Soldier turns passion into Army career

-- Spc. Warren W. Wright, Jr.

JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany – Inside the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division’s joint operations command building, the computers are up and running. The sounds of Soldiers working diligently fill the small building. They are able to coordinate with their allies and send communications to the various units under their command.

However, if it wasn’t for the hard work and detailed computer knowledge of Staff Sgt. Adam D. Repcik of Long Beach, Calif., the computer communications systems would cease to function.

Repcik, a nine-year veteran of the Army, is an information security officer, responsible for ensuring communication interoperability among the coalition nations involved in Cooperative Spirit 2008, a multinational combat center rotation involving the American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand armies.

Interoperability, or the ability of alliance forces to train and operate effectively together in the execution of assigned missions and tasks, is the main reason for ABCA coming together at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany. Interoperability also means software compatibility, and without the computer expertise of Repcik, the test of interoperability would have never been able to happen.

“Part of interoperability is to allow for all the different nations to be able to talk to each other,” said Repcik.

Repcik was able to configure the networks of the nations’ computer systems to ensure that the various commands would have the ability to communicate effectively together and organize their tasks accordingly.

“He’s the type of person who will not quit a job until he’s done,” said Sgt. 1st Class Paul Davis, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the communications and automation section for the 3/2 SBCT headquarters company. “Once finished he’ll look back and ensure it was done properly.”

"He is always confident when it comes to his work,” he added. “He’s always sure about what he’s doing, and if he’s unsure, he won’t do it. He’s not afraid to ask for help.”

Repcik started his career at Fort Gordon, Ga., where he learned to work on the Army’s computers. His current duty station is at Fort Lewis, Wash., where he not only works on the Army’s computer systems, but he also builds computers in his free time, which he has been doing for the past 10 years.

He said he shares his passion for computers in the work place, and he can still see himself doing the same job five years from now, either as a Soldier or as a civilian.

"He’s very intelligent,” Davis added. “He shows it every day by his attitude and his initiative at work. He’s the type of person who never comes into work unhappy or depressed. He’s always in a good mood.”

There are frustrations involved with his job just like any other job in the Army, said Repcik. But so far he has always been able to find the solution to any problem he has encountered and he uses that knowledge to better help him solve similar problems in the future.

Not everyone is able to turn their passion into a career, but Repcik is able to use his enthusiasm for computer systems to help ensure that the 3/2 SBCT, along with its allies, have the ability to operate effectively and ensure success in their missions.