Army Reserve Ambassadors Build Bridges Between Soldiers, Communities, and the Nation

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — For Army Reserve Soldiers, service exists at the intersection of two worlds. They wear the uniform during drill weekends, exercises and mobilizations, while spending the rest of their time working civilian jobs, raising families, attending civilian schools and contributing to communities across the country.

Maintaining the connection between those worlds takes more than the support from their assigned units. It requires people who not only understand the Army Reserve and local community, but also how to connect the two.

That is where Army Reserve Ambassadors come in.

Recently, two Army Reserve Ambassadors serving Washington state, retired Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Kurt Hardin and Johnathan Pan, visited the 364th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Marysville, Washington, to engage with command leadership, learn more about the organization and discuss ways they could support Soldiers, families and the Army Reserve mission.

Their visit offered a closer look at a program that often operates outside the spotlight but plays an important role in connecting Army Reserve organizations with legislators, businesses, schools, civic organizations, military families and communities.

Army Reserve Ambassadors, or ARAs, are appointed by the Chief of the Army Reserve and serve as Special Government Employees. Approximately 100 to 110 positions are authorized nationwide, with ambassadors appointed across the states. Their core functions are Legislative Advocacy, Community Engagement, Scholarship Support, Soldier and Family Support, and Unit Liaison.

“What we do is we provide continuity for commands in the communities across each state,” Hardin said.

That continuity becomes particularly important because Army Reserve command teams routinely change. Commanders and command sergeants major generally serve for approximately 24 to 36 months before moving to another assignment, often arriving from another state. While those leaders are responsible for accomplishing their military mission, ambassadors can maintain relationships with community leaders, businesses and legislators that extend beyond an individual commander's tenure.

“To be engaged in the community is challenging, and so we can help with that transition,” Hardin said.

For the 364th ESC, the ambassadors' visit was an opportunity to establish or strengthen that relationship with command leadership and identify where their experience could be useful. The ambassadors originally planned to participate in a streamer-related ceremony during their visit, but when that portion of the event was canceled, their focus remained on meeting with leadership and determining how they could support the command.

“We were here for ... the ribbon,” Hardin said. “But we're also here for ... General Cain, to ask him how we can help support him, help support the 364th. What does he need from us? What can we do to help support the 364th?”

That approach captures much of what makes the ARA program unique. Ambassadors do not necessarily arrive with a predetermined list of solutions. Instead, they listen, learn what a command or community needs and then use their experience and relationships to help identify the right people and resources.

Hardin, an Olympia, Washington resident who retired from the Army Reserve as a brigadier general in 2016, has focused heavily on legislative affairs. One of the issues he has worked on is tuition assistance parity for Army Reserve Soldiers.

In Washington state, National Guard members have access to state tuition assistance benefits that Army Reserve Soldiers and other Reserve component members do not receive at the same level. Hardin has worked with legislative sponsors in efforts to establish greater parity. The effort did not pass during the previous legislative session, but Hardin views that setback as part of the legislative process rather than the end of the effort.

“Typically, at least in Washington State Legislature, I found that it takes about two to three sessions in order to get a piece of legislation passed,” he said.

That persistence is an important part of the ambassador’s mission. Legislative advocacy rarely produces immediate results; it requires relationships, education, follow-through and a willingness to continue working on an issue after an initial setback.

Hardin's work also extends beyond legislation. He has helped connect Army Reserve families with resources when a spouse is deployed and the family needs assistance navigating the military support system.

“We don't really have all the answers,” Hardin said. “We just know where to go find the answers or point them towards getting those answers.”

That ability to connect people can be especially important for Reserve families, who often live far from traditional military installations and may not have the same immediate access to military resources as families living on active-duty installations.

The same principle applies when Soldiers encounter challenges with civilian employers. Army Reserve Ambassadors can help connect Soldiers and families with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, or ESGR, when employer-related issues arise. Hardin emphasized that the goal is not to create an adversarial relationship between the Soldier and employer, but to find a solution that works for both.

“Becoming adversarial in an employer support situation, nobody's going to win at that,” Hardin said. “So we look for win-win situations.”

That philosophy reflects the unique nature of Army Reserve service. A Reserve Soldier has responsibilities to the Army, but also to a civilian employer, family and community. The ARA program helps bridge those responsibilities.

Pan brings a different set of experiences to the same mission. A native of Rego Park, New York, Pan served as an infantry officer in Afghanistan before transitioning into the civilian workforce. His professional career included work with major companies such as Meta, Amazon and Ernst & Young.

His civilian experience, particularly in the technology sector, has become one of the primary ways he contributes as an Army Reserve Ambassador.

“When I first got in, I simply asked, ‘Hey, how can I kind of be helpful?’ day one,” Pan said.

The answer was to use the relationships and knowledge he developed in the technology industry to help connect Army Reserve organizations with companies and technical resources.

“If they have something to do with a Microsoft or an Amazon,” Pan said, “maybe I can be the point of contact to help connect the Army Reserve.”

That connection can take many forms. A Soldier might have a career question, a unit might need assistance understanding a technology, or a commander might need an introduction to a company. Pan recalled meeting with a subordinate unit of the 364th ESC that had a particular need for a computer-aided design, or CAD, license.

“I don't know much about that, but I could look into it,” Pan recalled.

The unit explained that it needed the software to design something in three dimensions for a particular requirement. The conversation illustrated an important characteristic of the ARA program: an ambassador does not have to know everything. Instead, an ambassador needs to be willing to investigate, make connections and help find someone who does know.

Pan said he has also helped Soldiers with questions about technology, careers and other areas where his civilian experience can be useful.

“If it's something that I happen to know about,” he said, “I'd love to tell you more about this, or I can connect you with someone who can help you with that.”

As technology becomes increasingly integrated into military operations, those civilian connections may become even more valuable. Army Reserve units are encountering increasingly sophisticated systems and capabilities, including drones, advanced tracking technologies and other tools that require technical expertise.

For Pan, the opportunity to help today's Soldiers is also personal. He served in the Army from 2005 to 2010 and spent years away from the military after leaving service.

“I've been out of the military for a long time,” he said. “I've been in the civilian world ... but I kind of miss it a little bit.”

The ARA program provided a way for him to reconnect with the Army while bringing his civilian experience back into the military environment.

“I still continue to engage with soldiers,” Pan said. “I find that really, just fun to hear about, how are they living their lives? What are they doing? What's their mission set?”

That connection is at the heart of the program. While ambassadors may work with legislators and business leaders, their ultimate purpose remains connected to Soldiers, including helping recruit and retain the next generation of Army Reserve Soldiers.

One example is the Minuteman Scholarship, a four-year Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship designed to support students who intend to commission into the Army Reserve. Ambassadors can help interested students begin the process by discussing their goals, asking why they want to serve and helping guide them toward the appropriate resources. Cadet Command ultimately approves the scholarship applications, but ambassadors can help initiate the relationship and provide an early connection to the Army Reserve.

Recruiting, however, is only one part of the broader community mission.

Both Hardin and Pan have encountered another issue that can make community engagement challenging: a lack of general understanding about the military. Pan said he has encountered people who do not know the difference between the Army and the Navy, or between the Army Reserve, National Guard and active-duty forces.

“Sometimes I meet folks in the community,” Pan said. “They ... don't know the difference between the Army and the Navy.”

While the comment was delivered with humor, the larger issue is significant. The all-volunteer force represents only a small percentage of the American population, and many civilians may never personally interact with a Soldier. That makes community education an important part of maintaining the relationship between the military and the American public.

“When we go to an event or do things, we end up explaining just kind of like military 101,” Pan said.

Sometimes that means explaining the difference between active duty, the National Guard and the Army Reserve. Other times, it means helping a community leader understand a military issue or directing a question to the appropriate branch of service.

Hardin experienced that firsthand when a Washington legislator approached him about a Navy-related issue affecting constituents. Hardin did not have the answer, but he knew someone who might.

His philosophy is simple: “Don't say no. Just say, ‘Let me see what I can do.”

Hardin searched for a Navy point of contact who could address the legislator's concerns and eventually connected the two. The example demonstrates why the ambassador role cannot be defined solely by a list of responsibilities. Sometimes the ambassador is the person with the answer; other times, the ambassador is the person who knows who has the answer.

That network of relationships becomes particularly valuable when military command teams change. Hardin recalled receiving a last-minute request to support a legislative appreciation event involving an Army Reserve organization. The event was scheduled for the following morning, but because Hardin lived in Olympia and had established relationships within the state, he was able to attend.

“I was able to go,” he said. “It worked. It was a great day.”

Army Reserve Ambassadors (ARAs) Hardin and Pan leverage their distinct civilian backgrounds in legislative affairs and technology to support Soldiers__.__ Serving as unpaid Special Government Employees, they provide critical continuity amid leadership and community transitions. As Hardin explained, “We work with recruiting battalion, with recruiting command, also ARCG, to be able to help keep soldiers in the Army Reserve, but also to get new soldiers into the Army Reserve, and wherever we can do help and support.” Pan noted the adaptive nature of the position, saying, “Different units have like different needs.”

Their visit to the 364th ESC highlighted how the ARA mission centers on building relationships rather than replacing existing programs. By bridging gaps between Soldiers, commanders, lawmakers, and businesses, ARAs keep the military deeply integrated with the public. The impact of these connections was recently spotlighted when ambassadors were credited with helping the Army Reserve meet its annual recruiting mission for the first time in a decade. Ultimately, their vital work proves that the Army Reserve’s strength extends far beyond its formations and directly into the communities where its Soldiers live and serve.

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