For some, jobs can be menial, boring, day-to-day duties that are worked solely to survive and stay afloat.
But for two Colorado Army National Guardsmen on the 8th Civil Support Team, going to work isn’t a hassle. It’s a privilege they enjoy – so much that they recently placed in the top 12 percent in the nation among their coworkers.
Meet Army National Guard 1st Lt. Scott Snyder and Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Chris Horton-Depass. Snyder, a science officer and his teammate, Horton-Depass, a medical noncommissioned officer, are two of only 20 analytical laboratory suite CST operators nationwide to pass all 12 monthly tests in their career field.
Administered by the National Guard Bureau, proficiency analytical tests judge an operator’s ability and competence in his job field. For Snyder and Horton-Depass, the tests are challenges to overcome and tools to help improve their aptitude and expertise at work.
“You learn a little bit each time you are tested,” Snyder said. “So we can take some knowledge away from each test.”
Snyder and Horton-Depass train every month in preparation for the tests, which can take up to a day or even longer, depending on the scenario and what the team is analyzing, said Snyder.
The PATs are always hands-on and done in the mobile laboratory.
“Sometimes the tests are pretty cut and dry and sometimes you’re pulling your hair out trying to figure out what they sent you,” said Horton-Depass. “There’s a lot of pressure to pass because it can be a big deal if you fail.”
Failing two tests within a year between two operators will result in decertification on whatever instruments they failed on. Worst-case scenario it could result in the operator being dismissed from the team.
“There are a lot of good operators out there who are smarter than me, so in some cases, I feel like I’ve just had good luck,” Snyder said. “I’ve been real fortunate to have someone like Sgt. 1st Class Horton-Depass, who wants to learn and is smart and always does better with each test.”
Horton-Depass also felt lucky to be Snyder’s partner.
“I love working with Scott (Snyder),” said Horton-Depass. “He’s a smart guy and I’m always learning something from him every day.”
Army National Guard Lt. Col. Kevin Black, 8th CST commander, said he was extremely proud of Snyder and Horton-Depass’ achievements.
“It’s not just going through the training, it’s keeping up that level of proficiency,” Black said. “It’s also troubleshooting – going through the process and determining what sort of agent or substance you could have and really using your brain like a detective to get to an answer. These guys go through 600 hours of training and well over a year to get trained and certified and on top of that they have to go through the rigorous testing process. These guys deserve some recognition.”