A Blog Post for Veterans Day

Today, VibrAlign has granted me the honor of taking a moment in this week’s blog article to celebrate the Veterans of the United States Armed Forces. I take this honor seriously. If you are like me, one need not look far or deep within your families and places of work to realize just how many veterans you know. In the blink of an eye, I realized that I know or have known Veterans of the Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and National Guard; having served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan. This realization sunk in deep, and gave me great pause.

Take a moment to thank a Veteran today for his or her service. I am certain this simple gesture has great meaning for them. And, we should be thankful. Our freedoms and safety depend on the choice our servicemen and women have made to defend us.

A recent experience, which I would like to share, provided some inspiration for this article. In September this year ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) invited VibrAlign to participate in its Boss Lift program. ESGR exists to promote cooperation between reservists and civilian employers. ESGR Boss Lift allows employers and business leaders to experience first-hand what their employees do in their military careers.

Together with representatives from 4 other Richmond Area employers, I spent a day at Fort Pickett, VA touring the training facilities, armory, and equipment maintenance depot. Some highlights included the virtual battlefield simulator, MRAP and HUMVEE rollover simulator, indoor simulated firing range (which included some very fun hands-on experience), and the heavy rolling artillery maintenance shop. The soldiers and contractors hosting us were truly professional and left all of us with a greater respect and knowledge of the jobs our Guardsmen and Reservists do.

To begin the day, our group of civilian and government employers were flown to Ft. Pickett from the Richmond National Guard Air Support unit in a Blackhawk helicopter. That’s right, a Blackhawk ride. Upon arrival we spent another 20 minutes touring the 45,000 acre Fort Pickett from the air, doors open! Before departing, we got one more thrilling tour of Fort Pickett – from the turret of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Needless to say, the entire day was an unforgettable lifetime experience.

While I could easily go on endlessly about this experience, that is not the purpose of my writing. As VibrAlign seeks to fulfill its campaign to ReAlign America, we have incorporated recruitment of transitioning military service members to our company.

My experience at Boss Lift has reassured us that recruitment from the US military has been a sound business decision. It occurs to me, that if you are seeking to fill the ranks of your maintenance group, the skilled and disciplined men and women transitioning from the US Armed Forces might be a good place to start.

Thank you Veterans.