Jack Devers

After completing my college degree in education from the University of Wisconsin, I worked abroad in Morocco for a foundation that provides housing and assistance to handicapped youth. There, I learned Arabic and worked directly with the native people. After that experience, I knew I wanted a career that would allow me to live overseas again. Thus, I looked into opportunities in the military with the hope of obtaining a master’s degree and getting a chance to do more travel.

Upon joining the Air Force, I went to Monterey, CA where I worked as an executive officer for the Asian School at the Defense Language Institute. This position gave me the opportunity to work with a culturally-diverse group of people in an international environment. There, I used the military’s tuition assistance to pursue a master’s degree.

It wasn’t long before I was sent to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to help set up training programs with the Saudis. To coordinate operations and conduct inspections, I traveled to many embassies in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Seychelles.

After Riyadh, I was a United Nations (UN) military observer on the Kuwait and Iraq border. My primary role was to help keep the peace by acting as a liaison between the Kuwaitis and Iraqis. The highlight of this experience was living and working closely with UN military personnel from 34 nations, including China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Fiji, Nigeria, Argentina, Indonesia, and Uruguay.

My career has taken me to many other locations, including Somalia, the Western Sahara, and Vietnam. In each location, I have been able to work with the local people to help the Air Force accomplish its mission. In Vietnam, I was directly involved with the Vietnamese government on issues related to Missing in Action (MIA) and Prisoner of War (POW) affairs.

Currently, I am in Washington, DC as Chief Foreign Area Officer, Academic Programs. In this position, I am responsible for making sure that foreign area officers are enrolled in the appropriate training and academic programs. When this assignment ends, I hope to go overseas again to further my experience in the international arena.