Indiana Army Guardsman, DNR employee deploys to OEF in Afghanistan

Courtesy Photo | Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Nick Clutinger, an equipment operator for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at Potaka Reservoir, is currently deployed to Afghanistan as an operations sergeant major for the Indiana-based 219th Area Support Group, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

05.24.2006

Courtesy Story

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Photo by Sgt. 1st Class McCrary, ESGR Forward Team
Story by Spc. Jennifer Sardam, ESGR Forward Team

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Nick Clutinger is currently deployed to Afghanistan as an operations sergeant major for the Indiana-based 219th Area Support Group. Clutinger is serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name given to military operations from Afghanistan to the Horn of Africa in support of the Global War on Terror.

Despite the challenges of being far from home and family, Clutinger said knowing he is doing his part in support of OEF makes his time away easier and more personally meaningful.

Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces are deployed under the U.S. Central Command to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. The unified command of USCENTCOM is responsible for U.S. security interests and assets in 27 nations stretching from the Horn of Africa, through the Arabian Gulf region, and into Central Asia.

When he is stateside with the 219th, Clutinger is an operations sergeant at Camp Atterbury, Ind. With 24 years in the military, this is Clutinger's first deployment overseas.

In his civilian occupation, the first sergeant works as an equipment operator at Potaka Reservoir for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, where he has worked for 23 years. In his civilian role he does much more than that to which his title alludes. "We do wildlife surveys, build ponds, marshes and roads and do a lot of controlled burning," explained Clutinger. "During hunting season, I talk to a lot of hunters to see if they've seen anything (poachers). We put out a lot of food plots like corn, bean, millet and sunflowers [for the area's birds]."

Although Clutinger has a number of responsibilities at the Potaka Reservoir DNR, his supervisor and close friend Tony Hazelwood was ready to give the necessary support and then some when news of his deployment came. "I went in and told my boss," recalled Clutinger, "and he said he knew this day was coming."

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 Clutinger 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].

Clutinger's employer even went out of its way to support the members of his deploying unit by assuring their physical readiness. "Charlie Keller from fire headquarters with [Indiana] DNR got me 30 of the [department's] 45-pound weighted vests for three months for my unit to get used to the weight of the equipment," the first sergeant remarked.

Clutinger, who calls Taswell, Ind., home, has been married to his wife Wanda for 22 years. The couple has three children, Nicole, 21, Ashley, 20, and Brandi, 16.

He referred to the family separation as one of his biggest challenges while mobilized abroad.

"The longest time I've ever been away from my family [until now] was 23 days," remarked Clutinger. "The hardest thing I ever did was leave her that day," Clutinger said of his wife.

ESGR

• Date Taken: 05.24.2006
• Date Posted: 05.24.2006 09:00
• Story ID: 6487
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF