Sgt. Don Jaramillo, a native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a horizontal construction engineer currently serving at Fort Bliss, Texas with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 647th Regional Support Group (Forward), Fort Bliss Mobilization Brigade, as the training noncommissioned officer. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, Fort Bliss is the second-largest installation in the Army, serves as a Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and supports the Joint Force by deploying and redeploying service members and Department of Defense civilians and contractors to five combatant commands.

The MFGI’s provides deploying units a safe and intense training environment to complete pre-deployment training and a focused environment to complete demobilization activities. The 647th RSG (Forward) assumed authority of the Fort Bliss Mobilization Brigade in January 2021 and is responsible for managing, planning, and coordinating support services related to mobilization and demobilization. It serves as the pre-mobilization liaison for U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers by providing administrative and logistical support prior to, during, and after mobilization.

According to Jaramillo, he’s always had a passion for helping others. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a horizontal construction engineer in 2017 and gravitated to positions where he’s able to directly assist Soldiers.

“My favorite part of the job is helping Soldiers progress in their military careers,” Jaramillo said. “The most challenging aspect of my job is not being able to help every Soldier due to certain requirements with schools.”

Jaramillo’s desire to help other sections within the brigade doesn’t go unnoticed, and provides a boost in esprit de corps.

“Sgt. Jaramillo’s dedication to Soldiers greatly enhances our force,” said 1st Sgt. Danny Kissinger. “His willingness to volunteer to help out other sections to ensure mission success for the Mobilization Brigade speaks volumes for a young Soldier.”

The training NCO duties include, but are not limited to, tracking individual and unit training records, assisting Soldiers with enrollment for professional military education courses, and managing the leave calendar.

“In our short time here at Fort Bliss, Sgt. Jaramillo has made contacts in the training arena and has been able to secure school seats for some of our Soldiers,” said Kissinger. “Master Resilience Training Course is one example where his determination to locate vacant school seats and communicate with the school house representative was instrumental in the brigade getting seats.”

“I feel like my role as the training NCO helps prepare Soldiers as they continue their military careers and helps them take the first step in mentoring junior Soldiers,” said Jaramillo.

One of Jaramillo’s goals during the mobilization is to complete the Master Resilience Training Level 2 Course, which provides junior leaders with the capability to teach proven resilience skills in order to enhance performance and increase resiliency, both individually and collectively.

Mobilizations are usually fast-paced and included long days and weekend work. Service members usually use their down time to relax, catch up on sleep, or take classes.

Jaramillo enjoys working out at the gym and hanging out with friends to ease the tensions that mobilizations can bring. He also has educational goals he’d like to accomplish during mobilization.

“I am studying to become a nurse administrator and will be completing the required paperwork to transition from a U.S. Army Reserve Soldier to the active Army after the mobilization,” Jaramillo said.