The following is an internal ad for Corps of Engineers positions in the Gulf Region (with names, emails, etc edited). I post it for your edification: This is how career military/support staff talk and think about deploying to war zones. Note that our organization, a sub-set of the Corps, is tasked with filling these positions, which means that there will either be volunteers, or personnel including civilians may be selected for these positions.
Note also appeals to camaraderie, shared sacrifice and job experience. These are powerful to someone who has spent their life in or around people in uniform. People who deploy on these missions will work with the next generation of leadership for the military during a crucial period, and the work they do will be considered extremely important by their colleagues. If I didn't have small children, I would have to give serious consideration to going, even though I'm not a supporter of the policies implemented.
Lastly, note the name of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) is being officially changed to Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), a generic name for any war-time deployment.
In October 2008, I notified you of a new HQ USACE initiative underway to recruit volunteers to fill positions in the Gulf Region Division (GRD) and in the Afghanistan Engineer District (AED) in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT), now known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Although USACE’s mission in the region continues to evolve, there remains an important mission in rebuilding the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan. I know many of you have concerns about the current threat environment, all I can say is the threat is real as demonstrated this week; however, the job satisfaction, experience, and camaraderie I experienced during my deployment overshadowed these concerns. It is good to feel needed and have the opportunity to help so many with the work you are doing. There is a lot of work left to do and we will need your help.
Since my October 2008 email to you, HQ USACE has issued further guidance, thus directing nnnn to focus our recruiting efforts to support GRD and its districts. As a result of this new guidance, nnnn is specifically tasked to provide personnel to fill the following GRD positions in FY09 and FY10:
- Director, Business Management, GS-0340-15 (two positions)
- Deputy Division Chief, GS-0340-15
- Reporting Systems Branch Manager, GS-0340-14
- Analysis Branch Manager, GS-0340-14
- MILCON Branch Manager, GS-0340-14
- MILCON Branch Senior Program Manager, GS-340-13
- Lead Accountant, GS-0510-13
- Budget Analyst, GS- 560-12
- Program Manager, GS-0340-12
- Reporting Systems Program Analyst, GS-0340-12
- Project Engineers, GS-0801-12 (seven positions)
More details on these 180-day deployment opportunities are provided in the attachment. For each of the opportunities listed in the attachment, I have provided some comments relative to my experiences in Iraq and how this experience would relate to your work at nnnn. I also have provided some quotes from nnnn team members who have previously deployed.
If you would like to volunteer for a deployment, but do not qualify for one of the listed positions, or if you specifically wish to deploy to Afghanistan vs. Iraq, I encourage you to talk with xxx. There may be other deployment opportunities that may be equally challenging and rewarding.