To celebrate Veterans Day, EM highlights former service members who have joined EM on their journey in civilian work-life.
Name, and what do you do at EM?
Jeff Silvera, acting director, Office of Health, Operations, Safety and Security, Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office.
Tell us about your military journey — branch, years served and duty stations:
I served in the U.S. Army from 2009-2014 and I spent the majority of my time at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Jeff Silvera, acting director, Office of Health, Operations, Safety and Security, EM-Los Alamos Field Office.
Most memorable event/moment during your service?
My most memorable moment was when my unit was doing a 20-mile ruck march, and somebody tripped and fell down a hill. They ended up severely injuring their leg and we were in an area that had no cell service so the medics stabilized them, and everybody joined together to help carry them on a stretcher to where we could get them to appropriate medical care. Before that moment everybody seemed like they were having a tough day because of the strenuous activity in front of us. But after it happened, it seemed like nobody cared about the long trek we had left or the bad weather during that day but rather that we needed to work as a team to get somebody help.
How has your military service helped prepare you for the job you do in EM?
My military service helped me learn how to pull a group together to collaboratively analyze a problem and come up with the best possible solution and question whether what has been done in the past is truly the best choice for the future.
When did you begin working for EM and what got you interested in the cleanup mission?
I started working for EM about a year ago on a detail; the mission was not something I thought I would see myself in, but after spending some time over here, I realized the positive impact I can make in both the organization and the local community as we clean up the legacy waste.