Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003

have found that their civilian and
military jobs have much in common.
Perry, a member of UAW
Local 869, found that his work as
a hi-lo driver at Warren Stamping
helped him understand the importance
of getting supplies to their
destination. “If we don’t get the
customers what they need, it could
close plants. In the military, if we
don’t get people what they need, it
could cost lives,” says Perry, who
was responsible for receiving, processing
and distributing supplies at
the base warehouse.
Service and Sacrifice
His colleague at the warehouse, Davis-
Flanagan, knows that sacrifice is part of
military service. A 21-year veteran of
the U.S. Army Reserve, the UAW Local
1264 member had to leave behind a
husband and a daughter. “My husband
is very supportive, and so are other
family members,” says Davis-Flanagan,
who deployed with the 300th MP
Brigade. “But my 6-year-old daughter
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Their reasons for serving range from
patriotism to self-improvement …
says, ‘Mommy, you’re missing my birthday
party.’ Overall, though, she’s trying
real hard to support me.”
Davis-Flanagan says she was able
to put what she’s learned in her plant’s
Transportation/Hi-Lo Department to
use at the base. “The experience I
gained at Sterling Stamping helped
me complete my mission, which
entails a lot of price matching and
cost cutting,” she explains.
Exercising Leadership
Army Reserve Major George F. Bowman
Jr. sees crossovers in leadership. “As
an officer, you must effectively manage
people and resources,” he says. “As an
assembly area manager at Warren
Stamping, I use the same skills. The
leadership skills you gain from military
service are priceless.”
Bowman, who is attached to
300th MP Brigade Headquarters,
is true to his family’s
legacy of military service. “My
father, my uncle, my grandfather,
my wife, my father-inlaw
and all three of my brothersin-law
are serving or have
served our country through military
service,” he says. “They
miss me, but they know that it
is the right thing to do.”
After nine years of active duty,
Bowman chose to continue in
the U.S. Army Reserve. “I believe
in the concept of the citizensoldier,”
he says. “And the great
people I’ve met here who are also
citizen-soldiers have reinforced
my resolve to continue.”
Like Bowman, Sgt. 1st
Class Daniel J. Ferdinande
decided to stay on after a tour
of active duty. He enlisted in 1984,
served for four years and has put in
an additional 15 years with the
Army Reserve.
On a Mission
His reasons are straightforward: “I
enlisted to serve my country, develop
discipline and learn skills that would
benefit me my entire life,” says
Ferdinande, a member of the 785th
MP Battalion. “I think the mission
here is very important to the security
of our country. Every service member
in Guantanamo Bay plays an important
role in fighting the war on terrorism.”
A welder equipment repairman at
Sterling Stamping, Ferdinande was
noncommissioned officer in charge of
the facilities (maintenance) section at
the base. “I use a lot of the mechanical
and troubleshooting skills that I
have learned as a skilled tradesman
in my role as NCOIC,” says the UAW
Local 1264 member. “Working in the
automotive industry involves many
different situations and different
types of people.”
All four DaimlerChrysler workers
will continue to face the challenges of
a new kind of war. “We haven’t seen
anything like this before. When I was
in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, we
knew who the enemy was,” says Perry,
whose 15 years of military experience
include four years of active duty. “Now
your enemy could live right next door
to you and you might not know it. Like
so many others, I am motivated by the
tragedy of September 11 to do my
part in this war on terrorism. I just
hope the rest of America does its part
and supports us.”
— Michael J. McDermott
REUTERS
26 www.uawdcx.com