It’s a jungle out there: TRTC senior engineer represents YPG in the tropics
At one time Gilbert Moreno was a single father, a full-time student and a full-time employee.
His hard work and perseverance paid off. Now a decade later, he’s enjoying his grandkids and has stepped into the role as the senior engineer for Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC), U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground’s (YPG) test facility in the jungle.
Moreno came to YPG in 2013 from New Mexico where he was working as a security guard at White Sands Missile Range.
“I took a night job so I could work at night and go to school during the day to finish my engineering degree.”
After interviewing for several jobs, he chose YPG because it was close to family. He started with the Pathway program since he was a recent graduate with a civil engineering degree. Pathways provides recent graduates with one to two-year developmental experiences in Federal agencies.
“Since I was already a GS employee at White Sands, you couldn’t jump from a GS 5 to an 11 engineering position. You have to work your way up through the ladder as it was.”
And that’s how he started his career as an engineer at YPG’s Munitions and Weapons Division, hired by current Division Chief Kermit Okamura.
During his six years in the division, he worked a variety of programs in the Artillery team.
“It was a really good team. It’s a really good environment to work and come into. They were friendly and had a very good work ethic.”
Moreno mentions a few of his coworkers, Richard Bloomfield, Jered ady Ford, Steve Flores, Juan Elizarraras ment in and Mike Dickerson, who stepped up r Arcticto mentor him. inter.” Moreno had an intense firing
schedule and said for one program he
fired nearly 6-thousands rounds in a span of four to five months.
“I took two brand new 155-mm gun tubes from band new to completion.”
He worked for a brief stint at
YPG’s Technology and Investments Directorate’s (TID) development division under Branch Chief Gary Rosene.
“I learned a lot about everything that went on behind the scenes.
People don’t realize how bases get their funding. So that’s what I learned a lot about. It was a good experience.”
The experience from working as an engineer and at TID is now helping him in his new position as the Senior Test Engineer and Contract Officer at TRTC where he’s involved with the total operation. In addition to testing weapon systems TRTC tests military equipment like boots, clothing, helmets, radios and more.
“I applied for this position with Tropic Regions Test Center so I could travel and to get back in the field.”
And that he has. Moreno now travels often to South America for test programs in what’s called the true tropics. He explains.
“Panama has a lot more humidity. It’s a lot closer to the equator. The vegetation there is what they refer to as a triple canopy of growth there.
The trees and the vegetation there and the humidity is just way above and beyond anything you would find in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and even Florida.”
He adds, “It’s a true jungle environment.”