Citizen soldier and his employer honored in Idaho Falls

For soldiers in the Idaho National Guard, the call of duty can mean strain at home, and work.

On Wednesday in Idaho Falls, one employer was honored for making it easier on a very accomplished local soldier.

National Guard Sgt. Michael Bautista is an Idaho Falls native, and a citizen soldier.

Bautista is a security guard for Bechtel Marine Propulsion at the Idaho National Lab.

His grandpa and dad were both soldiers. He’s proud to wear the National Guard uniform, and in June, he rose above soldiers from Alaska, Washington, Wyoming and North and South Dakota in feats of physical fitness, military knowledge, and more. He won the title of “Best Warrior” for the 6-state region.

Bautista may not have been able to do so well in his efforts as a soldier if not for the dedication of his employer.

“We do have programs and policies in place to support our fine men and women who do participate in the military,” said Bautista’s Bechtel supervisor Shawn Orgil.

On Wednesday, Bechtel received recognition, too. The company was given an award for making it easy on Bautista in 2010, when he was deployed to Iraq, and for being supportive of all its employees who are also military personnel.

“I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to feed my family,” said Bautista.

Bautista said the effort from his employer was priceless.

“It was a burden lifted off my shoulders that I didn’t have to deal with while I was in hostile territory,” he said.

Bautista will now compete with 30,000 other soldiers for the title of overall best warrior at the end of July in Ft. Benning, Georgia.