MNIT Celebrates Veterans Day
11/10/2020 9:49:48 AM
On Wednesday, November 11th, 2020, we celebrate Veterans Day. At Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), we recognize the enormous contributions of men and women who served the country in uniform. Throughout our history, military service members put on their uniforms to protect the values and liberties of our nation, but that doesn’t stop once the uniform comes off and their time in active duty ends. Veterans take the lessons they learned and the experiences they gained to continue their service to our nation and strengthen our communities. This Veterans Day, we honor the men and women who continue to serve our country.
Recently we caught up with a few of our MNIT veterans about how their military experience made a significant impact on them both professionally and personally. We want to thank all our veterans for their service!
The below is edited and condensed for clarity.
Colleen Adams is a Senior Project Manager for MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Adams was active duty Air Force stationed primarily out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. She also spent time in Texas and Mississippi for training, and was deployed to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Bahrain in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Adams spent six years in the Air Force before being recruited by a government contracting firm to provide computer tracking and support to train Air Force pilots.
Adams: I was an accountant before I joined the military. At that time, computers were really starting to become valuable in the field. I joined the Air Force to get training on computers and to learn how they could further the data processing. It was new and exciting to use technology for communications, data processing, and to support bomber crews. Once I got my taste of technology and computers, I never returned to accounting. My military experience, and the work I did in support of the federal government, positioned me for my first job in state government with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in 1994. I have held various IT positions in my 26 years with the state of Minnesota, but my favorite one has been as a project manager for software development projects.
Adams: My passion has always been in public service and the state has offered me many opportunities to serve in a variety of business areas, with different and interesting positions, and the ability to work with ever-changing technology. It’s been exciting, rewarding, and a great place to spend my career.
Jeffrey Duvio is a Telecom Coordinator for MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Duvio served eight years with the United States Navy. He was stationed on U.S.S. Anzio CG-68 Cruiser 2005-2010 as Communications Watch Officer and in the Naples, Italy Command Task Force 69 2010-2013 as Secret Intelligence Supervisor.
Jeffrey Duvio during his service with the U.S. Navy.
Duvio: The Navy honed my IT skills by sending me to networking and radio frequency group schools and providing me security training from Comptia Security+ and A+. It provided structure and on-the-job skills that enhanced my career in IT, auditing, and project management.
Duvio: If you meet other veterans in the work force, try very hard to be patient with them. They come out of military service with a new set of challenges to transition into the civilian world. Getting back into new social climates, different work conditions, and adjusting to non-military life is a large hurdle for most.
Duvio (left) during his time working with the Minnesota Zoo.
Dan Kuntz is an Enterprise Network Service Manager for the Network and Telecom Division of Minnesota IT Services. Kuntz served in the United States Army from 1988-1992 as part of the Signal Support Company in Berlin, Germany. He then served from 1992-1995 as a member of the Army Reserve, based out of Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
Dan Kuntz in uniform during his service.
Kuntz: Providing computer and network support to the Berlin Command has served me well in my career. I started my career in IT by supporting IBM 8088 and 8086 computers that had dual 5 ¼ inch floppy drives, monochrome monitors, no hard drives, and 512k of ram – allowing me to develop a solid background in troubleshooting. I learned how to break down problems, which at times seem impossible, to the basics and solve them with a combination of experience and common sense.
The military leadership training I received also taught me that you personally don’t need to have all the answers, but you need to know where to look for the answers. This includes surrounding yourself with good people that compliment your own skills to solve whatever problems are thrown in front of you.
Kuntz: I served in Berlin, Germany during the Cold War while the Berlin Wall was still standing. We were 110 miles inside East Germany, surrounded by 250,000 Soviet forces. As one of the 10,000 service members in Berlin, between the American, British, and French Allied forces, I was on the front line against the U.S.S.R. Seeing the Berlin Wall fall and German unification was an amazing time in our history that I’m honored to have witnessed.
Kuntz with his wife visiting Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Melanie Olson is a Financial Applications and Data Warehouse Supervisor in the Financial Management Systems Division, partnering with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). She served in the United States Army around the world, starting basic training in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and serving as part of Desert Storm and Desert Shield Saudi Arabia for eight months. Olson finished the remaining of her four-year commitment in the Minnesota National Guard while utilizing the GI Bill to attend college.
Olson: Both of my grandmothers lived through the Great Depression and along with my mother, survived through much hardship and loss. I inherited their perseverance and grit which helped me throughout my service. The schools I attended before heading to my permanent duty station had over a 50% dropout rate.
My military positions required me to put great effort into contingency planning. I use the same sort of planning methodology in the work I perform at the state and in my personal life.
As a data analyst, applying situational awareness that I learned in the military translates perfectly to being data-driven. I strive to use as much diverse data as possible in any situation. I also learned to deal with uncertainty, learn from your mistakes, and maintain focus and concentration when surrounded by distractions.
Melanie Olson in basic training with friends that have remained close for more than 30 years. Rhonda Rogers (lower right); Melanie Olson (lower left); Leslie Jensen (upper left); Mara Glesener (upper right).
Olson: My grandfather, Major Don Merrill Beerbower, was one of the top aces from World War II and was killed in action after the D-Day invasion. Major Beerbower was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2000. He selected Wah Kau Kong, the first Chinese American fighter pilot, to be his wing man and both men were credited for making the 353rd Fighter Squadron a top scoring squadron of WWII. Minnesota Vietnam Veteran/Aviator/Author, Paul Sailer, wrote two books about Major Beerbower: “The Oranges are Sweet: Major Don M. Beerbower and the 353rd Fighter Squadron” and “I Had a Comrade”. I’m very proud of my grandfather’s service.
I would like to thank all veterans and their families for their service to this great nation. I served my country so that all Americans not only have the right to vote, but also are able to use their vote without being deterred. I am very optimistic and want to remind everyone: “perseverance, secret of all triumphs,” a great quote from Victor Hugo. Our 2020 has been a difficult year and we are proud to come together to celebrate those who have served our country.
