To celebrate Veterans Day, EM highlights former service members who have joined EM on their journey in civilian work-life.
What is your name and what do you do at EM?
Bill Sheretz, industrial property management specialist for EM's Office of River Protection at the Hanford Site.
What branch did you serve in; when; where stationed?
Coast Guard from 1977 to 2006, mostly in the Pacific Northwest and two years in Guam.
Most memorable event/moment during your service?
I was blessed to be the skipper of an 87-foot patrol boat. With a crew of 10, we brought it from Houma, Louisiana, to our homeport of Port Townsend, Washington, through the Panama Canal. In 2001 we served as on-scene commanders for one of the biggest drug busts in the Pacific Northwest when we seized 2.5 tons of cocaine aboard the F/V Western Wind.
How has your military service helped prepare you for the job you do in EM?
Knowing that every team member is essential for mission accomplishment and being able to read, apply and enforce regulations.
When did you begin working for EM and what got you interested in the cleanup mission?
I began working for EM in 2013. In my Coast Guard career and later on ocean-going tugs, I spent a lot of time on the Columbia River, so the Office of River Protection’s mission to protect the Columbia River seemed to be a natural continuation of that service.