2002 Veterans issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

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BOB ROLF Maintenance Area Manager, Huntsville Electronics Naval Reserve, Naval Air Station, Atlanta, Ga. Operation Noble Eagle: Sept. 20, 2001–April 9, 2002 Prior active duty: 1971–1973, 1980–1985 C mdr. Robert Rolf was tapped for active duty because of his familiarity with a particular installation, the Naval Air Warfare Center Orlando. Some 1,100 people work on the 50-acre Florida complex, where classified research and development are conducted on aviation warfare and simulation technology. Just days after September 11, Rolf became the facility’s Force Protection and Anti-Terrorism Officer for Homeland Defense — a full-time job that didn’t exist prior to the terrorist attacks. Within 48 hours of receiving the call, he was on his way. “You wanted to do something, and the need was in our own backyard,” Rolf says. “Basically, we were helping to lock down the United States.” The most unnerving step in the process was the flight down to Florida. “There was no one there [at the Atlanta Airport], and nobody knew what was next,” he recalls. “I was one of six people on the plane — there were more flight attendants than passengers.” Rolf immediately had 45 people under his command. “Because of the shortage of personnel, they said, ‘Here, this is what you’ve been practicing for all these years. Go do it,’” he says. His days consisted of monitoring classified message traffic, overseeing daily armed security staffing on a 24/7 watch and coordinating with local and federal law enforcement agencies. “What we were doing took a revisiting of things that were done 60 years ago,” he says. “We hadn’t experienced anything like this since Pearl Harbor.” It was tough leaving his wife and two teenage daughters behind — he saw them only once in seven months, when they came to visit at Thanksgiving. Like most military spouses, Sharon Rolf supported her husband’s decision to serve, even though he was close to military retirement. “Do what you’ve got to do,” she told him, “but promise me you’ll retire when you’re done.” Rolf has nominated DaimlerChrysler President and CEO Dieter Zetsche for a Department of Defense award for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for Zetsche’s swift action in pledging wage and benefit support to workers serving temporary post–9/11 duty. TOP: MARK BONDERENKO, RIGHT: BILL SCHWAB 8 www.uaw-daimlerchryslerntc.org
TONI SPENCER Housekeeping, DaimlerChrysler Technology Center UAW Local 412 Army National Guard Operation Noble Eagle: Feb. 4–June 22, 2002 Prior active duty: 1988–1995 S gt. Toni Spencer felt a poignant tug on her heartstrings when she was called to serve at Detroit’s Light Guard Armory, where five separate Guard units are trained. Several weeks earlier, her 13-yearold daughter, Destiny, had written a letter to her grandmother, contemplating what she’d do if she lost her mother. “That made it harder to go,” says Spencer, a single parent, “but I told her that when I joined, it was to protect my country, and that sometimes you have to do things because you will always have that feeling that you made a difference.” Spencer, 32, was stationed close to home and commuted, which meant she saw her daughter most evenings and weekends. Still, thanks to long days and uncertain demands, she left Destiny in the care of the girl’s grandparents for the duration of her active service. The first couple of months were unnerving for Spencer, whose 1072nd Maintenance Company performed security duty. “You didn’t know the faces of the people who came to work every day,” she says, “and sometimes you wondered, were they telling the truth? You always had your guard up because once you get to that tight security point, anything can happen.” Despite the constant vigilance required on duty, Spencer says, she’s never regretted her decision to serve. “It’s something to be proud of.” ■ TOMORROW VETERANS DAY 2002 9
Page 1 and 2: LOOKING AHEAD AT THE UAW-DAIMLERCHR
Page 3 and 4: LOOKING AHEAD AT THE UAW-DAIMLERCHR
Page 5 and 6: WORKERS IN THE GUARD AND RESERVES M
Page 7: G iven the post-9/11 shortage of mi
Page 11 and 12: The terrorist attacks of September
Page 13 and 14: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR JIM ASHBAUGH shi
Page 15 and 16: BELVIDERE ASSEMBLY STERLING HEIGHTS
Page 17 and 18: Ray C. Leslie Ray C. Leslie Job: Pa
Page 19 and 20: William M. Jones Polish Repair, War
Page 21 and 22: hey say that life is what happens w
Page 23 and 24: Gerald Fivecoate Sr. Electrician, K
Page 25 and 26: JOHN SOBCZAK/LORIEN STUDIOS FROM LE
Page 27 and 28: Observances Time Out to Remember Ma

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