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| US Marine Corps Recruit Depot 1960 |
Serving country,
community, county
They
served their country as airmen, sailors, marines and soldiers in the U.S. Armed
Forces. Now, they’re serving their community and county.
SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF STORY for interactive workbook where you can search DCSO employees, departments and military branches.
A new Blue Blotter survey finds more than one-quarter of sworn officers
in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) are veterans. Soldiers account for 28-percent of the
commissioned officers and 18-percent of the entire staff.
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Deputy Joel White
US Marine Corps |
Joel White’s heart bleeds blue as a deputy in investigations
and a U.S. Marine.
“I believe in strong service to your community and that’s
what I teach my kids,” Deputy White says. “I have a huge sense of community, I
love helping people. I don’t do it for pay, I do it to help people and I’ll do
it for the rest of my life. It’s just who I am.”
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Deputy Joel White
U.S. Marines, Hot air refueler |
For five years in the mid 1990’s, the marine hot-refueled
Cobras and Huey helicopters carrying soldiers to the front lines in the desert
and jungles in
Okinawa.
As soon as White left
the military, he joined the sheriff’s office.
“I loved the comradery in the U.S. Marines Corp, but now I
have the best job on the planet. I’m blessed every day,” said Deputy White, who
chases down drug dealers with the Drug Enforcement Agency and disarms
explosives with the bomb squad.
OORAH! Army
Outnumbers Marines
According to the survey, most DCSO employees are U.S. Army (27),
while U.S. Marines rank second (22) and the U.S. Air Force comes in third (18).
There are at least 15 U.S. Navy sailors and at
least one member of the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Well,” joked Lt. Tommy Barrella, former Marine, “we could
have 50 Army and two Marines and they’d still be outnumbered.”
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Deputy John Compton
U.S. Navy |
With a smile, sailor and Deputy John Compton reminds
Barrella that Marines fall under the U.S. Navy hierarchy, making sailors the
toughest. The jokes go back and forth, but
in times of trouble, they stand together in the DCSO.
Barrella wanted to be a cop when he was 18, but he couldn’t get
in the police academy until he was 21.
So, he joined the Marines and became a military police officer. He says that prepared him for his job today
as head of the DCSO bomb squad and South Metro Drug Task Force.
Wired to Serve
The
17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, said
service members are "wired to serve." After they leave the military, most soldiers want
to protect their family, friends and neighbors.
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General Martin E. Dempsey
Chair, Joint Chiefs of Staff |
“They're
a part of the armed forces of the United States, doing the nation's bidding,
wherever that takes them and regardless of the personal risks and the
sacrifices that we ask of them and their families," General Martin E.
Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently said.
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Civ. George Schnurle
US Marine Corps |
There’s no doubt civilian records clerk George Schnurle is
wired to serve. In the late 1950’s, he held the Marines’ most honored and
valuable position—a drill instructor. Even at 75 years of age, the
take-no-prisoners Marine refuses to quit.
“I’m a glutton for punishment, but I love it,” Schnurle said. “You stay
young and alive by working around people and having fun.”
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Deputy Derek Castellano
U.S. Marines |
It must be fun, because Patrol Deputy Derek Castellano is still serving
in the US Marine Air Control Squadron. He was recently deployed for a state emergency mission to the Waldo Canyon Fire.
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Deputy Derek Castellano
US Marine Corps |
“I enjoy the group of airmen who I serve with. They’ve been a part of my
family and I enjoy spending time with them,” Deputy Castellano said. “Plus, our
country is at war and I feel it’s my responsibility to continue serving during
times of war.”
Patrol Bound
When soldiers come to the DCSO, they migrate to patrol.
According to the Blue Blotter survey, most veterans work in patrol (39), followed by
detentions (25), investigations (7), administrative services (5), support
services (3), professional standards (3) and 1 in emergency management.
The
transition from warrior to patrol deputy is a natural one. Both rely heavily on
responding to calls, enforcing the laws, and veterans say, trust.
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Deputy Dean Harris, 1990
U.S. Army
|
”Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen and Marines and Coast Guardsmen trust each other, they trust
their leaders, they trust the civilian leaders of our nation, and they trust
their fellow citizens. If they didn't, they'd never leave their base camps,
they'd never strap themselves into a cockpit, they'd never man the back of an
aircraft carrier, and they'd never descend beneath the waves,” Lt. Col. Randall
Smith, USAF Deputy Director of the Chairman’s Warrior and Family Support Office
told the Blue Blotter.
“Trust
is what holds our military and our law enforcement families together. To me,
preparedness to handle emergencies is also based on that idea. Superior
military units and superior law enforcement units trust each other; that
enables greatness,” Lt. Col. Smith said.
Deputy
Mark Barela, also a Master of Arms (Military Police) in the Navy Reserves, says
while his military and civilian careers compliment each other, it can be tough
doing both at the same time. But he’s
committed to protecting his country and his county.
“It takes away time from my family and I leave my team
short-handed on my training days. But the Sheriff’s office has always gone out
of its way to help me in my military career,” Barela said.
“The Navy Reserves
provides me with medical benefits, retirement, training and the added benefit
of being able to travel abroad.”
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Emergency Mgmt Dir. Tim Johnson
with Undersheriff Tony Spurlock |
Better Prepared
U.S.
Air Force pilot (KC-135’s) Tim Johnson says his experience with Search and
Rescue in Alaska looking for downed aircraft and lost hunters benefits him
today as the DCSO’s Emergency Management Director. He also says military experience helps job
applicants he considers hiring.
“Most
folks in the military understand the chain of command, working in law
enforcement which is paramilitary...those kinds of issues are second nature.
That aspect helps,” Johnson said.
It’s
a subliminal difference that separates civilians from soldiers, according to
Deputy David E. Weaver, a former First Sergeant military cop with the United
States Air Force.
“It
helps establish self discipline and we don’t want undiciplined cops. We want
cops who exercise self-restraint,” Weaver said. While Weaver thinks everyone
should do public service, he doesn’t think everyone is suited to be in the
military.
Weaver
joined the Air Force as a young man to keep from going to Vietnam with a gun. One
year later, he was deployed to Vietnam with a gun. He did two tours and helped evacuate Saigon
during the American pullout.
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Deputy Derek Castellano
U.S. Marines
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Still Serving
No one tracks the number of the county’s 1,080 employees who
are active duty soldiers according to Henry Bohn, Office of Veterans Affairs. Bohn
estimates there are between 27,000-29,000 veterans across
Douglas County
and estimates another 2,000-3,000 are active reserve guard military.
Deputy John Compton puts on thick gloves, locks on a helmet
and rides a motorcycle on patrol for the DCSO.
Then, he turns around and hunts for clandestine submarines from a
maritime patrol aircraft as a U.S. Navy Aircrewman. He does the about-face one
weekend a month and two weeks a year.
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Deputy John Compton
U.S. Navy, Kuwait 2007 |
“It’s a mind set that going out there and doing your part makes you who you
are. Staying in the military reserve is a way to go out and apply your training
and to keep the fight away from our homes,”
Compton said. “Being a reservist has
made me a better person and along the way also made me a better Deputy.”
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Deputy John Compton
U.S. Navy, Japan |
It’s a win-win situation.
Compton says he uses
training provided by the Navy at the Sheriff’s office and uses skills taught by
DCSO to work with fellow reservists.
Others agree that working full time and serving can be tough.
“They have to be proficient at two jobs and be ready to deploy without
notice,” Deputy Castellano said. “I’m very thankful that the Sheriff’s office
is very accommodating to my military duties, they support me by giving paid
days for military leave each year and they also subsidize my pay in the event I
get deployed.”
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Major General H. Michael Edwards
Adjutant General of Colorado |
In the DCSO, at least eight employees are still serving in
the reserves or the Colorado National Guard.
“Giving
back is the life blood of the National Guard. It's only logical to me that
members would seek fulltime or follow-on careers in a community support
capacity,"Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, Adjutant General of Colorado, told the Blue Blotter.
"National
Guard members are trained first to be Soldiers and Airmen who support a federal
combat mission. It's those skills that are used to save lives and prevent
suffering in the homeland. Their commitment to community, state and nation set
them apart from others. They are always ready, always there."
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Sheriff David A.Weaver
Douglas County Sheriff's Office |
In 2011, Sheriff David A. Weaver started a military house
watch program where deputies patrol the homes of military veterans across
Douglas County and check-in with their families while
the soldiers are deployed.
Sheriff
Weaver says he has high regard for people who give to their country.
“Citizens who are willing make the ultimate sacrifice for
all of us are the back bone of this wonderful country and we all owe them a
debt of gratitude,” Sheriff Weaver said. “I challenge everyone to thank those
that have and continue to serve this great country of ours.”
In the military house watch program, some deputies are
actually helping other deputies away on tours of duty.
“We would not be able
complete our tasks without them. It’s a great comfort to know that our families
are taken care of while we’re away,” Deputy Compton said.
No Regrets
Despite the hardships, the sacrifices, the suffering that
comes with war, most soldiers wouldn’t have it any other way. No regrets. The
military taught them discipline and for some, gave them family.
Deputy Frank “Gunner” Alston joined the Marines because he
wanted to be part of something. He was
raised in an orphanage in Danville,
Virginia. Alston first met his
mom and grandparents at age 15. He worked
three jobs and lived on his own. All that changed when he heard a commercial, stopped
at a local recruiter and joined the Marines.
“I was tired of working and not having a sense of
belonging,” Alston said, an infantry Marine who worked as a Gunnery Sergeant. “The
leadership that was instilled in me guides the way I live my life. I have
always been a protector.”
After retiring as an Infantry Weapons Officer, Alston worked
at Coca Cola repairing vending machines. Once again, he felt alone.
So, he applied at DCSO as a specialist and
found a new family.
“I’m still in uniform and still serving,” Alston said. “I do
miss the Marines…I wish only to do it again. I’d love to have the 20/20
hindsight. But being with DCSO fills part of the void.”
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You can sort by department, military branch or war. Or scroll across and read about DCSO employees and the years they served. Just click on the interactive workbook below to get started!
OUT OF THE DARKNESS, September 8, 2012
Two women who know the value of life are Phyllis Harvey,
coordinator of Youth, Education and Safety in Schools and Sheri Cole, whose
son committed suicide in 2009. The women
have worked relentlessly to take the shame and secretiveness out of suicide. This
year, the two organized 
