On this Veterans Day, C&R is honored to recognize, salute, and celebrate veterans who are part of the restoration industry. Below is column written by Scott Walden, COO of VetCor, and the value of Veterans in the restoration industry.
Scott: THANK YOU for your service!
To see C&R’s FULL Veterans Day coverage, click here.
November 11, 2021 is Veteran’s Day – the day each year we honor those who have served in our country’s Armed Forces – either voluntarily or involuntarily. For those who know me and my background, this day has an extremely special meaning. Unlike Memorial Day, which is dedicated to honoring our military members who sacrificed their lives in defense of our nation, Veteran’s Day honors all who have served – past and present.
The restoration industry has many veterans in its ranks, and given the nature of military service, that’s not surprising. Many people view military service by what they see on television and the movies. Although entertaining, that’s not reality. The mission of the United States Armed Forces is to fight and win our nation’s wars, and they take that mission seriously. The reality is, only a very small percentage of our military actively engage in direct combat. The remaining service members are charged with supporting this effort. The supporting cast is comprised on administrative, logistical, medical, and a whole host of other support-related occupational specialties. Post-conflict, the focus traditionally shifts to nation building and humanitarian efforts to “win the hearts and minds” of the local nationals – helping those affected by tragedy. This is why I’m not surprised our industry is such a great fit for veterans.
For veterans, you could say the desire to help those in need is in our DNA. It is a part of the military culture, and it is the cultural aspects of the military that make veterans great teammates. Discipline, loyalty, respect, and the desire to be a valued team members are shared attributes of our veterans – these are ingrained in them during their initial training period, and strongly emphasized during their time serving. Our nation’s wars are not won by individuals, they are won by teams – large and small. Individual acts of extreme heroism are not uncommon, but it is the team who accomplishes the overall mission. This aspect of the military is what most veterans miss the most.
The United States military is a leadership laboratory. The same basic leadership principles I was taught early in my military career were nearly the same as those I studied when earning an MBA. There is no institution I know of better at developing great leaders than our military. Equally as important as our technological advantage is our ability to develop leaders at all levels. Like it or not folks, I’ve seen nothing in my time as a civilian that comes close.
A valuable teammate who is loyal, disciplined, respectful, and has exceptional leadership skills – that’s the value of a veteran. My experience to date informs me that while most employers appreciate these advantages, they often aren’t enough to overcome the perceived risk burden to hire them. Programs at the state and federal levels, however, offer true financial risk mitigation measures that may just offset that perceived risk enough to incentivize employers to give them a shot. For me personally, I’ll take culture and values over financial gain any day, so programs incentivizing the hiring of veterans are just icing on the cake.
I would like to formally dedicate this month’s article to all my brothers and sisters in arms who voluntarily chose the path less traveled. Who chose a career to defend our nation against all enemies – foreign and domestic – knowing their choice could result in sacrificing their life. I am truly humbled to be part of such an amazing group of Americans.
To my Army vets – HOOAH!
To my Marine vets – HOORAH!
To my Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Space Force vets – I honestly don’t know how you folks sound off. I’m sure its awesome though…
Nasty 7 out.
