“If you don’t like the game, then change the rules.”
Not content to sit back and wait for things to happen, retired Army Sergeant First Class Keith Ciancio lives and abides by those words. His decision to take action resulted in a legislative measure that takes effect July 28.
Ciancio makes things happen. His hard work and dedication resulted in Substitute House Bill 1537 being signed by Governor Jay Inslee on April 25. Ciancio decided something needed to happen when he retired from the Army and pursued a career in law enforcement.
Veterans who have honorably served abroad in combat zones may claim veteran preference – a factor that would have made Ciancio a competitive contender – but since Ciancio wasn’t considered a veteran until his official release date, that meant Ciancio was technically still in the Army. Despite his 20 years of service, he was unable to claim veteran preference status.
Ciancio strongly supports any effort for transitioning military personnel to successfully find employment while still drawing a military paycheck. Ciancio fthinks it serves two purposes: one, it eliminates the potential for unemployment. Two, he sees it as a small way to thank those for their dedication and service to their country.
“It’s an incredible feeling seeing two years of hard work turn into this,” he said. “I’m giving others an advantage I didn’t have.”
His work is not done, however. Because HB 1537 was passed as a substitute house bill, he sees other opportunities to help veterans. Ciancio has submitted ideas to the Veteran Advisory Board. Until these ideas come into fruition, however, Ciancio is hesitant to discuss the details.
“The ideas are still in the development stages,” he said.
Ciancio has a 20 year career with the Army. At 41, he’s working on his second career and his master’s degree simultaneously. Ciancio’s life has been a series of adventures and successes: Not bad for a fellow who enlisted in the Army at the age of 17 after dropping out of high school.
“I always felt that serving in the military was my life’s cause,” Ciancio said. “I knew that from when I was a little kid.”
Both of Ciancio’s paternal grandparents served in the Navy during WWII and his maternal grandfather was a soldier in WWII.
When Ciancio enlisted, he was at a personal crossroad. He was living with his mother in Los Angeles. After an argument, Ciancio went to live with his father in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He enlisted in Albuquerque as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic.
“When I enlisted the Soviet Union was still considered a huge threat to us,” Ciancio said.
Ciancio was told that one of his enlistment requirements was that he get his GED. He received his GED after 11 months in the Army and then finished the requirements for his high school diploma.
Ciancio was deployed in Bosnia when he took a single college course to earn promotion points to become a staff sergeant.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would be the first step in continuing my education,” Ciancio recalled. “It was a good distraction. There wasn’t a lot to do with free time so I made constructive use of it. It was after taking that one college class that I realized that this college stuff wasn’t so hard.”
Since that first course, Ciancio has earned three associate’s degrees, one bachelor degree, a graduate certificate and is currently three classes shy of his master’s degree. Ciancio has been stationed in Panama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, Germany, Korea and Bosnia. He spent 27 months deployed in Iraq.
On December 26, 1995, Ciancio was sent to Bosnia. Ciancio spent 11 months in Bosnia during his first tour as part of an implementation force and another nine months during his second tour as part of the implementation security force.
“The most I remember from both of my tours there (in Bosnia) was how very, very cold it gets in the wintertime. The challenges heavy snowfall create when conducting patrols was new. I had never been in that kind of weather before.”
Ciancio looks back at the missions he served on in Bosnia: “A decade of people not killing each other is a good thing.”
Ciancio spent 16 years as a Calvary Scout, doing recognizance and surveillance for infantry and armored brigades. His least favorite duty station was at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
“Let’s just say I volunteered to go to Korea to get out of there,” he said with a laugh. “A lot of army posts exist in small towns that in turn exist because of the army’s presence. My favorite duty station was at Fort Lewis. It’s a beautiful location with gorgeous geology and nice moderate weather.”
After retiring from the Army, Ciancio went to work for the defense contractor DHS Systems, LLC. After that, he moved to Bremerton for a job with DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) as an equipment and supply specialist.
A year ago Ciancio went from working with the Army to working with the Navy. He’s currently in logistic management with the Naval Acquisitions Program at Keyport.
“I continue to serve the nation but in a different capacity,” Ciancio said. “Going from Army to Navy . . . well, they speak completely different languages. But I’m learning.”
Ciancio is a member of the Bremerton VFW Post 239 and was installed as the Post Surgeon on June 11. He is also an active member of the American Legion and TREA (The Enlisted Association).
With a full time job, four kids and intense community involvement, hobbies are merely a thought.
“Of course I would like to have hobbies,” he said. “But I’ve been so busy with work, school and trying to get the bill passed that those things have taken center stage – and I always make my kids a priority. My goal is to retire (again) in another 22 years.”