Thursday, August 29, 2013 Page 3Camp Shelby REVEILLE

COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR’S CORNER

Remembering back to Katrina....Recently, the 28th In-

fantry Division, Pennsylva-nia Army National Guard,held a rededication cere-mony here near the originalsite of the 28th ID’s head-quarters site at CampShelby during World WarII.

Maj. Gen. Wesley Craiggave a heartfelt speech andI was glad to be a part ofthat historic moment. AsSoldiers of the 28th InfantryDivision continue to returnfrom Afghanistan, I encour-age you to take a trip to visitthe memorial and the areathat has been cleared for it.

On Aug. 29, the anniver-sary of Hurricane Katrina,coastal residents will remi-nisce on what was the dead-liest and most destructiveAtlantic hurricane that wasever recorded.

During the aftermath ofKatrina, Camp Shelby haddual roles. The mission herewas still to mobilize andtrain Soldiers in support ofthe overseas contingencyoperations. In conjunctionwith their mobilization, Sol-

diers helped with cuttingdown trees and removingtents that were blown down.Also, we became the head-quarters for the disaster re-covery response forHurricane Katrina.

Military units, FEMA,MEMA, Red Cross andother disaster recover agen-cies set up their work sta-tions here during theaftermath. It was chaotic,but we pulled through to ac-complish the mission.

However you rememberit, Mobilization Center

Shelby or Camp ShelbyJoint Forces Training Cen-ter, we have made history,we have and still are touch-ing people’s lives and wehave made a name for our-selves during the country’swartime operations.

Congratulations to Maj.David Alexander on becom-ing the new Camp ShelbyJoint Forces Training CenterRange Control Officer-in-Charge. Col. Smith made agreat choice for the posi-tion. There were a lot ofgreat applicants, and I knowhe picked the right Soldierfor the job.

Labor Day is around thecorner as it is observed onthe first Monday in Septem-ber. Labor Day pays tributeto the contributions andachievements of Americanworkers. The United Statespays tribute to you for yourhard work and determina-tion. Be safe and enjoy yourtime with Family andfriends.

There was a job fair atKeesler AFB this pastThursday. I hope many at-

tended. Representativessuch as Trinity Marine,Northrop Grumman, Gulf-port Police Department,Mississippi Department ofWildlife, Fisheries andParks and a few more wereon hand to answer any ques-tions Soldiers and Airmenhad and were taking re-sumes.

These job fairs are meantto help military personnelwho are transitioning out ofthe military and are seekingcivilian employment. I en-courage you to attend thesefairs and many more willbecome available.

The command staff ishere to help you. If we don’tknow the answer, we willfind someone who does.

Continue to work hard;your work has not gone un-noticed.

Remember there is neverthe right time to do thewrong thing. May God con-tinue to bless you, yourFamilies, our brothers andsisters in arms and this greatcountry we live in.

SOLDIERS FIRST!

Cmd. Sgt. Maj Steven Chancellor

Courtesy PhotoDRM AWARD... The Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center Directorate of Resource Managementʼs Travel Voucher Office received acertificate of recognition from the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Teamʼs Security Forces Advise and Assist Team for excellence in customerservice. The DRM Travel Voucher Office processed more than 400 Soldiers of the SFAAT team as part of their ongoing support for overseascontingency operations worldwide. Pictured at the presentation ceremony August 13, from left to right, are Col. Anthony Woods, Maj. EthanLowe, Staff Sgt. John Pennock, Sgt. Russell K. Sills, Command Sgt. Maj. Darrell Clendennen, 1st Lt. Bryce Wade and 1st Sgt. MichaelJohnson.

Get letters of recommendation now....By BRYAN THARPE

ACAP TSM

Sometimes an employerwill make the decisionabout who to hire basedon how well applicantspresent their work back-grounds. Most employersknow that if a person is agood worker, reliable anddependable in other jobs,probably they can expectthe same job performance.

Of course, an interviewercan call all past supervisorsand ask about the quality ofan applicant’s work andwork ethics. But a smart jobhunter will save the prospec-tive employer that trouble.He will get letters of recom-mendation from supervisorsas he (or they) move on.

Getting letters of recom-mendation will serve dualpurposes. An applicant willhave letters to give to theemployers (and they may notwant to contact the supervi-

sor). The applicant will alsoknow the quality of the rec-ommendations as well as the

written skills of a possi-ble reference.

This is espe-cially impor-tant tom i l i t a r yapplicants.One prob-lem mili-

tary peopleface is em-

ployers who don’talways know why militarymembers hold jobs for sucha short time—an average ofabout two years. Is it becauseof poor work habits? Anotherproblem is that military ap-plicants often want to findjobs totally different fromthose they did while in themilitary. In that case, themust show the employertheir abilities, which aremore important than whatthey did in the military.

A third problem is thatmilitary personnel are tran-

sient; job seekers may not beable to provide employerswith a current address ortelephone number of formersupervisors. Letters of rec-ommendation can solve allof these questions to an em-ployer’s satisfaction. Even ifthere is a problem with aboss, it may still be possibleto draft a letter that is mutu-ally satisfactory and truth-fully states the worker’stalents and accomplish-ments.

Sometimes a supervisorwill ask a service member towrite his or her own letter ofrecommendation for the su-pervisor’s signature. If thathappens, the writer shouldnot be modest.

The first paragraph of theletter should state the pur-pose of the letter: to recom-mend the applicant for aposition as … (whatever typeof job you are seeking.) Thenext paragraph should makegeneral statements aboutyour duties and responsibili-

ties, perhaps mentioningyour most impressive abili-ties. The third paragraphshould be filled with glowingremarks about your talentsand accomplishments. Thisis the place to use all thoseadjectives that can’t fit ontoa resume; it is especially im-portant to mention ways youwill be an asset to the organ-ization.

With the job market theway it is today, the wise jobhunter will use every meansat his disposal to make hisqualifications well known.Presenting a folder of lettersof recommendation at the in-terview is a sure way to im-press the interviewer withyour high qualifies.

For additional informationabout letters of recommenda-tion or any other job searchrelated topic, please contactthe Ft Rucker ACAP Centerat 334-255-2558, the CampShelby ACAP Office at 601-558-2298, or the EglinA&FRC at 850-882-9060.