Photo By Joseph Macri | Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, COL Christopher...... read more read more
“It’s entirely possible to work for the U.S. Army but know very little about it.”
That’s according to David Rackmales, an engineer, and the chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District’s (TAM) Technical Services Branch in Engineering Division. It’s also something Rackmales, also the district’s program manager for the Construction/Engineering/Infrastructure Career Field (CEI-CF) Army Fellows Program, is looking to change as he sponsors U.S. Army Fellows program “Greening” events.
The Department of the Army Fellows program offers qualified recent college graduates employment and the opportunity to serve their country as a Department of Army Civilian. During their two years in the program, they are assigned to a home organization and also rotate around learning about how the larger organization, in this case the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, operates. Many fellows come into the program with very little information on a military organization. That’s where “greening” comes in.
According to Rackmales, the “greening” portion of the program introduces the fellows to those in uniform and provides them with a broad overview of things like military rank structure and organization. Additionally, it exposes them to the various opportunities they may have as a U.S. Army civilian.
Completion of a “5-day Greening Event” is an enterprise-mandated requirement for all Army Fellows; specifically, those personnel who are in Construction and Engineering Infrastructure career field (CEI-CF). The Army Civilian Career Management Activity (ACCMA), which is responsible for managing the program, defines the Greening Event as “…a CEI-CF requirement that establishes awareness of the active-duty Army mission while gaining an appreciation of the role Army Civilians play in improving readiness of the Army’s total force. All greening events shall have direct contact with Soldier(s) and be crafted to emphasize their contribution to the mission. This is a high value developmental opportunity and required by all Fellows, to include those who have prior military service (providing a different lens of the Army mission from the civilian perspective).”
“Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is primarily made up of civilians, our leadership is composed of military officers. The Middle East District also has a few more military personnel than most other districts due to our unique mission, and about two years ago, ACCMA and I agreed that CETAM provided an excellent setting for the Greening Event.” said Rackmales. “The week these Army Fellows spend with us is not only a chance for them to learn more about those in uniform but also an entirely different aspect of USACE.”
Rackmales was referring to the fact that while most USACE districts have a more prominent civil works mission, the Middle East District is focused on providing support for the U.S. military and defense infrastructure for U.S. allied nation partners throughout the Middle East. This Greening Event was the second at TAM Rackmales has executed, the first one was in December, 2023.
“It was interesting to learn about foreign military sales and financing and how all of that works,” said Brenna Mickal, a planner with USACE’s Mobile District. “It was interesting to see the role USACE plays in partnering with countries in the region.”
Rackmales, who deployed to Kosovo as an Army civilian and spent time training Soldiers at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, on working with deployed civilians is passionate about ensuring the fellows understand their role in supporting USACE and the U.S. military.
“This was a great way to understand how to work with the green suiters (soldiers) and where we fit into that,” said Faithe Nahed, a biologist and planner with the Detroit District. “I’d heard some of it before but never at such a detailed level.”
Andres Restrepo, a civil engineer in TAM’s Site and Building Design Branch and a previous TAM Army Fellow talked to the group about taking full advantage of their current opportunities.
“Since the fellows are paid for by the Army and don’t count against the budget of their respective districts, they can sometimes be viewed as free labor to their organizations. Fortunately, here at TAM, Dave viewed this an opportunity to create flexibility with the program. I was able to rotate through several sections within the Middle East District. I got to travel to many project sites in our AOR while learning directly from USACE leadership. I even got to tour civil works projects at other districts. All this exposure gave me a broad perspective of the Corps’ many facets, which benefits me for the long term of my career in USACE. My message to the visiting fellows was to show them that they can create similar experiences for themselves through the program.”
For the December 2024 Greening Event, 9 guest Army Fellows were from 6 different USACE districts. One of them, Alexandra Diciro, from USACE’s Pittsburgh District, who, coincidentally participated in the 2023 Greening Event at TAM, joined remotely from the country of Jordan where she’s currently doing a rotation as part of the program.
Nahed also noted that in addition to the overall goals of the program Restrepo opened the fellows eyes to how they could help each other.
“We learned a lot from each other. It’s nice knowing we can use the Army Fellows Program to reach out to others in the program, learn from them and get their help,” she said.
More information about becoming an Army Civilian and the Army Fellows Program can be found at https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-civilians.
| Date Taken: | 12.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2024 07:35 |
| Story ID: | 487765 |
| Location: | WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
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