I served a total of 8 years in the military. I started in October of 2009 and left in May of 2017. I served 4 years in active duty and 4 in the Utah National Guard. I was an Cryptological Arabic Linguist the entire 8 years. I started with a rand of E4 or a Specialist (I had already earned my undergraduate at the time I joined) and left as an E6 or a Staff Sergeant. I was never deployed in my entire 8 years, but I served overseas in Germany for 2 years. Being able to travel the world gave me a plethora of new perspectives and a variety of experiences.
Although my military occupational specialty (MOS) never changed, I held a variety of positions:
My 4 Years in the Utah Guard
As a member of the National Guard I conducted drill exercises one weekend a month and participated in annual training. I volunteered for many opportunities and conducted missions both locally and in Georgia. My last year in the Utah National Guard I was on orders for 3 months out of the year.
This position required:
- Language maintenance - Modern Standard Arabic
- Thorough understanding of Middle Eastern culture
- A TS/SCI Security Clearance
- Knowledge of a wide range of telecommunication theories, concepts, principles, practices, procedures and operational requirements.
- Maintenance of physical standards.
- Acted as Master Resiliency Trainer (MRT) for the unit
- Served on leadership counsel
- Served as Energy Conservation Officer
Duties include:
- Translating and interpreting Arabic
- Planning, preparing and presenting briefings and trainings to peers and superiors
- Organizing and conducting training on operational and performance characteristics of telecommunications and radio equipment, systems, and services and transmission media.
- Assisting in the set up or use of PBX TDM/IP systems, video and audio teleconferencing, paging and wireless communication services.
- Conducting mandatory training on SHARP, EEO and Suicide Prevention.
- Plan and present unit training on resilience and troop readiness
- Help plan drill activities and mentor junior soldiers
My 4 Year in Active Duty.
I held many positions while I served my time on active duty. At my first duty station I served as a collections operator, transcription supervisor and the NCOIC of Operations for the S3 shop.
During my work in the S3 shop I gained a significant understanding of the inner workings of the Battalion and it's units. I have gained experience and training in the overall principles of organization, management, and administration. I was able to expand on my use of computers and automated systems. My main responsibilities include receiving tasks from the Battalion level and disseminating/delegating the tasks to the company level as well as coordinating the movement of personnel for training and deployments. Other responsibilities include: compiling reports, letters, and memoranda; developing administrative procedures; conducting meetings and other person-to-person contacts to convey information and other management related practices. While working in this shop I was also responsible for two junior soldiers.
Prior to working in the S3 Operations shop I was part of a task force. Here I gained experience working with diverse individuals, groups and organizations, and in composing written reports and material clearly, concisely and effectively. I worked with a variety of equipment and software, was constantly required to learn new skills quickly, react in a timely fashion under pressure and give presentations and daily briefs to commanding officers. I also held a supervisor position. I managed between 17-20 civilian translators and 6-9 linguist soldiers.
Before joining my unit I graduated with high marks from my Advanced Individual Training and I studied at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. I believe this demonstrates my ability to learn new skills quickly and act professionally under significant pressure and stress.
Want to Know More?
Contact me for an interview. I love to share stories about my experiences and lessons I have learned.