Employers get taste of Soldier's life

Published May 26, 2010
By Wayne Cook
ASA-Dix Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- Civilian employers of mobilized National Guard and Reserve Soldiers got to step out of their worlds and into the lives of citizens turned warriors here May 21. They experienced preparing military personnel for contingency operations around the world during this year's Boss Lift, sponsored by Army Support Activity-Dix.

The troops at Dix partnered with the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve to provide a day of training experiences for 87 employers.

Gary Smith, vice president of AT&T's Enterprise Mobility Customer Care in Bedminster, N.J., and a resident of Basking Ridge, was partnered with his employee, East Windsor, N.J., resident Maj. Chris Norton, to experience training to standard for deployment to war torn nations.

When Norton isn't in uniform, he is a social media program manager for the AT&T organization. But when the boots go on, he is executive officer of the 1104th Mobilization Support Battalion here.

"I have a new appreciation for his service and what he does. I am very proud of what he and all the Soldiers do to protect us and our freedom," Smith said.

The day began at Timmermann Center, where static displays of mine resistant ambush protected vehicles and mannequins in full mission oriented protective posture gear were available for the visitors' to see as they prepared to get their boots dirty.

Employers were fitted with protective gear and given a Meal Ready-to-Eat and water.

ASA-Dix Commander Col. Patrick Slowey, retired Col. Carmen Ventincique from ESGR, and others welcomed the guests and gave a brief history of Dix and its historical transition to being one of the busiest enduring power projection platforms for the military.

"I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules and coming here today to spend time with our Soldiers," Slowey said.

The employers and their military escorts moved in groups to the command helipad after a safety briefing, where UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters lifted the personnel to the ranges.

While some of the groups flew out to Range 59E, others visited the Small Arms Readiness Group where they were briefed on the use of various combat firearms in the Army inventory.

After being airlifted from the cantonment area to the ranges, guests boarded buses for a ride to Range 59C, where they rode in tactical vehicles and tasted MREs in a field environment.

Larry Wiersch, CEO of Cetronia Ambulance Service, spent time with his employee, Maj. John Wilderman, the operations officer for 2nd Brigade, 75th Division.

"I'm so impressed with the safety taken with the firearms ... I would recommend this tour to any employer of a Soldier. I'm so proud of Maj. Wilderman for the service he provides for the country," Wiersch said.

In order for the employers to get a feel for what Soldiers may go through during a convoy attack, or improvised explosives device incident, they observed a demonstration of the HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer at Range 47. Soldiers mounted the trainer and showed the visitors how they would exit from an overturned Humvee during hostile activities.

The Soldiers expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to share their military lives with their civilian bosses.

"It was great being able to let Larry know what I'm doing when I'm away from the job. I think it helps our employers get a true understanding of what we do," Wilderman said.

Another experience the employers shared was at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain Site, where they got to monitor a unit of Soldiers in training as they moved through the mock village and encountered villagers and insurgents played by contract role players.

The training scenario offers the opportunity for Soldiers and other servicemembers to experience situations they may encounter in a village or town in a combat zone.

While smoke grenades and simulated explosions went off throughout the site, the employers watched from a viewing platform above the village streets as the Soldiers engaged role players and completed their mission.

The visitors moved to the contingency operations location, a model forward operating base used to train up to 2,000 service members at a time. They toured the facilities and shared dinner with the Soldiers.

The employers left Dix with a new perspective on what their citizen-Soldiers do when they are not at home working for them.

Article Display