My veteran journey

November 10, 2026

Jim Day with three flags flying behind him

EGLE Vet Jim Day at the City of Warren All Veterans Memorial.

Today’s MI Environment story is by Jim Day, senior environmental quality analyst in the Materials Management Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and member of EGLE Vets.

Veterans are a unique group. They are highly respected for offering their services to the country – our country – some by choice, by volunteering, and others, although their ranks are thinning, via the draft. My veteran journey is one of volunteering, but also one of taking advantage of an opportunity to work in my budding passion for photography. Had a U.S. Army recruiter not visited my high school in the spring of 1977 and offered photography as a Military Occupational Specialty, I may not have started my journey in October of that year that would ultimately place me in the present day ranks of United States Armed Forces veterans.

Specialist 4 Jim Day, still photographer with the US Army, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson in Colorado, circa 1979

Following eight-weeks of basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri, I attended a six-month U.S. Air Force technical school at Lowry Air Force Base, in Denver, graduating as a Still Photographic Specialist. As a Regular Army soldier within the newly formed all-volunteer army, I became a still photographer assigned to a signal battalion in support of the 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, in Colorado.

After three years of active-duty service, being honorably discharged from the Army, I entered The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and joined the 196th Public Affairs Detachment of the Ohio Army National Guard. Following successful completion of The Ohio State University Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) training program, I “branch qualified” as an Engineer Officer, obtaining my Bachelor of Science degree in geology. Serving in various staff and command capacities within the Ohio Guard, I retired in October 1999, having attained the rank of captain.

Jim standing in a field with military equipment and mountains behind him.

Captain Jim Day, Task Force 416, Ohio Army National Guard, Jamaica, West Indies, circa 1992.

Entering state service in Michigan in 1998 as a geologist, I currently work out of the Warren District Office as a senior environmental quality analyst in the hazardous waste program of the Materials Management Division within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Since April 2022, I have been a member of the “EGLE Vets” Employee Resource Group (ERG). As a founding member, I headed up the ERG from its inception through July 2025. Along with a cadre of 10 EGLE veterans who represented military service in each of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines, I was active in coordinating EGLE Vets’ collaborative multi-departmental training, awareness, and public service efforts, to include the now annually held Earth Day cemetery and grounds cleanup event at the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids.

A visit by a U.S. Army recruiter to my high school in the spring of 1977 started my military journey. While attending Ohio State, working part-time as a security guard at a large factory in Columbus, I had a chance meeting with a fellow young security guard, also an Ohio State University student. This meeting resulted in my joining the Ohio Guard (He related that 100% tuition reimbursement was being offered at the time.) and in my changing degree programs from natural resources to geology (He advised me that there was more money to be made as a geologist.). Both pieces of advice certainly affected how my following years would roll out as a newly minted civilian transitioning to become a commissioned officer and citizen soldier of the Ohio Army National Guard.

So many of life’s events aren’t planned; they merely come about by happenstance. However, from my experiences as a former U.S. Army soldier and Ohio Army National Guard member, now a seasoned veteran, I have come to agree with fictional character Forrest Gump’s view that “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get."

Author’s Note: Just over 3,100 veterans are employed by the State of Michigan, approximately 6% of the State of Michigan total workforce. Nationwide, from 5% to 7% of the population are veterans of the United States Armed Forces, extending back to World War II. Less than 1% of the national population actively serve in the military or are serving in a part-time capacity within the National Guard or Reserve.

Fifteen State of Michigan departments have been recognized by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) as Veteran-Friendly Employers, with 12 of those departments holding the highest “Gold Level Veteran-Friendly Employer” MVAA designation.