As Veterans Day approaches, we want to do our part and pay tribute to and honor the military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day, a federal holiday in the United States, is observed annually on Nov. 11 to honor military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Originally known as Armistice Day, this holiday was first observed on Nov. 11, 1919, which marked the one year anniversary of the end of the major hostilities of World War I which were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Armistice Day was formally renamed as Veterans Day in 1954 to recognize all veterans.
At TD SYNNEX, we are fortunate to have a number of co-workers who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Military. Through our employee resource group Patriots, we asked our veterans “How has your military background helped you succeed in your career?” and here are a couple of the responses that were shared:
A few unique things I did while serving in the US Navy….
– I have several unique certificates, Order of Shellback (Crossed the equator), Order of the Blue Nose (Arctic Circle), Order of The Rock (Rock of Gibralter), Suez Safari (Suez Canal), and The Order of the Ditch (Panama Canal).
– I’m also honored to have an Appreciation Certificate from NASA for our efforts of the Search & Rescue when the Space Shuttle Challenger went down off the coast of Florida on January 28, 1986.
What did the US Navy do for me? Respect for my Leaders. Honor of my Country. Every Day Professionalism.
— Rich Gooding, Senior Director of Services, Renewals (U.S. Navy)
My experience serving in the U.S Air Force has had a tremendous impact on my life in so many ways. Firstly, I would say getting to know and working closely with people from very different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences than my own. That is one of the things I appreciate about TD SYNNEX, is the opportunity to meet and collaborate with co-workers from around the globe. In the Air Force, we had a saying, “Flexibility is the key to Air Power.” That helps me in my career at TD SYNNEX to always be prepared to make adjustments if things don’t go as planned and remain flexible.
— Dwight Hawkins, Marketing Communications Specialist (U.S. Air Force)
The greatest gift I received from my time in service was developing adaptability. Being able to see something new, recognize what is happening, and respond accordingly. Planning & effective decision-making in one word: BAMCIS. BAMCIS is how I learned to sharpen that skill and it continues to lead me in success. BAMCIS is an acronym for: Begin planning, Arrange for reconnaissance, Make reconnaissance, Complete the plan, Issue the order, and Supervise.
— Nicholas Cole, Business Development Representative (U.S. Marine Corps)
I served on active duty in the Coast Guard for 20 years (and 8 days). I was on a ship for a few years & away from my husband and 2 young daughters quite often, missed birthdays, holidays, & first days of school. I loved my time in the service & experienced situations beyond comprehension and would do it again in a second! The critical area my military background helped me to succeed in at was developing perspective. I have 100% confidence in my ability to discern a mountain from a molehill.
— Tami Floodine, Cloud Change Management Specialist (U.S. Coast Guard)
Organization, leadership and the drive to never give up. Serving in the USAF for 23 years taught me (among many other things) to always strive for improvement and value the team as a whole and as individuals. In the military, a person’s life can be in the hands of their team. While people’s lives may not be dependent on what we do at Hyve, their livelihood is. Each person on the Hyve team is a valued member and this must always be recognized.
— Daniel Nevill, Operations Manager (U.S. Air Force)
My military experience has given me a drive or focus to succeed in all aspects of my career. It helped develop a since of confidence that I can succeed no matter what. Fear in the unknown is good, and that drives me to take leaps of faith to keep pushing forward and do the best that I can do in my career.
— Dale Fulzenloger, Vendor Solutions Representative (U.S. Army)
The military has taught me that the organization is more important than the individual and that a sense of pride supports the company’s success. Communication and leadership are hugely important in the military. Everything I do now at TD SYNNEX, involves a form of communication, whether it is an email, a spreadsheet, a meeting, or a phone call. The ability to articulate clearly and get a message across efficiently and without ambiguity to different audiences is a useful skill learned from my military career. I adhere to the same basic principles in corporate life with TD Synnex, as I did in the military: Commitment, integrity, accountability, loyalty, and ‘service before self.’
Veterans understand the importance of these principles in building a strong team, which every corporate position held will rely upon. As a veteran I also bring a fundamental and intrinsic understanding of how loyalty adds to team proficiency and builds trust in a work environment or team.
— Syed Rahman, Buyer III (U.S. Army)
During my time in the Navy, I learned first hand about teamwork and brotherhood. My ship had about 350 people on it, so it was a fairly small ship. We were a close crew to say the least. I still keep in touch with some of my friends from the Navy days, and I consider them my brothers for life.
— Steve Marcellino, Business Development Representative (U.S. Navy)
For me, the best experience was being able to travel, to meet different people (cultures), and learn how they live their daily life, not only in the United States but in other countries as well. It opened my eyes and heart to the world and to things I never even imagined existing outside of my hometown. I have a much greater understanding for humanity now than I ever knew or thought I knew before my experience in the military.
— Tommy Moran, Operations Manager
In addition, TD SYNNEX is hosting a joint speaker panel discussion event for all co-workers on Veteran’s Day, featuring Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Carol Barkalow and Colonel (Retired) Cynthia Cook, two retired military veteran women who will share their stories. Throughout the last two months, TD SYNNEX has held a t-shirt fundraiser for co-workers, with all profits from shirt sales being donated to the USO (United Service Organizations), the nation’s leading charitable organization in service active-duty service members and military families.
On behalf of TD SYNNEX, we thank each and every one of our active and retired members of the Armed Forces for your commitment to service. To learn more about TD SYNNEX Patriots and our other employee resource groups, visit our website.
