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December 1, 2012 - U.S. Army Pfc. Steven Devito, 23, enlisted in the Army in 2011
as a Unmanned Aircraft Systems Maintainer and is serving with B
Company, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Combat Team in eastern Afghanistan. A native of Houston, Devito and
the crew he works with are responsible for the maintenance of
several RQ-7B Shadow aircraft. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael
Sword, TF 173 Public Affairs
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LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (12/6/2012) - Ever since U.S.
Army Pfc. Steven Devito was a child, he remembers his
father's love for remote controlled airplanes. He also
remembers when he decided to join the military.
Though the two events weren't related, they eventually came
together as Devito now finds himself in Afghanistan as a
soldier with B Company, 173rd Special Troops Battalion,
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, working on the
military's version of the remote-controlled airplane: the
RQ-7B Shadow.
“From the moment I can remember
anything, my dad has always had remote-controlled planes,”
said the 23-year-old Devito, a native of Houston. “I've
always loved aircraft, anything that flies.”
When
Devito was 10, a neighbor's son who was serving with the
82nd Airborne Division came home on leave. While he was
still a young child, he remembers it as the moment he knew
military service was in his plan.
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“He came home on
leave, I talked to him and it sounded like something I would
love,” he said. “He inspired me. It's something that has
stuck with me and I've always wanted to be in the military
since then.”
Years after graduating from Mayde Creek
High School in 2007, Devito held some jobs but nothing
serious. Eventually growing tired of it, he moved to Miami
to be around family and joined his cousin putting up
hurricane shutters, but his inspiration to serve never left
him.
“It's something I always wanted to do, to do
the patriotic thing, serve my country, see the world and see
what else was in the world other than Texas and Miami, so I
decided that it was the best time,” he said.
So,
Devito went to see a U.S. Army recruiter when he discovered
a then-relatively new military occupational specialty,
Unmanned Aircraft System Maintainer. Before 2010,
maintaining the Army's growing fleet of unmanned aircraft
fell as an additional duty to other mechanics or
technicians. As the Army increased the use of the platform,
the new MOS was created and immediately caught Devito's eye.
“When my recruiter showed me this MOS, I said sounds
like something I would really enjoy,” he said.
May
16, 2011, Devito arrived at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and
after successful graduation from basic combat training, he
began a 17-week Advanced Individual Training course at Fort
Huachuca, Ariz.
“We learn everything,” he said.
“Servicing, troubleshooting, maintenance, theory of flight,
how engines work - anything involved in the system.”
Now deployed to eastern Afghanistan, Devito and the crew he
works with are responsible for the maintenance of several
Shadow aircraft, and the longer he's on the ground, the more
he's learning.
“They teach you what they can at the
school house, but this is really where I've learned what I
need to know, the tricks of the trade,” he said.
Sometimes the job can be tough, even monotonous, but Devito
still enjoys himself, and knows that it is an important
piece in a much larger machine.
“Knowing that what
we do helps the (UAV) operators support the troops on the
ground, that were supplying them information, knowing that
were being a part of something bigger, I love doing my job,”
he said.
Devito is not the only one that enjoys his
job either. In addition to his father's love of RC planes,
his uncle is a fan of Devito's chosen profession.
“My
uncle was ecstatic,” he said. “He was in Vietnam and he used
to work on Hueys, so he loves when I come home and can tell
him about what I do.”
When he enlisted, Devito signed
a six-year contract for his MOS. He plans on extending his
stint with the 173rd ABCT, attending airborne school and
less than two years into his six, is already looking ahead
at his next step in the Army.
“Right now I'm okay
with where I am,” he said. “But I have thought about maybe
being an operator and being trained on everything.”
“System knowledge is everything in this MOS, the more you
know, the more you can do,” he added.
By Army Sgt. Michael Sword
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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