Walter Curtis, LMSP, served four years as a computer systems technician in the Air Force, achieving the rank of senior airman.

“I had a great time and learned a lot from my Air Force service that I’ve used throughout my life. I worked with early automated digital messaging networks, kind of like email, and learned through experience to document everything as well as possible. I also learned technical troubleshooting skills that still apply today. The biggest influence in my military life was the opportunity for leadership at an early age. Often in the civilian world that leadership is not recognized nor used. Don’t be surprised when you change careers if your military experiences are ignored or not understood.”

Paul Darr, LMSP, served three years as a quartermaster (navigation) in the Navy and achieved the rank of petty officer second class.

“The most important thing I learned from my service was the importance of teamwork. Over the last 30 years, I have worked on several DOE projects where teamwork is what gets the job done. The scope and magnitude of these projects demand that multiple individuals with different backgrounds come together to complete the project. Another concept I brought forward from the U.S. Navy was safety.  Every day, my ship provided a one-page Plan-of-the-Day that always started with ‘Safety is paramount in all we do.’ Today that resonates with all that we do on LM/LMSP. It’s kind of funny: an on-board friendship with an officer, who brought to my attention the study of geology, played such a big role in the next 40 years of my life.”

Erinn Fought, LMSP, served four years active duty and two years active reserve as a religious program specialist in the Navy, achieving the rank petty officer third class.

“Regardless of time served, or function performed, the one thing all service members have in common is that at some point in our life, we each made the choice to sign a ‘blank check.’ We designated a period of our lives, to the service of others and our country — with little to no knowledge of what we were signing up for. The most important lesson I learned in the service is to work in support of your coworkers towards the bigger goal. To work together so that everyone is successful in the mission. Setting up resources for your position such that at any time someone else could come in and pick it up where you left off with minimal disruption to the mission. Thinking in terms of ‘we’ rather than ‘me.’ The Navy was my first real job; in a sense, it taught me how to be an adult, how to navigate stressful situation, and how to successfully interact with people from different backgrounds in the workplace.”

Leland Friesen, LMSP, served four years as a cannon crewman and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System rocketeer in the Marine Corps, achieving the rank of sergeant.

“I learned that a person can accomplish anything: Every ‘new thing’ (e.g., new responsibility) can be intimidating and we naturally shy away from it. I have seen all types of people ‘square off’ with this fear of discomfort/embarrassment. Leaning into certain failure, they push forward and come out the other side a more confident, capable person. Whether we fail or succeed, we realize there was nothing to be afraid of. Being accountable for your decisions, gear, and personnel in such high-stakes situations equipped me to be a trustworthy and motivated team player in any situation. I learned that you need to set yourself up for success; maintain high standards physically, spiritually, and intellectually during and after your term of service.”

Jay Glascock, LM, graduated from the Air Force Academy and served as an Air Force civil engineer for 20 years, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.

“I learned how to lead from my military service and the importance of leadership. You can read about leadership from a book, magazine, or journal, which is one of the best ways to learn and expand your horizons, but the military helped me put leadership into practice as a young officer. The Air Force provided me with the training and assignments to mature my leadership ability over my career. I learned the importance of leadership concepts like responsibility, accountability, optimism, planning, decision-making, results, and caring for people. The military also taught me the importance of teamwork — and teams do not survive without good leadership. This concept of leading teams and teamwork has helped me to do my job better within LM.”