In a small office on the third floor of the Naval Support Activity Bethesda headquarters sits a slender man with tousled black hair, piles of paper surround him.

Leitzinger enlisted in the U.S. Navy, after graduating college with a bachelor's degree in economics, when he found himself with a girlfriend, child and no job. Leitzinger came to the realization that he had to do something, so he met with a recruiter, and asked for the rate that left for boot camp the soonest.

Some service members join the military with the intent of only fulfilling the required years of commitment on their contract, so they need to have a plan for what they are going to do once their contract starts winding down.

"Since the beginning, [for me] the Navy was a temporary thing," said Leitzinger. "I knew there was a time limit on it. I knew I wouldn't make it a career."

When a service member separates from the military they can run into many roadblocks that cause stress, or that make the transition bumpy.

"Transitioning out of the military is stressful," said Leitzinger. "You have to find a job that matches up financially with what you were making while you were in, and that can be tough because you also have to factor in the benefits you were also getting like the basic allowance for housing, and the health benefits that your family was receiving."

For many jobs, military experience is favorable, whether it is working on a construction crew or coming back to work for the government as a civilian like Leitzinger did.

"Working with the government and knowing how the Navy works, how decisions are made and how problems are handled definitely helped," said Leitzinger. "Understanding the structure of the chain of command, and knowing who to go to when you have a problem really helps you."

There is more than one way to serve, whether it is as a service member or a civilian.

"I think the things he [did] when he was an RP, when he was doing suicide prevention training ... I think he had a significant impact on the command," said John Epperson, the administrative officer for NSAB. "When he came to work for me he stood up our voting assistance office, and he got us through several inspections, or program oversights and we did well. He had a significant impact there.

"In his role as a civilian ... his role hasn't really changed; the only thing that has really changed is the uniform," he said. "He still runs my voting assistance office, and he is a command purchase card holder."

Leitzinger goes out of his way to make sure that the people of NSAB have access to the information and the forms they need to get their voice heard with the upcoming elections, according to Epperson.

"He is always willing; whenever you ask him to do something he will do it," said Epperson. "Especially recently, he is really taking hold of the voter's assistance. He is really taking it by the horns. [Leitzinger] is really doing a lot with that program I can see that there will be a significant impact in the future because of him. I can foresee his impact as a voter's assistance office staff member with the upcoming elections."

Just like when enlisted, as a civilian, he plays many roles in the command and balances his varying responsibilities.

"[Also,] he is one of two card holders on the base for the command," said Epperson. "The third quarter of the fiscal year gets extremely busy. I can see that he is going to be a contributor there.

"He has always been a guy you can count on to do something. He is very reliable."

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