Page 8 - Fort Irwin High Desert Warrior, August 2020

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News
High Desert Warrior August 2020
www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
NTC, Fort Irwin Equal Opportunity office speaks on race relations in the Army in light of national protests
Story and Photo by Joshua Rojas
NTC Headquarters
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Sergeant 1st Class Mitchell Ledet, the National Training Center and Fort Irwin’s Equal Employment (EO) Adviser and Program Manager, talked about the Army’s message during a time of racial protests and unrest and the programs that are in place to address it.
Ledet has been a soldier in the United States Army for more than 18 years and said, “Listen for understanding, not agreement.”
The recent protests have been focused on police killings of people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Ledet said some believe they lost their lives unnecessarily and it feels as though there are many wounds that have been reopened, which is why it is so important to the Army to address it and reiterate to soldiers that there is no place for discrimination at Fort Irwin.
In response to the protests, the Com-
manding General of NTC, Brig. Gen. David Lesperance released a memorandum on June 23 addressing the current situation and said at Fort Irwin, “We challenge every soldier, civil- ian and family member to do their part...in making NTC and Fort Irwin a more inclusive organization.”
Ledet stressed how important it is to listen to people with understanding because everyone has different life experiences and points of views. It’s imperative that each person sits down and has the uncomfortable conversations so that the military community can further the discussion and progress into equality in the country.
The Department of Defense has several systems to bridge race relations. The DoD conducts a monthly series of special ethnic observances that are designed to enhance cross-cultural and gender awareness. This year’s theme is, “Honoring the Past, Secur- ing the Future” and this year’s events have
Sergeant 1st Class Mitchell Ledet, NTC’s Equal Employment Adviser and Program Manager says better race relations are headed in the right direction in the Army, due to new measures.
included African American, Holocaust, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic observances, along with a Women’s Equality
observance that took place on Aug. 5. At these
See OPPORTUNITY, Page 12
Summer interns broaden their experience, contribute to NTC Mission By Jason Miller
Fort Irwin/USAG PAO
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Twenty-four college students, recent high school graduates and qualified community members broadened their experience and educational goals by taking advantage of Fort Irwin’s 2020 Summer Intern Program on the installation, which runs from June 15 – Sept. 15.
After a few years of dormancy, the Summer Intern Program was rejuvenated on Fort Irwin to provide quality of life and employment opportunities for current students and recent graduates. This year the mixed pool of talent included college students, Silver Valley High School graduates, college-attending spouses and veterans from Fort Irwin and local high desert community.
According to Debera Jenkins, G8 Management Analyst, the program is intended to match the Summer Intern Employee’s educational and career ambitions with an appropriate employ- ment opportunity at Fort Irwin.
“We make sure they have a positive experience in the pro- gram and match them up with a job that’s as close as possible with their education and career goals,” said Jenkins “This op- portunity gives our community, college students, and recent high school graduates a sense of pride and responsibility, they are doing important work and making real mission contribu- tions at Fort Irwin.”
The Summer Interns where placed in paid specialty jobs on the installation, with U.S. Army Forces Command and Installation Management Command, in various areas such as safety, military personnel, information technology, and the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program (SHARP), “They have worked so well that their supervisors want to keep them, which is great because this program is designed as a recruitment tool for the future force,” Jenkins said “Some of them love the fact they get to see what their parents are doing.”
On average interns work approximately 32 hours a week,
Zaylin McIntosh. who’s currently working as an intern in the NTC Safety Office.
however the program provides flexibility according to Janeice Love, who’s currently working in the SHARP office as a summer intern and is an Industrial Organizational Psychology Major in her final year at University California Irvine, “They are very flexible and want you to get the most out of the program,” said Love “I’ve learned a lot of leadership skills and what it’s like to work for the government in a professional environment.”
There are times the summer hires are placed in loosely related fields due to their unique college degrees or career goals, how- ever according to Zaylin McIntosh, who’s currently a summer intern working in the NTC Safety Office and is a Kinesiology Major in his first year at Cal State Fresno, the experience is a lifelong opportunity and the supervisors try to add value to their internship. “It’s been a great experience and I was able to take safety courses online that counts toward my college credit,” said McIntosh “I might never use these safety skills again, but
Janeice Love, is currently working in the SHARP office as a summer intern.
having the knowledge and experience, you never know if you might need that in life.”
The Summer Hire Program falls under the Pathways Intern- ship Program through the Office of Personnel Management, which provides employment opportunities for current students, recent graduates and those with an advanced degree. The 24 Fort Irwin Summer Hires applied through USAJobs.gov and the installation is making plans to continue the program for years to come.
“Our initial expectation was that the program would be a small start this year and grow every year, but we had a lot of interest,” said Jenkins “There was not one person that didn’t go over the top to make this a successful program.”
For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin