Retired Marine lands private sector job after ETAP/TAP

Feb. 20--After 20 years with the Marine Corps, Hank Brown decided to work for an entrepreneurial company.

A retired lieutenant colonel, Brown sought independence with the challenge of merit-based pay.

He was successful in achieving his goal, in part, due to his completion of Fort Meade's Executive Transition Assistance Program Workshop and the Navy'sTransition Assistance Program a little more than a year ago.

"It provided a venue that got me out of the near-term focus of my daily responsibilities on active duty," Brown said. "[It] helped me to think and dream about what could be next."

He is now the managing director for the Washington, D.C., office of CAI, a medium sized, privately owned IT solutions company based in Pennsylvania.

Brown, who resides in Severna Park, is starting a cyber practice in partnership with several local companies and is initiating teaming agreements with nonprofits.

ETAP and TAP are open to military personnel of all service branches. ETAP is targeted to ranks E-8, E-9, W-4, W-5, and O-5 and above.

TAP is offered to Soldiers with more than 180 days of continuous active-duty service and their families.

The programs provide pre-separation counseling, employment assistance, relocation assistance, education and training, and information about health, life insurance and finances.

Both programs arm service members with skills and knowledge to meet their professional goals after retirement or separation.

Brown enrolled in Fort Meade's ETAP because the Navy/Marine Corps did not offer a similar program on the installation.

"The vast majority of our service members enter the military directly from high school or college. For the duration of their military service, they tend to largely focus on achieving the mission," said George Matthews, Fort Meade's Transition Services manager.

"TAP is extremely important in helping service members transition because it exposes them to all the benefits, services and contact points that can significantly increase their transition success. ... Most service members only separate once, therefore there's no track record of experience in knowing how to execute this action. TAP provides the tools that enable members to successfully navigate this critically important journey."

Matthews said Brown was successful in transitioning to the private sector partly because he was focused and he began the process early.

Eighteen months before his projected retirement, Brown started the process with Countess Simiyu, the contractor installation manager at the Army Career and Alumni Program Center at Fort Meade's Transition Services Program.

Fifteen months out, he enrolled in ETAP and at the six-month mark, he enrolled in the Navy's TAP at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

A congressional mandate requires all military members to start TAP at least one year prior to separation/retirement. However, End-of-Term-of-Service members may start the process two years from separation. Potential retirees may start the process during their 18th year of service.

Matthews said that, unfortunately, many service members do not start a year ahead of time due to several assumptions that are not true. They incorrectly believe they must first have orders to retire or separate and that they must file for retirement. In addition, many ETS military members assume that if they start TAP, they will be compelled to separate.

"ETS is a contract and a decision between the military service and the service member," Matthews said. "Starting TAP does not impact that personnel action."

Brown said he thought about his future goals before enrolling in TAP, and knew he wanted to continue to serve.

"Through a good amount of self-study and mentoring, I determined that independence was the most important criteria to me," he said. "TAP helped me identify my goals and set the course to achieve them."

Brown said he refined his resume, updated his wardrobe and interviewing skills, and made an effort to seek out professional mentors and contacts through networking.

"I think that some people who transition out of the military think that their perceived merit to a potential employer will be assumed because of their military service, or it will be accepted because of their qualifications on paper," Brown said. "Written qualifications might be necessary to 'open doors,' but I think for most leaders in the civilian workforce, trust is the No. 1 qualification, followed by talent and work ethic."

Brown said that while the military selects candidates for important positions based on their performance record, civilians hire candidates who are "personally known, personally proven and personally trusted. ...

"The trust that is implicit in the military is not assumed on the outside," he said.

Brown said that veterans, armed with ETAP and TAP, and their own personal initiative and hard work, can successfully transition to a job at a similar or higher level than they had in the military.

"It is unlikely veterans will be given much in the private sector just because they are vets," he said. "But by capitalizing on the qualities most of us developed in the service like integrity, work ethic, professionalism and flexibility, we can jump in to the civilian sector and flourish."

Due to his desire to continue to serve, Brown is helping other veterans transition to the private sector.

"My office is engaged with the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment and other similar organizations for this reason, and I am personally mentoring transitioning veterans," he said. "I find this to be fulfilling work, plus it is an opportunity to meet high-quality individuals and form new relationships."

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