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March 21, 2006

Enid city employees step up to serve in the military

By Robert Barron

Serving the residents of Enid while at the same time serving their country makes some Enid city employees stand out.

Twelve city employees are members of the U.S. military, including National Guard and Marines.

Enid Finance Director Jerald Gilbert is a 20-year veteran of the 45th Division of the National Guard and holds the rank of major. He was mobilized in 2003, but did not go overseas.

Gilbert has a bachelor’s degree in economics and accounting from Oklahoma State University and has a master’s in business administration from Phillips University.

Gilbert joined because the benefits offered were intriguing to him, but there was also a sense of service that appealed to him.

“Everyone should serve two years for their country, whether in the Guard, the active military or even the Peace Corps.”

Those city employees who serve in the military are serving both their country and their community, he said.

“One reason the Iraq war hit home as much as it did is because of the use of Guard and reservists. It’s quite a commitment on the part of a reservist to commit long-term like that to the military,” he said.

Those city employees who also serve in the military should be congratulated, he said.

A few of those serving briefly discussed their service:

That friendly voice you hear if you call Enid Police Department may belong to Kristi Stowers a member of the Marine Reserves.

Stowers has been a Marine for two years. Originally from the Fairmont area, she also has a brother in the Marine Corps.

She joined for the money and is a ground radio repair technician. If a radio malfunctioned in the field, Stowers is one of the people who would go repair it, wherever it is.

The Marines have taught Stowers many things that help her in her job with the city.

“I learned about hard work,” she said. The Marine Corps also instilled in Stowers a sense of responsibility and helps during stressful situations.

Police officer John Robinson has been in the Oklahoma National Guard for seven-and-a-half years.

Robinson was a member of the high school ROTC at Enid High School and thought the military would help him go to college.

“I was surprised. I went to basic at 17 and I had to grow up real fast,” he said.

Robinson did a split operation, serving his basic training over two summers so he could attend his senior year in high school.

“The mission of the military has changed,” he said.

Rather than shooting tanks, they concentrate on areas like clearing out buildings and working in an urban environment, like troops are doing in Iraq.

He thinks that gives him an advantage as a police officer. If he should get into a firefight on the job, he has the additional training to handle it.

“Overall, it’s made me a better officer, more confident in my ability,” he said.

Robert Fleer, also an Enid police officer, has been a member of the 45th division seven-and-a-half years.

Fleer runs a computer system for field artillery, learning high tech skills.

Fleer was considering the military in high school until he began to receive track scholarship offers from various schools. He attended the University of Oklahoma on a track scholarship, for a “short time” before leaving to start with Enid Police Department.

He said the military training has helped him stay in shape and work as part of a team, all values that will come in handy as a police officer.

Allen Elder is an Enid animal control officer and a 22-year member of the National Guard.

Elder joined the National Guard in 1984 at age 18 and said he will stay in as long as they let him.

He has been deployed a number of times and recently served a brief deployment in New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina.

Firefighter Gary Madison also is a member of the National Guard, which he has served for seven years.

Madison joined at age 23, saying he has had no surprises. He has been a firefighter four years.

His National Guard training is sometimes inconvenient for other firefighters to cover, but he said he has always been able to get off.

Being a reservist is a long-term commitment and they maintain the local connection, because the armories are local, he said.

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