Get Job Skills: Memorial Day

Kirt Wharwood Able-Disabled Advocacy, Inc., San Diego, CA for San Diego VetWORKS

My military background is in ground wave and satellite communications. I entered the Marine Corps in 1991 as a Field radio operator. As a radio operator my duties included sending and receiving over the air radio traffic, setting up and tuning of radio equipment including antennas and power sources; establishing contact with distant stations; processing and logging of messages; making changes to frequencies or cryptographic codes; and maintaining equipment at the first echelon. Later, I was given the opportunity to transition into the Extra High Frequency (EHF) satellite communications. My duties included emplacing, interconnecting and energizing and verifying the operation of EHF satellite terminal equipment systems. As I attained rank and experience, I transitioned into supervisory and management positions where I was responsible for the planning, deployment and employment of various communications systems in order to provide short and long range communications links.

During the last 6 years of my military career I became more involved in data communications management and provided various networking, server and active directory services. I retired from the United States Marine Corps after 20 years of honorable service as a Gunnery Sergeant (E-7).

I became aware of the Microsoft Elevate America Veterans program at Able-Disabled Advocacy when I applied for the IT Instructor position for A-DA’s Technology-Based Learning program. After I enrolled in the Microsoft program, I began acquiring the additional knowledge and skills that has enabled me to be a more effective instructor to my students. These skills and my increased understanding of networking systems have made both my professional and personal life easier. I am thankful to Microsoft and Able-Disabled Advocacy for my newly acquired abilities. The program has enabled me to become a more specialized and marketable IT professional and will provide me an excellent opportunity to further my career.

Kevin Price Gulf Coast Workforce Board, Panama City, FL, for Mission: 21st Century (M:21c)

My AIT Story: Advanced Individual Training for the Civilian Workforce

After 8 years of service in the Army, I had a decision to make - re-enlist or go into the civilian job market. I had the usual last minute jitters and a case of the “What ifs.” Ultimately I decided to separate from the military and take my chances in the private sector. My biggest fear was the uncertainty of job availability. Would I be able to get a job during this time of economic instability and cut backs? Would I be able to stand out from others applying for the same job? What really worried me was the fact that I didn’t have a degree. My hope was that my experience would carry a lot of weight; after all I had been doing it in a real world situation for nearly a decade. That was my hope, but that is not always the case, and that worried me.

Once I officially separated from the Army I moved back home to Port Saint Joe, Florida. My family, particularly my grandmother, was 100% supportive of me and my job search. In fact, my grandmother let me and my daughter Isabella, who was 16 months old at the time, stay with her for three months. During that time, I applied at many local businesses. I buried my nose in the help wanted ads and handed out resumes around town. I received a call from a young startup Technology Group and went in for an interview. After a follow up with the CEO I was offered a job and upon the news, my daughter and I found a place of our own.

While at my job, my new boss informed me of a workforce program to provide technology training to transitioning military veterans. I was thrilled about the opportunity and enrolled in the program in December 2010. Since then, I’ve completed two courses - the CompTIA A+ and Security+ and have obtained both certifications. The training was great, it reinforced what I already knew, refreshed what I’ve forgotten, and educated me in areas where I was weak. Through the courses I was able to gain a better understanding of what actually happens behind the button pushing. Now I can use the information I’ve learned to better explain to the user what happened, why it happened, and how to fix the problem.

Obtaining the certifications was more than just training - it has given me confidence and allowed me to remain competitive in the field of Technology. I can see the difference when dealing with my clients – they have confidence in me, that I know what I’m doing and can fix the issue. I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in the training program through the Microsoft Elevate America’s Veterans Initiative. Chances like this don’t come along every day.

About Kevin Price

Kevin Price enlisted in the US Army his junior year of high school through the delayed entry program and went to basic training one month after high school graduation. He served for eight years as an Information Systems Operator/Analyst. For most of his military career Kevin was stationed in Germany at Babenhausen with the 41st Field Artillery Brigade and in Bamberg with the 173rd Combat Support Battalion. He deployed twice, once to Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004 and then to Afghanistan from March 2007 to June 2008. Currently, Kevin works as a System Administrator at Bluemanta Technology Group headquartered in Port Saint Joe, Florida. Bluemanta offers comprehensive managed information technology services ranging from help desk support operations to strategic technology planning.

Gidelina Pineda Veterans Inc., Worcester, MA, for the Veterans Inc. Employment & Training Program

How one Veteran was able to get her life back on track and provide for her daughter with support from Veterans Inc. and Microsoft’s Elevate America Veterans

The number of homeless female veterans continues to grow and with the lack of supportive services to assist them with marketable job skills, transportation or child care, post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychological challenges, and physical disabilities, over nearly two decades Veterans Inc. has become the leader of providing female veterans with the support services needed to better their lives and get back on their feet.

First in the nation to provide in-house services to homeless female veterans and is the first provider in Massachusetts to open a residential program for women veterans and their dependent children, Veterans Inc. is not a stranger to first of its kind initiatives. To complement the women and children’s program, and in conjunction with a licensed provider, Veterans Inc. opened Little Patriots Early Learning Center in the same building, providing parenting support and childcare. The pilot program, combining housing, outreach, employment & training, and child services, is the first of its kind.

In the words of Gidelina Pineda, a current Veterans Inc. resident, "Veterans Inc. has made it capable for me to get back on my feet and start moving forward with my life again. When you have a child and are homeless, you still want to stay upbeat so they feel like everything is okay. Right now this place [Veterans Inc.] has become a safe and nurturing home environment for us. Without the support I have received so far I would still be moving around from place to place."

Gidelina joined the military in 2002 so she could “give back” to her new country (she was born in the Dominican Republic). She deployed to Iraq for a year in 2004, an experience which was at times difficult and stressful, but one she would not trade for anything.
Although Gidelina Pineda always saw herself as a lifelong member of the military, joining the Army at 18, she left with an honorable discharge after six years once she became pregnant. Gidelina struggled after her daughter Layla was born. She didn’t have a lot of transferrable skills and without a skillset that would provide employment with adequate pay for a single mother, she eventually became homeless.

"Without a support structure, where do you keep a kid when you need to work and can’t afford childcare?"

She bounced around to different situations, crashing with friends, sleeping with her infant daughter on an air mattress at her mother’s one-bedroom apartment, staying with the father of her daughter though they were no longer a couple, staying for months at a time until the welcome was worn out or until something seemingly better came along. To her daughter, she would never show her unhappiness or her fear. Often, she would pretend they were “camping” or going on a series of “adventures.” For certain, Ms. Pineda would never give up and would always make sure her daughter’s life was surrounded with love and happiness.

"It was stressful, sometimes overwhelming, but you take it, and you deal with it, and you smile, because she’s worth it and I am not going to take away from something so wonderful and precious as childhood is. And no matter how bad things get, there are people worse off than us."

Realizing that her daughter needed a more stable environment, Gidelina sought assistance and was accepted into the Veterans Inc. Housing Program for Women & Children. There are ten women in this program, some single and some with dependents.

Gidelina is very grateful for the supportive environment she has found at Veterans Inc., for the peer support from other women veterans all with their own stories of hardship, and the camaraderie they share. She is also pleased that Layla, now 3 ½, actually has her own bedroom (complete with the princess canopy over her bed).

"This is home to us."

Subsequently, Layla brings an air of happiness to all who are there! Furthermore, Layla is now enrolled in the Little Patriots Early Learning Center - childcare which is very conveniently located in the same building!

Veterans Inc. has been able to expand its successful Employment & Training Program to provide for the special needs of Women Veterans and Veterans with Families and to offer job training and placement services to members of the National Guard and Reserves and their spouses, and veterans at-risk and their spouses through the special grant made possible from the Microsoft Corporation.

With help from the Microsoft Elevate America Veterans Initiative, Gidelina has received Microsoft Certification (classes right onsite), job skills training, coaching, and career counseling and guidance. She is currently working as an Assistant Manager at a gas station, a position she is happy to have, but not the most ideal. She will soon be ready to pursue other employment opportunities with the assistance of her Veterans Inc. employment counselor. She is currently pursuing higher education in developmental psychology and early childhood education. As a side note, she also rejoined the military as a member of the National Guard. She is an E4 Specialist.

She believes her future and Layla’s future is bright.
Her motto? “Smile through the tears and always stay positive.”

Cheryl Godwin Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont Inc., Charlotte, NC for the Elevate America Veterans Initiative

Faces of Elevate America

Cheryl Godwin began her career with Nationwide Insurance as a college student, filing documents part-time as a utility clerk. After receiving her degree in Business Management from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, she was quickly hired in a full-time position.
During the next 18 years, Cheryl was promoted often, and she took advantage of the training and certifications that were offered through the company. She even created an internal training program and served as a mentor for newer employees.

Unfortunately, Cheryl had to leave Nationwide when her husband was called to active duty with the US National Guard in 2006. “Because this was such a good opportunity for my husband, we made the choice for me to stay at home with our two teenagers,” she said.

Now almost five years later, Cheryl’s son has just graduated from college and her daughter recently completed her first year. "I realized that it was time for me to get back into the workforce and contribute, but I didn’t know how to even start," Cheryl said. "I've never had to search for a job before."

When she landed a job at another insurance company, Cheryl wasn't prepared for the challenges that she would face. "I like challenges, but I quickly realized that I just didn’t have the proper training and skills I needed to succeed in the job," she said. Six months into the job, Cheryl decided to move on.

"I had only been out of the job market for a little more than three years, but I just got lost in the fold," she said. That’s when her husband told her about Operation Independence at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Funded by an Elevate America veterans initiative grant from Microsoft Corporation, Goodwill’s Operation Independence program provides veterans and their families with services including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling, and other support services.

Even though some career assistance services are offered on the military base where she lives, Cheryl chose Operation Independence because of the one-on-one training the program offers.

"When I heard about Operation Independence, it gave me such hope," Cheryl said. “Many people don’t realize the sacrifices that military families make, so it was such a relief to know that the program is run by veterans who would really understand what we have gone through. We have a common bond."

Cheryl is already working with career specialists on strengthening her resume and identifying the careers she should target. Her goal is to find a new career path and begin working toward that career by this summer.
"It's very empowering to know that there is hope for military families," Cheryl said.

Kris Luckinbill Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA for Project Succeed

From Sand in the Servers to Success

Since Project Succeed was launched early this year at Bellevue College through Microsoft’s Elevate America Initiative, we’ve gotten a chance to hear about some of the technical difficulties faced by soldiers providing technology support in war zones. Kris Luckinbill, a US Army veteran now studying for a Network Degree at Bellevue College, talked about some of the challenges he faced working in a variety of communication positions during his deployments to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

"I remember setting up our network in Afghanistan," Kris wrote. "We were constantly having dust problems. During one maintenance session, a sandstorm left half an inch of sand inside our server blades". Power was also an issue. "The power was more steady in Iraq, but we were constantly being mortared or shot at with RPG's." Kris also mentioned that these systems could run on generators twenty-four hours a day, so he needed to become expert at repairing generators and keeping them going round the clock. In his deployments, Chris worked as a line technician, installed line of sight radio antennae, served as a network administrator, and was a LAN manager.

The story Kris told about technical challenges in a war zone educated us on some of the realities facing soldiers who provide this type of support. Technology in a war zone means communications, and communications in Iraq and Afghanistan could mean life or death to soldiers and civilians. While serving his country, Kris gained valuable knowledge and training, but his stories of resourcefulness and innovation under such duress speak of his strong character, and his ability to problem-solve and improvise.

Kris' interest in computers goes back to his high school days in California. "I always liked computers, but I grew up in a medium sized town near Sacramento. I had a strong interest in computers and networking but there weren't any classes in my high school for those subjects. My friend and I would mess around with our computers and learn little by little, but nothing we did compared to the training and experience I got from the military."

Kris is currently in Bellevue College’s Network Services and Computing Systems Degree program and plans on obtaining his Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certificate in 2012. His testing fee for that certificate will be covered through funds for Project Succeed from Microsoft’s Elevate America Veterans’ Initiative. After completing his degree, Kris plans to earn his Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Technology at Eastern Washington University, right on the Bellevue campus.

"Project Succeed helped me greatly," Kris wrote. "They provided workshops and interview classes, and set me up with an interview with NCA, a company that interested me. I learned about the Hire a Hero veteran job fair through Project Succeed, where I met with reps from Robert Half." After meeting with those representatives, Kris was hired as a part-time contractor, a job that fits in well with his college class schedule. Through Project Succeed services, Kris continues to pursue interesting internship possibilities that will enhance his knowledge of IT systems while he pursues his education.

Project Succeed, a Microsoft Elevate America Veterans Initiative