Guard members bring unique skills to war effort Published July 21, 2009 By Senior Airman Michael Matkin 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- A ground theater air control systems unit from the Wisconsin's Air National Guard deployed here in May brought experience and expertise to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The 128th Air Control Squadron from Volk Field, Wis., joined forces with their active-duty counterparts at the 71st Expeditionary Air Control Squadron in Southwest Asia. "Our unit has a lot of experience, which is common among members in the Guard. For instance, I have 10 years active-duty experience and have worked on older systems that had some of the same components as the newer systems," said Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Pradarelli, 71st EACS ground radar systems technician NCO in charge. "This knowledge gives us an edge in maintaining the new equipment." In his civilian job in Greenfield, Wis., Sergeant Pradarelli works as an electrical engineer. His civilian career gives him a wealth of program management and planning experience, such as setting up processes. Guard leadership agrees that the civilian experiences guardsmen bring to the deployed environment are skills that are not normally acquired through military training. "We have members that range from college students to electrical engineers," said Lt. Col. Gerard Iverson, 71st EACS director of operations. "They bring these unique skill sets they have in their civilian life to the theater of operations and they can use these skills to troubleshoot, implement ideas and improve processes. They bring these different skills with them and, in some cases, they may not directly use those skills, but they could be easily called upon to use them." Master Sgt. Jessica Maple, 71st EACS air surveillance technician, works as a full-time surgical technician in the civilian sector. She said that working in the operating room has prepared her for working in a high-stress environment often found in the military. She said that although she doesn't use her medical training in the military, she would be able to help her wingman if ever there were a medical emergency. Other 128th ACS servicemembers said that they have also been able to use their civilian employment skills in their military careers. "As a United Postal Service driver, I have learned to use my time efficiently and with a sense of urgency and this directly applies to my life in the military," said Master Sgt. Randall Brown, 71st EACS first sergeant. "I have also carried other traits from my civilian job, such as being organized and disciplined, planning out the day and prioritizing duties. Also, at UPS I am just a regular employee, but in the military, I am a first sergeant. I can uses these special skills to empathize with Airmen; I know what it is like to be on the other side of the desk." "Not only do civilian skills come in handy in the military environment, but Guard servicemembers are also able to better their civilian workplaces with the skills they learn in military training. We have a radio maintainer who is almost [Air Force Smart Operations 21] Green Belt certified and he can take that into his civilian life and look into improving the processes of his civilian job," Colonel Iverson said. Working in the military has helped another guardsman in her civilian career. Sergeant Maple, from Mosinee, Wis., states her military training has taught her discipline, attention to detail and to follow orders without question, which is important when working in a hospital environment. Staff Sgt. Nicholas Sanders, 71st EACS ground support equipment technician from Savannah, Ga., said that the Air Force core values, such as service before self, have helped him in his civilian job. These combined skills ensure an efficient operation in the deployed environment where nearly half of the 128th ACS are guardsmen, said Lt. Col. Darren Ewing, 71st EACS commander. Even though Guard and active-duty servicemembers do things a little differently, blending the two entities is a win-win situation, said Chief Master Sgt. Teddy Ostrowski, 71st EACS maintenance supervisor, who works as a full-time Guard technician with the 128th ACS when not deployed. "The Guard allows for more stability since servicemembers do not change units as frequently. Our Guard unit served in Afghanistan three years ago, which helps us to understand the overall mission here and its importance in today's fight. Here however, we are not the 128th ACS, but the 71st EACS; we do things as a team with our active-duty counterparts, and we take pride in that," Chief Ostrowski said. The 71st EACS commander agrees the unit is more cohesive since there is no turnover. "They know each others' strengths and weaknesses," Colonel Ewing said. "We bring exactly what an active-duty air control squadron brings. We have the same training requirements as active-duty servicemembers and we train to the same standards; the real difference is the amount of time we have to complete our training," Colonel Iverson said. Guardsmen are required to complete all requirements during their annual two-week active-duty training and weekend unit training assemblies, which consist of approximately 40 days per year. "I challenge anyone to differentiate between the active-duty and guardsmen -- I guarantee, it will not be easy," Colonel Iverson said. "You can't tell the difference because we train to the same standards, and that is a tribute to our guardsmen; it gives them a lot of pride. They are here because they want to serve their country and at the same time they have the ability to hold a civilian job, it is the best of both worlds." "The 128th ACS has been together for a long time as a unit, which makes us a more mature unit," Chief Ostrowski said. "Some of us have have deployed together five times since Sept. 11. We have deployed to the North East Defense Sector in Chicago, in 2003 and 2006 we deployed to Afghanistan, and in 2004 we deployed to the Joint Air Defense Center in Washington D.C. and now we are here," Colonel Iverson said, "which I think is fairly significant since we are an ANG organization." The skills the 128th ACS have gained throughout these numerous deployments will continue to add experience to their civilian lives and when they redeploy they will continue to draw upon their experiences both military and civilian so that they can continue to bring expertise into safeguarding the battlefield.