May is National Military Appreciation Month, which celebrates those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It’s a month that has special resonance for some members of the University of Hartford’s Department of Public Safety, who served in the National Guard prior to joining the UHart family.
Chaun Jones, who has been with the department for five years, says he draws on his experience in the Connecticut Army National Guard every day. Serving 21 years in the Guard’s Military Police Corps unit, Jones was deployed overseas to such far-flung locations as Panama, Kuwait, and Iraq, retiring with the rank of First Sergeant. “One of the first lessons I learned as a soldier is that every soldier is a leader, and to be a good leader, you must be a good communicator,” he says. Those communications skills serve him well as the department’s community relations and programs sergeant.
Corporal Marc Gargiulo also served as a military police officer with the Guard from 1993 to 1999, rising to the rank of Sergeant. He spent time in Panama where his unit conducted joint law enforcement and military operations with the Panamanian government.
“My background helps me keep people calm and focused during high-stress situations,” Gargiulo says.
After serving in the Guard, Gargiulo and Jones both came to UHart from other Connecticut law-enforcement roles—Gargiulo in the Department of Correction, Jones in the State Police. “With several family members and friends being UHart students and alumni, this was the perfect choice,” Jones says.
Gargiulo says many members of the department can boast a similarly broad range of experiences which help them foster a safe and welcoming environment for students, staff, faculty, parents and anyone who comes to campus. “Many of us in the department have children who attend UHart,” he says, “so we’re also working on behalf of our own families.”