WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug, 20, 2014) -- A Pew Research Center
report published in 2011 notes that a smaller share of Americans
currently serve in the armed forces than at any time since the peacetime
era between World Wars I and II.
Just one-half of one percent of Americans served in uniform at any given
time, from 2001 to 2011 -- the longest period of sustained conflict in
the country's history -- the report says.
Meanwhile, as the military shrinks in size, the connections between
military members and the broader civilian population "appear to be
growing more distant," the report notes.
Some commands, though, are hosting interns from colleges and
universities and the training is helping boost the Army's connections
with the American people.
This is not the Army's four decade's-old Civilian Career Intern Program,
which is a training program for entry- to mid-level management
positions as Army civilians.
This type of internship involves colleges and vocational training
institutions, which typically encourage students to participate in
summer internships in the business community, non-profits and government
agencies.
Those that do internships with Army commands get to work alongside
Soldiers, receiving personal exposure to the military and first-hand
experience.
CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT
In July of this year, the Army Corps of Engineers invited four students
who were studying engineering to Wiesbaden, Germany, to work with corps
engineers.
"This is a professional environment," said Ariel Dowdy, who is majoring
in mechanical engineering at Alabama A&M, of her experience. "Being
here gives me a good idea of what to expect when I actually enter the
career field. I am working on construction project sites, so it gives me
a good idea of what my job will be like if I go into construction
management, or project engineering. I like being out in the field and
not sitting at a computer all day."
Another intern echoed her sentiments.
"I was pleasantly surprised by this internship because I have been able
to get my hands on actual projects," said Ryan Deising. "I have done
some design work. I worked directly with project managers to draw from
scratch, or revise designs. I actually put my name on the drawings, so
that is great experience for me."
INTERNING WITH ROBOTS
Last year, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, in Massachusetts,
participated in "another successful year of integrating high school
students into an internship exchange program," according to leaders of
that program.
Over the summer several Natick High School seniors substituted 80 hours
of unpaid volunteer work at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and
Engineering Center, for their last term of academic classes.
Their work included learning about and working on Natick business practices and development of an ice search-and-rescue robot.
"Every time someone reports a hole in the ice, the fire department has
to go investigate," intern Adam Azanow said. "Towns don't have a lot of
money to train scuba divers, and ice diving is very dangerous. The
robots are used to search and locate if anything has gone through the
ice without putting human lives in danger. One robot drives across the
ice and lowers the (remotely operated) vehicle."
The students have been working on the robots since May 2012. Azanow said
that after his internship ends, he plans to return to school to help
his classmates complete the project.
"I really like the concept behind hands-on experiences, and working in
the real world, because you can only learn so much in the classroom," he
added.
NON-AMERICANS INTERN TOO
This year, some 60 South Korean university students are interning throughout U.S. Army Garrisons in South Korea.
"The Intern program is a win-win situation for both the Daegu City
university students and the USAG (U.S. Army Garrison) Daegu
installations," said Gladys Colon-Algarin, USAG Daegu volunteer corps
program manager/intern program manager. "The program encourages an
understanding of American culture with the future generation of Korean
leaders. Many Korean university students who are interested in the
American culture have the opportunity to travel, study and work in the
U.S.
"However," she continued, "not all Korean university students have the
financial means to do that. For those who cannot afford the cost of
traveling overseas, the USAG Daegu Internship program allows them the
opportunity to work in an American environment and learn skills related
to their future careers."
USAG Daegu Commmander Col. Jim Bradford joined Korean university leaders
and the Garrison Army Community Services representatives in a
memorandum of understanding signing ceremony last November, which
reaffirmed the importance the program has in strengthening and
maintaining a strong relationship between the U.S. and South Korea.
PENTAGON INTERNING
Army News Service has been using summer interns now at the Pentagon for a
number of years, with great success. Over this summer, Libby Howe and
Lillian Boyd spent eight weeks reporting and taking pictures of Army
events and senior leader activities.
Howe, an English major at Virginia Tech, said her time here was of great
value and something she otherwise would never have experienced. Among
the many events she covered for ARNEWS was the Army birthday and
President Barack Obama awarding former Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts the Medal
of Honor.
Later, Howe remarked that it was incredible that ARNEWS entrusted her with such important responsibilities.
She noted that some of the other interns in organizations outside the
Army were given routine or mundane assignments to complete, because
their supervisors were uncomfortable entrusting college students with
meaningful tasks.
As a result of her internship, Howe said she'd like to shift focus to journalism as a future career.
While an ARNEWS reporter did accompany the interns at most events to
advise and assist, the interns did 100 percent of the reporting on their
own, and very little, if any, editing or supervision was necessary.
Boyd, the other intern, also had a chance to cover Pitts during the
Pentagon Hall of Heroes ceremony. She too had good things to say about
the intern program.
Her opinion about the Army changed for the better as well.
"I was impressed by the Army's effort to promote social justice,
including eliminating sexual harassment," she said, noting that she was
especially surprised to discover that June is Gay Pride Month in the
Defense Department.
Boyd interviewed Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, the G-1, about the Army's
efforts to stamp out sexual assault. She thinks the Army's Sexual
Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, or one like it,
could benefit universities.
Interns don't always come from a local colleges. Boyd, for instance, is a journalism major at Humboldt State in California.
Both ARNEWS interns said the experience changed their own lives for the
better, and helped them formulate their own career plans. In turn, they
shared their creative ideas and innovative ways of doing things.
While working this summer, both Boyd and Howe shared their everyday
experiences with family and friends via social media, and that sharing
with others will likely continue for years to come, they said.
These and other interns have had the rare and precious opportunity to
serve alongside Soldiers and have become better acquainted with
America's Army.
(Editor's note: The following reporters contributed facts to this
commentary: Donna Miles; Jennifer Aldridge, USACE Europe District;
Adrienne Gagne, Natick; and Mary B. Grimes, U.S. Army Garrison Daegu
Public Affairs. For more ARNEWS stories, visit
http://www.army.mil/ARNEWS, or Facebook at
www.facebook.com/ArmyNewsService.)
http://www.army.mil/article/132149/Internships_connecting_Americans_with_their_Army/
By David Vergun
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