MichaelMoore.com

U.S. Army enlistment solution to unemployment for Jonathan Masse of Chicopee

Army Spc. Jonathan Masse

By Jeanette DeForge / MassLive

Finding himself unemployed and trying to raise a young family in a sinking economy, Jonathan M. Masse did something unexpected - he enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Since the Chicopee native joined the military in 2008 he has been stationed in Germany. For the past eight months, he’s been maintaining and repairing helicopters used in emergency medical evacuations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I joined the (Army) National Guard right out of high school. In 2008, I left the National Guard,” he said. “The economy was failing, and I needed a way to support my family.”

Becoming a full-time Army specialist meant a serious adjustment for Masse, 30, and his wife, Jonna Masse. Still, Masse says, he has found the work challenging and rewarding.

The couple has three children who are 6, 4 and a baby who was born shortly before he left for Iraq. He keeps in touch mostly through e-mail and Facebook, Masse said in a recent telephone interview from Afghanistan.

After joining the military full-time, Masse was first assigned to Katterbach, Germany. Last spring, he received his first orders to head to Iraq.

He left in June to serve with the 2nd Marine Division. Four months later, his unit, the Army’s 5th Battalion, 158 Charlie Medivac, was transferred to Afghanistan, where he expects to serve until June.

The transfer happened at the time when the U.S. is reducing troops in Iraq and preparing for a surge in Afghanistan. Masse isn’t sure if that is the reason his unit was transferred; he only knows they were needed there.

He is stationed at an air base in Farah, located in western Afghanistan. Masse works with three technicians who ensure the electronic systems of helicopters are running well and ready to go any time emergency medical runs are needed.

So far his experience in Afghanistan has been positive. The base where he is stationed is relatively safe and is equipped with computers and telephones that allow him to stay in contact his family.

Most soldiers are now working seven days a week, according to Masse. A gymnasium and basketball hoop allow him and others to have places to take a break, he said.

“It has been so far a learning experience for me,” he said. “It is a very different culture ... how people live and how they communicate.”

Getting used to the way the Afghanistan people interact with friends took time, Masse said. He’s used to the American practice of shaking hands, but in Afghanistan there is a lot of hugging and affection shown, he said.

“They don’t have the personal space that we do,” Masse said. “I’ve interacted with a number of people that work on the base. They are nice.”

In Iraq, Masse served at a large base, Al Asad, which is in the northern part of the country. That base is the second-largest in Iraq and is mostly staffed by Marine and Air Force members, he said.

“I can’t say I interacted with a lot of the Iraqi culture over there,” Masse said. “There were one or two Iraqi shops we went to, and they were run by nice people.”

Masse said he really enjoys his job, no matter where it takes him. “It is really interesting,” he said. “I would say it takes a lot of studying and effort and you have to pay attention to what you are doing.”

Unsure what he wanted to do after graduating from Westfield Vocational Technical High School in 1997, Masse joined the National Guard and left for basic training two days after graduation.

He studied to be an auto body technician in high school and signed up to join the military police in the National Guard. A recruiter steered him toward electronics instead, and Masse said he found the opportunity interesting.

While training in the military, Masse also started working as an apprentice electrician as a civilian. He first learned simple alarm systems and worked his way up to wiring commercial buildings.

“The military has helped out a lot,” he said. “Wiring a house isn’t too different than doing wiring on an aircraft.”

Still, Masse said he is looking forward to return home to Germany to his wife and three children. He expects to remain in Germany until next February.