A budget analyst's experience: deployment to Taszar.

On the morning of June 16, 2000, I awoke, as I do every morning, to the aroma of fresh coffee and the comfort of a warm bed. Not knowing if I would be able to enjoy either for the next six months, I decided to enjoy the moment for a while longer.

I was to be deployed that day, "downrange"; I was uncertain what conditions lay ahead. Not only was I going downrange, I was going to be responsible for a multimillion-dollar budget for the U.S. National Support Element in Taszar, Hungary. As "wheels-up" time came closer and closer, I became more anxious by the moment. Having been in Germany for only 7 months at the time, I was about to be away from family and friends for almost an equal amount of time!

Donning my newly acquired battle dress uniform (BDU) and with "battle rattle" and duffle bags full of equipment, I boarded the plane heading south. The first stop was Sarajevo, a beautiful city ravaged by the war. The sight of an enormous aircraft stranded in a minefield is a constant reminder of the still-looming potential danger.

The next stop was Eagle Base, in Tuzla, for some lunch and aircraft refueling. I started to see more and more people who were wearing the same BDUs as I was. Finally, we arrived in Taszar, home of the U.S. National Support Element.

As I exited the plane and entered the terminal, the comptroller, Al Davis, greeted me. I had several questions for him: What is life like here? What are my responsibilities? What are the staff members like? And, also important, how is the food?!

Being a "silivilian," too, Al could relate to my apprehensions, as he had experienced them himself. My transition went quite well, and I was very appreciative of his help, experience, and patience.

Now, it was my turn...I was to become the manager of all the funds for the U.S. National Support Element, approximately $13 million. This job was unlike any other that I had ever had. In this job, my actions and decisions directly affected all of the troops assigned to this unit. Quite a task, but I was prepared to accept the challenge.

Conducting resource management functions in a deployed environment is vastly different from that in a garrison setting. Funding documents, travel orders, and obligating documents are (and must be) processed manually and in much shorter time frames that in a non-contingency environment. Also, being a member of the commander's staff posed additional responsibilities: keeping the commander appraised of the funding status, providing fiscal advice on funding issues, and conducting scheduled Program and Budget Advisory Committee briefings. Having the ability to directly (and expeditiously) support troops gave me an overwhelming sense of pride that I have never had in the source management discipline.

The role of the comptroller also involved having visibility of where all the funds are executed in the Area of Operations (AO). So, off I went to visit our AO: Riejka, Zagreb (Croatia), Sarajevo, Tuzla (Bosnia-Herzegovina). On the road to Sarajevo (via Tuzla), one gets a firsthand view of why we are in the Balkans. Muslims and Serbs, living literally across the street from one another, are diametrically opposed in doctrine and belief--the potential for hostilities remains....

Being deployed was quite the experience! It gave me a broader exposure to the resource management world and opened my eyes to much, much more. It let me know two important things: I can do anything I set my mind to, and the United States is a great nation and a great peacemaker in the world.

My experience being deployed as a civilian, which lasted 9 months, provided me with the most career-enhancing event ever. My recommendation: If you have the opportunity and you are the least bit adventurous, DO IT!

Lloyd Walker began his government career in March 1988 as a Pace Scholar intern. He continued his career in the Manpower and Force Management Division for HQ, Armament, Munition and Chemical Command (AMCCOM), Rock Island, Illinois. He has served in a number of positions in resource management, including budget analyst in the Environmental Management Division of HQ, Industrial Operations Command (IOC). In one of several developmental assignments, he served as a program analyst, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial serving as the program manager for the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreements (ACSA) for HQ, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) in Heidelberg, Germany, where he is a member of the Heidelberg Chapter of ASMC.