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For Transportation Engineering Tech Caleb Jones, service is all but another seven-letter word.
It started in September 2015, when Caleb joined SCDOT at the Lexington Maintenance office. Less than a month later, the 1000-year flood took place, putting Caleb and his colleagues at the forefront of the storm to clear the roads.
“We did everything we could to ensure people stayed safe,” Caleb said.
As hurricanes and tropical storms impacted the state year after year, Caleb worked at the crossover of I-26 and I-77, helping families move further away from the coastline. In the winter, he would go to the Upstate to help clear the roads of ice and snow.
Eventually, Caleb moved from Lexington Maintenance to Newberry Construction. His position now required him to complete tasks like asphalt inspection, earthwork, and testing and sampling. His further involvement on the construction side meant less of an opportunity to work natural disasters in the ways he was used to.
Inspired by his role at SCDOT and his aspirations to continue to serve his fellow South Carolinians in any way possible, he joined the South Carolina Army National Guard in 2022.
“I joined because I wanted to be able to serve my community,” he said. “Once I switched over to construction, I wasn’t involved in those types of things in the capacity that I was before, that’s a large part of what led me to decide to join the National Guard."
Every year, Caleb attends a two-week training session in the summer and sets aside one weekend a month to tend to his National Guard duties. He is a Sergeant, and similar to his position at SCDOT, he is a Technical Engineering Specialist.
“We supervise and execute construction site development,” says Caleb. “There are some things that fall out of my scope of work here at SCDOT, but much of my training and responsibilities are directly related and, in many cases are identical.”
The National Guard exposes Caleb to many different things. At SCDOT, his work usually consists of being in the field. With the National Guard, he could be in the materials lab one day and then drafting plans the next.
“It helps me see the bigger picture and to experience the other side of a job that I’m typically not a part of,” he said.
The National Guard also allows Caleb to advance both his military and SCDOT career. He can pursue certifications and enroll in educational programs provided by the Army to expand his training in other disciplines.
When Tropical Storm Debby impacted parts of South Carolina in August, Caleb and his fellow soldiers were deployed to North Charleston and operated as a debris cleanup crew.
“I enjoyed being once again a part of the efforts to keep South Carolinians safe,” he said. “I enjoyed the comradery and pride of service to our State and Nation.”
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