Calif. MTC defense contractor, Air Guard officer deploys in support of OEF

Courtesy Photo | Air Guard Lt. Col. Ken Hall, who works in Yuba City, Calif., as a defense contractor for the Dayton, Ohio-based Modern Technologies Corporation (MTC), is currently on his fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

05.08.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

by Spc. Jennifer Sardam
USCENTCOM PAO/ESGR Forward Team

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Air Guard Lt. Col. Ken Hall, who works in Yuba City, Calif., as a defense contractor for the Dayton, Ohio-based Modern Technologies Corporation (MTC), is currently on his fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

Hall, who has been with his civilian employer for 1-1/2 years, works in MTC's U-2 reconnaissance aircraft tactics office, "helping train new U-2 pilots on the aircraft sensors" capabilities and on how to employ the aircraft to support the war fighter in sensitive reconnaissance operations."

At home station, he is a senior intelligence officer with the 152nd Operational Support Flight, out of Reno, Nev., providing operational intelligence support for airlift and air-drop C-130 missions.

While Hall is mobilized here as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), he is an intelligence officer attached to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, acting in much the same role as he does at the 152nd.

OEF is a mission managed by U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla. It is the unified command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa (HOA) through the Arabian Gulf region, and into Central Asia. USCENTCOM is one of nine unified commands in the Department of Defense (DOD).

Central Command's mission includes enhancing regional stability and demonstrating a steadfast commitment to regional security. CENTCOM is also responsible for executing the GWOT in its assigned area of responsibility (AOR), which includes Iraq, Afghanistan and HOA. Other important USCENTCOM activities include humanitarian and security assistance programs, as well as combined training and education opportunities for military members in AOR nations.

In the CENTCOM AOR, OEF encompasses two major missions led by Combined Forces Command Afghanistan (CFC-A) and Combined Joint Task Force HOA.

CFC-A conducts full-spectrum operations throughout the combined joint operations area to defeat Al Qaeda and associated movements, establish an enduring Afghan security structure, and reshape its posture for the Long War, in order to set the conditions for long-term stability in Afghanistan.

Hall said he believes serving in real-world missions like OEF help to lend him further credibility as a civilian employee.

He also acknowledged the military for providing him with many of the transferable skills he took with him to MTC. "In my line of work [in the military]," said Hall, "I already had a clearance and could speak the lingo."

Both Hall's civilian and military careers continually exercise his problem solving skills.

"We flight monitor from the ground via computer using a tracking program and "chat" with the pilot if we are aware of any threats in the area," said Hall. "We help them to avoid things such as small arms fire. The problem solving aspect definitely comes in when viewing a pilot's location and advising him of threats in the area."

Today, more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is the primary resource for information about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA. This federal law allows Hall and other mobilized reserve component members to retain their rights, when the deployment concludes.

Established in 1972, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a DoD agency, provides free USERRA education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone]

During this mobilization, Hall said he has had no worries about his job at home since his employer has been supportive and "values my participation as a traditional Guardsman."

Hall gets a similar level of support when he's attending drills in Reno. He mentioned "I get 10 paid military leave days annually from MTC."

Initially, Hall entered the Air Force to earn money for college, but after five years as an enlisted servicemember and attending Air Force Reserve Officers" Training Corps, he received his commission as an officer. As time went on, the list of reasons for staying in grew, and his military career currently spans 15 years.

Hall smiled and said he looked forward to returning home to his fiancée Becky Drury, whom he met in the Air Guard. The couple plans to marry one month after his return from deployment.

ESGR

• Date Taken: 05.08.2006
• Date Posted: 05.08.2006 17:15
• Story ID: 6305
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF