Behind the Uniform: Staff Sgt. Julius Austin
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4415″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1592581053920{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]By Sgt. James Nowell-Coleman, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1592583384104{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]Staff Sgt. Julius Austin, a computer/detection systems repairer with the 729th Quartermaster Composite Supply Company, based at Havre de Grace, Maryland, is the non-commissioned officer in charge of a team at Paul Laurence Dunbar High school in Baltimore, Maryland. Among his various responsibilities are ensuring meal distribution, managing relations with the community, and security of the building. His team’s main responsibilities at Dunbar High is to hand out not only meals, but school work supplements for the students who did not have computers. They also conducted a food pantry every other week to feed families. Each package could feed a family for up to two weeks. When Austin’s orders end, he will return to his job in at calibrations laboratory.
Q: Time in Service
A: 15 years
Q: What is your favorite part of your job on this state activation?
A: Helping out the community as much as we possibly can. Distributing meals to people who can’t leave their houses. Some people come back with pictures of their child doing the school work.
Q: What do you miss the most about pre-pandemic life?
A: Honestly, I miss waking up in my own bed the most.
Q: Have you ever served the state before? How are they different from this activation?
A: I have been activated for snowstorms, helping nurses and doctors get to places of work. The Baltimore unrest, a couple of inaugurations, and hurricane relief.
Those other situations helped prepare me for this by teaching me to expect the unexpected.
Q: What keeps you motivated during trying times?
A: The fact that eventually, this ends. This is not going to last forever. At some point, we will go back to somewhat normalcy.
Q: What has kept you occupied when you aren’t on duty?
A: I’m a Sudoku guy, so I have been playing a lot of Sudoku on my phone.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]