TUCSON, Ariz. – On weekdays, they serve the public working on Arizona’s highways, but on weekends and when called to duty, they serve the country through the National Guard and Reserves.
This double duty can be challenging for service members who also work at the Arizona Department of Transportation, but it is something ADOT works to ease by being supportive and flexible with employees who serve in the military.
That commitment was recognized this week by the Department of Defense’s Employer Support for Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which honored ADOT and two Tucson-area supervisors for supporting employee and National Guard Specialist Ariel Platt.
Platt nominated Jeremy Moore and Anthony Torres for supporting his service with flexible schedules, time off for training and an appreciation for the skills he brings back to ADOT.
“If I’m gone on military orders, I’m not exactly having time off,” Platt said. “I’m training. I’m serving. That understanding means a lot.”
Platt nominated his supervisors for ESGR’s Patriot Award, an award supervisors can only receive through being nominated by one of their employees. According to ESGR, ADOT employees have honored nine supervisors in the past two years for their support of service members.
Platt is a construction inspector who has worked at ADOT for more than two years, serving in the National Guard for 12 years.
ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said the agency has actively recruited and hired military veterans because of the skills they’ve developed while serving their nation.
“We believe their skills are very valuable, especially from a leadership standpoint at the agency,” Toth said. “The adjustments you have to make for the time away are well worth the leadership skills they bring to the agency.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
