully transitioned into a military intelligence professional.
“Joining the Army was one of the best decisions I ever made. The army taught me discipline and overall shaped my mindset to make me the person that I am today.” said Timah, now a 35G [geospatial imagery analyst].
The well-traveled and well-balanced new MI soldiers of the 629th EMIBn seem to validate their commander’s summary of its future: “Your best MI soldiers usually love to read and write. Furthermore, they have an endless curiosity and often, they already have a natural affinity to conduct research, analyze large sets of data and provide comprehensive thoughtful assessments to nuanced problems that require a great deal of time and energy to evaluate.” said Lt. Col. Pieper.
The 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion is part of the 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade of the Maryland Army National Guard. The battalion is headquartered in Laurel, Md. and traces its unit heritage to 1986. For more information on the unit, visit the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/629MIBN/.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2023 17:25 |
| Story ID: | 457419 |
| Location: | LAUREL, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 296 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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