LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- John works at the $180 million Carlson Wagonlit
Travel/WTS here, spending his days planning software development,
overseeing a help desk, ensuring the Web site is up to snuff --
whatever it takes to keep the back office shipshape.
To some, that may sound dull.
In fact, John says, managing an IT operation is dull -- but
that's just fine with him because it provides a low-pressure
contrast to his other, considerably more stressful life, as a
reservist in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
When on active duty in that other life, John -- because of the
covert nature of special-ops work, he declined to release his
surname for publication -- typically works in countries "where the
government doesn't allow us to move freely," which means he isn't
entering by the front door and showing a passport.
Assignments for his small unit of six can involve taking
prisoners (such as individuals on most-wanted-terrorist lists),
orchestrating rescue operations or scouting potential military
targets and maybe hitting the targets, as well. The rescue of Pfc.
Jessica Lynch is the kind of assignment his unit might get, John
added.
Lying low in a jungle
The work can be plenty scary, too: He recalled the time he was
lying low in a jungle when the "bad guys almost stepped on my
fingers. You'd swear they can hear your heart beating because you
sure can."
There have been mishaps: John has been shot three times and
stabbed once, but on his luckiest day, he escaped being blown to
bits by seconds.
Much of this excitement occurred before John left active Army
duty in 1994. Then came 9/11, and his unit was called up that
November. John was on leave from Carlson Wagonlit for 13 months,
returning this January. During that time, he served in Afghanistan
"and other countries."
The major battles may be over in Iraq now, but John expects his
unit to be called up again. He does not know where he will be sent;
it could be Iraq or another location relevant to the military's
role there.
John's civilian career is in information technology, and his job
at Carlson Wagonlit is his first in the travel industry. He joined
the agency in April 2001, but, he noted, he has been away from the
shop longer than he's been on the job.
Under federal law, a reservist called into active duty is
entitled to a military leave of absence for up to five years.
The employer, John said, does not have to hold the reservist's
specific job open but must provide an equivalent job and pay when
the reservist returns. Carlson Wagonlit, he said, held his
position.
When he realized he might be called up in late 2001, John said
he and colleagues determined how to hand off parts of his work to
other staffers who could handle them for a year or two, if
needed.
For some of the more technical elements, he said, the agency
hired someone on a temporary basis, but that job became permanent
as the agency grew.
On duty in Afghanistan
Meanwhile, John's absence heightened his colleagues' interest in
world events.
Lee Thomas, vice president of finance and John's boss, said,
"The news was so captivating for us anyway, but knowing he was
there, I was more attentive."
John also sent occasional e-mails and photos, which, Thomas
said, sometimes were posted on the company intranet for
employees.
The staff sergeant wasn't reporting from anything like a fam
trip, to be sure, but John can see that his military adventures
sometimes have a touristic side.
First there are his personal experiences: "I get to play out
every tourist's wildest dreams. I live with the indigenous people:
I live in their homes, I eat their food, I see sites tourists
wouldn't see."
This is facilitated because he is fluent in Spanish and has a
"working knowledge" of French, Arabic and Pashto, the language of
the Pathan residents of eastern Afghanistan and western
Pakistan.
Do John's travels have relevance to agents selling vacations?
For now, "not a whole lot," he said, but he clearly liked
Afghanistan. In a few years, he believes it will be "the spot to
beat all spots."
In total, his assignments have taken John to 30 countries on
five continents, he said, but some operations were so secret he
cannot name the countries.
No Somalia sales talk
In some of the places John can talk about, the future for
tourism isn't that promising, so he is not likely, for example, to
discuss Somalia much in this context. However, other destinations
on his list may have a future, including Bosnia and Cuba.
John said he believes he can offer information to his colleagues
about potentially appealing attractions and certainly about the
cultures.
Colleagues already are interested in what he does and has to
say, regardless of immediate business considerations. Cindy
Bowling, director of corporate operations, said staffers tend to
discuss world events with John more than they might with others
because he has been part of those events.
And, she said, "a lot of people look up to him" because of his
military exploits.
Thomas characterized John as a "smart, well-educated guy," but
said that before John was called to active duty in 2001, Thomas
"didn't pay a lot of attention" to the fact he was a reservist.
Now, he said, John is no longer "just a co-worker. He's a
friend, so you worry, too."
Thomas also said he had advised staffers to give John time "to
get into the swing" of the job after returning from overseas, but
"I was amazed at how fast" he switched to his civilian life.
John said the switch is "very difficult. I am still learning to
deal with that. In a way, [the Army and the agency job] go very
well together. For a year-plus, it was a very stressful life. It
stretches you to the limits. Here, I can take a breath and
recapture myself, enjoy civilization again."
He said he could even see similarities between his special-ops
roles and his agency assignments. "You always have to resolve
problems with few or no resources. You have to be innovative and
creative. We are problem solvers" in each environment, he said.
John said he left the Army in 1994 to pursue his education.
However, in departing full-time duty, he opted to be a reservist
with a special-ops focus.
That meant he could not simply report to a local reserve unit in
the town of his choice; he had to relocate to be where a
special-ops group is based.
"We have to fit life around that and go where the units are,"
John said.
That also means physical training almost every day. In addition,
John said, on a daily basis he checks his equipment, practices
communications skills or works on survival techniques.
100-pound rucksacks
"When we are called, we need to move and we need to carry
100-pound rucksacks," he said.
That load includes a specialized laptop that is a bit like a
PDA, John said, and is made of tough stuff to tolerate hard use.
However, he said, the laptop or any gadgets can't be too big or too
complicated, so the hardware does not change much "but the software
does."
John is in one of three reserve companies with 26 members each,
and those units rotate overseas assignments. One is always in the
U.S., he said, and one unit returned in April, which means two are
here now. That fact -- plus world events -- probably explains why
John expects to be activated again soon.
Thomas knows John could be called any time, but "we move here as
if he will still be here. Maybe that is naive or wishful
thinking."
Nevertheless, he said, "I look into John's office every day to
see if he's there," and it's no wonder.
When John left in 2001, he had driven home to pick up the lunch
he neglected to carry to the office in the morning. While at home,
he "got the call" and did not return to the office until after a
two-week, pre-assignment training program.
Then he was gone for the "few months" that turned into 13.