Pantex Proud: John Neusch
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like John Neusch work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who he is, what he does, and why he is proud to be a Pantexan.
During World War II, Arnold Neusch was set to be part of the initial diversionary invasion of Japan named Operation Downfall. Scheduled to begin in November 1945, it would have been the largest and presumably deadliest water-based invasion in history. In August of that year, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered shortly after and the Allies cancelled Operation Downfall.
After the war, Neusch married and returned to farming, however, tough times forced him to turn to a different career. Although Pantex was not affiliated with the atomic bomb drops in Japan, Neusch felt a deeply personal association with the plant’s mission. Soon after, he started work there. His son, John, later followed in his father’s footsteps.
John serves as a System Administrator Advisor within Information Technology, and every day his job reinforces his passion for nuclear deterrence. It also serves as a personal reminder of what might – or might not – have been. However, those thoughts and his passion for the mission further fuel another feeling: pride.
“Only a very small group will ever be able to say they work at Pantex,” Neusch said. “That group has made an enormous impact for the country and world. And for me, I take pride in continuous improvement like discovering new ways to build technological resilience and minimizing downtime which, in turn, provides system availability for other Pantexans to complete their jobs.”
Neusch works in the Data Center. He’s amazed at how much it has evolved over the years, including the downsized yet more powerful technology. He’ll take every opportunity to show the facility off to anyone who asks for a tour. Yet his work satisfaction and Pantexan pride circles back to why he (and his father) decided to apply for a job at the plant in the first place.
“Identifying with our mission,” Neusch said. “Our lives aren’t on the line every day like the military, but in our own way we do serve our country, and I appreciate that. Each one of us has our own unique duty, but all of our organizations are interconnected. Like the butterfly effect, what we do influences another job and that influences the mission. That should be our focus.”
Who in your life has inspired you the most and why?
My dad. He came from very humble beginnings and survived the Great Depression and World War II. He played hard, worked hard, and prayed hard. Dad always maintained a positive attitude and strong faith in God.
Why are communications important for all Pantex employees?
We need to be able to effectively communicate our needs and any occurring issues. The more we explain what is happening and discuss solutions, then we can resolve these problems much more smoothly.
What is the top communications tool you rely on in your daily work?
Teams, meetings, and email. When I first started working at Pantex 37 years ago, we didn’t have email. Instead, we did interoffice memos – mail delivered twice a day to mail stops around the plant. Microsoft Office absorbed much of that.
How can communications make (or break) a task?
During transition, we gave PanTeXas Deterrence the Clint Eastwood tour of the Data Center – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We showed them things that were going well and also what needed to be fixed or improved, and we communicated the importance of those needs.