Patrick Hart and Jaime Shields are continuing to serve their nation, the warfighters who protect it, and their fellow veterans as dedicated members of Tobyhanna’s civilian workforce.

These two patriotic Americans join several hundred veterans who serve among the ranks of Team Tobyhanna. Each July 25, National Hire a Veteran Day is observed as a call to action for employers to recruit and hire veterans.

From the heart of the country to the heart of a ship, Patrick Hart served his nation in the Navy for 20 years.

Hart’s fascination with the sea and the ships that traverse it began far away from the sea in the middle of the country. Hart spent 10 years of his childhood and adolescence in Arkansas and while there had an eye-opening experience.

“When I was in the 8th grade, a group of Navy boats – amphibious boats and tugboats – came up the Arkansas River. I got to go out on them and thought one day I want to drive these things,” said Hart.

Combine that passion for seafaring with a history of service that includes his grandfather serving in World War I; his father serving in World War II; his uncle serving in Korea; his brother serving in Vietnam; and his sister serving in the Gulf War, Hart found himself sailing the seas as a proud member of the U.S. Navy just five years later.

Over the course of a 20-year Navy career that stretched from 1985-2005, Hart reached the rank of E-6, or Petty Officer First Class. Hart spent much of his 20 year career at sea, including 13 years as “the heart of every ship” – the boatswain’s mate and five years with the Navy’s construction force, the Seabees.

Hart’s travels took the boy from Arkansas who wanted to see the world to just about every corner of it. His voyages included South America, the western Pacific, the Mediterranean, the north Atlantic, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Panama. Of all these spots, Hart said Palma, Spain, was his favorite for the nice beaches and friendly people.

Hart continued his service to our nation when he joined the ranks of Team Tobyhanna in February of 2007 as part of a mass hiring event for the creation of a second shift. Hart worked as a painter until recently transitioning to a role that puts him in charge of all hazardous materials inside the shop and on the road. This critical role ensures the shop has the supplies it needs to provide the finest quality products to our nation’s warfighters at peak efficiency.

Hart said his depot career is an extension of his service.

“Veterans’ creed doesn’t end just because we retire, our oath of office doesn’t end just because we retire. This is a way to give back,” said Hart.

When not at work, Hart enjoys spending time with his wife of 24 years, hiking, hunting, reading military stories and history, and aiding veterans who are in recovery from drugs and alcohol.

Fresh out of high school, Shields began serving our nation in June 2001 by providing Information Management support to the United States Air Force. Serving for a total of eight years, she spent the majority of her time on active-duty orders at the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. She spent the latter part of her military career as a member of the National Guard, which ran concurrent to her joining of Team Tobyhanna in 2007 as a Branch Secretary.

Shields said she was drawn to the military primarily due to the opportunities it offered her.

“There was nobody that I knew of connected to the military. It was more so the opportunities that the military would provide that were appealing. I didn’t really have any plans to go to college, and it got to where I am today,” said Shields. “I joined before my senior year of high school, so I kind of made that decision early. I just thought that was the best plan. It worked out because I was living in Hawaii!”

Shields’ military career ended in 2009 after serving for eight years. She said that the transition from serving in an active-duty capacity to a civilian capacity was eased by both being a Tobyhanna, PA native and following the Army Core Values.

“The discipline, the culture, and just the military tradition, it stays with you,” said Shields. “Having respect for the chain of command and having an understanding of how you work within the mission helps a lot.”

Hart agreed with Shields, and said veterans bring invaluable skill sets and work ethic to Team Tobyhanna and beyond.

“Anywhere in the community, a veteran would be good. We’re disciplined and we’re dedicated,” said Hart. “Veterans at Tobyhanna know what it’s like to be on the other end of receiving the gear, so we want to make sure our comrades get the best equipment.”

Shields emphasized the importance of hiring veterans and how granting them positions at government installations like TYAD eases the transition into civilian life.

“The most important thing about hiring veterans is the transition from active-duty or reserve over to a government job like Tobyhanna. Hiring veterans does a lot in making them feel wanted and still offers them the ability to support the warfighter,” said Shields. “It keeps them around military terms, traditions, and ceremonies which is especially important to make somebody feel like they belong. Being able to continue those values on to another place, I think, is significant.”

Following her time as a Branch Secretary, Shields served for 10 years as a Command Secretary with TYAD’s Command Group. It was while working there that she was encouraged by her leadership to explore new opportunities and to take some college courses to discover her passion.

After some trial and error, Shields realized that she wanted to make a career out of helping people. She transitioned to a role withing TYAD’s Employee Wellness Center in 2020 and further made that desire a reality when she graduated from Misericordia University with a 4.0 GPA in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Looking to deeper her education, she then attended Marywood University and earned a master’s degree just one year later in 2024.

In addition to her responsibilities as a Community Support Advocate, Shields also runs the installation’s Veteran Support Group. Here, veterans can connect, share experiences, stories, and values in a place where everybody comes together in a place feeling like they belong and are supported.

“When someone is transitioning out of active-duty or long-term service, the Veterans Support Group can serve as a place of belonging, connection, and support. Here, veterans can talk to other people who have experienced similar things as them such as boot camp or deployment into a combat zone,” said Shields. “It makes a difference when they’re together with a group of people who share those life experiences, especially when it comes to combat or deployments, because there’s a different understanding of what it’s like to have a family and to have to leave that family behind.”

Hart participates in the group and lauded both Shields and the tremendous resource she facilitates, highlighting the valuable information about community veterans organizations.

“The peer-to-peer group that Jaime runs is an awesome, awesome group. I get to hear about different stories and events. I love supporting VFWs and American Legions in what they’re doing, and this is a way to find out what they’re doing.”

Shields says she is consistently impressed by the strong sense of community the group fosters and how quickly everyone comes together to have each other’s backs.

“The biggest impact that I’ve seen is when somebody in the group is struggling with something, whether it’s related to being a veteran or related to their personal life, they receive instant support,” said Shields. “Someone may walk into the group feeling upset and in need some help and everybody just comes together to surround the individual and give them support. Whether they share resources, connections that they have, or just offer empathy in supporting somebody through a hard time.”

To veterans who are on the fence about attending the group sessions, Shields said her message is to just give it a try, adding that just because you come once it doesn’t mean you need to come again.

‘The biggest thing that I would say is to just come once. If you come once, it doesn’t mean that you must come all the time. If you have any questions about what we do, what we talk about, or what it’s like feel free to call me, because I’d rather you come and see if you like it,” said Shields. “It’s not a dramatic therapeutic group that you would see on television. We don’t sit in a circle and talk about our feelings all the time. Sometimes we may do that if somebody’s going through something or if there’s a topic we need to discuss, but really, it’s just a place for veterans to come and connect with each other.”