Military lessons for U.S. civilians
From Camp Justice at Guantanamo Bay to an aircraft carrier off the coast of Brazil, Barrington's Dirk Beveridge is getting an up-close look this week at life in the military.
Beveridge is among nearly 50 business, civic and education leaders from around the country invited to participate in the Department of Defense's 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference this week.
Started in 1948, the conference is the oldest existing Pentagon outreach program. It's designed to give participants better insight into military life, both abroad and at home.
More Coverage Updates on the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference
"We show them what our men and women in uniform are doing every day," said David Evans, active director of community relations for the Department of Defense.
Besides attending briefings by senior military and civilian officials, Evans said the program goes a few steps further by giving participants the hands-on experiences of observing exercises, participating in training and interacting with troops stationed here and abroad.
"They put in some pretty long hours on this trip," Evans said.
The seven-day program, which started Friday at the Pentagon, includes stops at Guantanamo Bay; the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is currently off the coast of Brazil; Bogota, Tolemaida and Cartagena in Columbia; the Joint Task Force-Bravo station in Honduras; the Joint Interagency Task Force in Key West, Fla.,; and the U.S. Southern Command Station in Miami.
Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, the Navy Team Leader for the conference, is keeping a daily blog for those interested in keeping up with the group's activities.
In addition to Beveridge, other participants include Michael McKinney, chancellor of the Texas AM University System; David Oreck, founder of Oreck vacuums; and Terry Strle, the mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska.
The group had a packed day Saturday at Guantanamo Bay.
"We've experienced weapons training, fast boat trips en route to the other side of the bay, tours of Camp Delta where detainees are being held, and a look at Camp Justice in advance of Military Commissions," DeWalt wrote.
After the Cuba trip, it was off to the USS George Washington.
"Seeing a sailor about 19 or 20 years old driving an aircraft carrier, and other young sailors brilliantly maneuvering multi-million-dollar aircraft on the flight deck in the pitch dark of night -- these are images that will be with all of us for years to come," DeWalt wrote in his blog Sunday.
Beveridge is president of 4th Generation Systems, a sales, marketing and leadership development firm.
In 2004, he started We Do Care, a nonprofit organization that provides tangible support for servicemen and women in uniform, veterans and military families.
Beveridge was among 400 people nominated for the program by officials within the Department of Defense.
Several factors were considered when choosing several dozen participants, Evans said, including how well they'd relay the tales of their adventure to friends and neighbors.
When the conference is over, Evans said they hope everyone will come away with a better understanding of what today's military is like and just how much dedication the soldiers show each day.
"They will come out of this at the back end exhausted," Evans said, "and with great big smiles on their faces."