By Nick Stebbins, Senior Service Desk Engineer for Umbrella Managed Systems
Fireworks and Freedom
Independence Day has passed, the fireworks smoke has settled, and we’re more than halfway through the year! During the holiday, we appreciate more than just the fireworks. We have a special appreciation for our veterans.
Umbrella has been my home for two years. Prior to working at Umbrella, I served in the United States Army for four years, as an M1 Abrams tanker. I’m not the only veteran serving with Umbrella, we have a total of 7 ex-military supporting our clients.
The Road to Umbrella
Transitioning from military service was almost as hard as joining. There are no tanks for me to drive, no rifles for me to carry, and I had just come home from a year deployment to Afghanistan. I had to find something to focus my mind on.
I had always been “the tech guy” while overseas and decided to sign on with Centriq to build on my technology experience. At the end of training, I attended a job fair and met Umbrella for the first time. After a brief chat with Curtis Bagnall, I knew exactly where I wanted to be.
Less than a month later, I signed with Umbrella. I was welcomed with open arms and was surprised to see how many other veterans had traveled the same path. Umbrella provided me with the tools and people to drive me towards success.
Our Sense of Duty Does Not Stop with Military Service!
Not all our veterans served in the same branch. However, we share common values that go towards supporting your computer systems every day. Honor, commitment, and integrity are common values across all branches. We take pride in our work and love being the hero for our clients.
Managed services is challenging work. Daily, our engineers adapt and overcome various technological problems. The challenge is what I personally love the most about Umbrella. No one day is the same as the next. I now have new “battle buddies” on my left and right.
From Left to Right: Former Military Now On the Umbrella Team
Terry Irwin – US Air Force serving from May 1990 – September 1999 as Staff Sergeant (E5)
MOS (Job): 1C151 (Air Traffic Control) cross-trained to 3C052 (Computer Programming) in 1996
James Butcher – US Air Force, serving from August 1992 to August 1996 as Senior Airman
MOS (Job) Information Management
Doreen Mundy (In the picture on the monitor held by James, she works remotely for Umbrella)
US Army, serving from October 2006 – April 2008 as E3 (Private First Class)
MOS (Job): 35M- Human Intelligence Collector
Kyle Nelson – US Air Force Active Duty and Air Guard, serving from April 2010 to Present as SSgt
MOS (Job): Spectrum Operations Manager and Ground Radar Technician
Nick Stebbins – US Army, serving from August 2008 – August 2012 as CPL (Corporal)
MOS (Job): 19K (M1 Abrams tank operator), Counter Insurgency (COIN) Team, TOC Day battle NCO, Raven Pilot, and Squad Designated Linguist.
Gary Jaklevich – US Army, serving from February 2003 – August 2008 as Sergeant
MOS (Job): 88M Transportation
Zach Lakin – US Army, serving from December 2000 – November 2016 as Staff Sergeant
MOS (Job): 31 E – Military Police Corrections
