Photo By Sgt. Suzanne Carter | In this image released by the Texas Military Forces, service members' employers...... read more read more
BASTROP, Texas - Cries of "Drink water!" filled the hot afternoon air, reminding soldiers and visiting civilians to stay hydrated in the scorching heat. The visitors, employers of and advocates for soldiers, observed the 436th Chemical Company set up mobile decontamination lines during a collective training event for Joint Task Force 71.
"It kind of blows my mind really," Reid Douglass from the National Guard Association of Texas said about the scene as it unfolded. "All the hard work and preparation that goes into all this, it's amazing."
Douglass and about a dozen other civilian employers saw the training as part of an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve sponsored Bosses' Day July 28, during JTF-71's annual training at Camp Swift, Texas.
"Today, we're fortunate to have some employers of members of the JTF-71 command group," said ESGR Executive Director Dwayne James, "ESGR is primarily looking and working towards strengthening the employer support for their people who serve in the Guard and Reserve because in this day and time, our national defense strategy relies heavily on the Reserve components to meet domestic and global challenges. And without the cooperation and support of our employers, we could not do that."
JTF-71 Chief of Staff Col. Lee Schnell welcomed the guests with a brief overview of the training the brigade has conducted over the past year in preparation to transition into a Homeland Response Force. For many, attaining the necessary FEMA certifications provided opportunities for advancement in their civilian careers.
After the briefing, the employers traveled to the collective training site, which mimicked a partially collapsed building and chemical spill, and stopped by the 236th Military Police Company as it performed riot control exercises.
"They get to see how rigorous our training is," said Capt. George Hurd, JTF-71 deputy personnel officer and lead coordinator of the visit. "So when we're a little tired-eyed on Monday morning, they have a little bit more understanding for us."
The ESGR facilitated this event with JTF-71 in order to give employers and other organizations that work with Guardsmen a glimpse into the world of soldiers and airmen.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our service members don't tell their employers what they do when they go to military training," James said. "So we get the two together in a military environment, and it gives the boss a chance to see. In many cases, it opens their eyes to the capabilities and the skills that their employees have that they didn't realize were there."
Debra Jordan, deputy chief at Bear County Sheriff's Office, works with 236th Military Police Company's 1st Sgt. Roger Flores and had the opportunity to share a Meal Ready-to-Eat lunch with him during her ESGR visit.
"It was actually fairly good," she said. "I had enchiladas in my MRE and I thought they were pretty comparable to the food that I get."
Jordan said the experience at Camp Swift opened her eyes to the benefits of employing National Guard soldiers.
"I think I may have had some rough idea of what he did," Jordan said. "I have a new respect for what he's doing, what you're doing out here. And it does help me understand and to appreciate what he brings back to us, because his skills that he develops here are transferable back to what we do in our civilian world."
Citizen-soldiers also appreciated their employers taking time out of the business week to visit them at Camp Swift. Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Salinas with the 836th Engineer Company said his bosses' visit brought him motivation.
"It's awesome to have my employer here," Salinas said. "I feel great knowing he supports me. I just wish more employers were like this."
Flores said that he encourages other soldiers to invite their employers to attend an ESGR event.
"This allows them to see what we actually do," he said. "And so they'll feel confident when they do let us come out here that we're actually benefiting, not only the country, but the employer itself with the skills that we get."
James said that the ESGR organizes a variety of events annually to get bosses on the ground to see training all over the state and across the country. He said they work closely with commanders to arrange these events.
"The command group here has been very supportive, very cooperative," he said.
Hurd said he wished more opportunities for events like this for employers were possible.
"We don't do it often enough," he said. "If I could have them out at every drill weekend and every field-training, I would."
For more photos visit our online photo gallery at http://www.minutemantx.us/,
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2011 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 74555 |
| Location: | BASTROP, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Employers gain insight into JTF-71 soldiers' training demands, by SGT Suzanne Carter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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