(BPT) - With 18 million Veterans living in the United States today, Veterans Day is not only an opportunity to recognize the men and women who have served the country, but also celebrate their successes after service.
Military service and life afterwards is often shrouded in misconceptions. Many of us are unaware of the experiences and skills that Veterans carry. Often minimized to a negative stereotype, Veterans are so much more than the big screen and headlines would have you believe. Veterans are not only servicemembers from generations past, but they are also professionals in their prime doing amazing things for their communities and careers, whether as entrepreneurs, students, or innovative leaders at Fortune 500 companies.
In recognition of Veterans Day and honoring those who dedicated their lives to service, read on to learn how a few standout Veterans are using the experiences and skills they learned in the Army to succeed in their next phase of life.
From the Court to the Classroom
Marshall Plumlee is proof that by joining the Army, you don't have to choose between your career and your passions. Following in his brothers' footsteps, Plumlee attended Duke where, under the legendary Coach K, he won a national championship for college basketball while also serving as a member of the school's ROTC program.
He went on to the NBA to play for the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks while continuing to serve in the New York Army National Guard, but never gave up on his dream of becoming an Army Ranger. His desire to be a part of something bigger than himself led him to become an Active Duty Army Soldier in 2018, and eventually fulfill his goal of completing Ranger School. After serving two combat deployments in Afghanistan and a five-year career in the Army, he utilized Army education benefits to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School and transition into the civilian workforce at the financial services firm, Blackstone.
Home Management Made Easy
After meeting at West Point, Gabe and Lindsey Chrismon commissioned into the Army where they learned the value of repetition, grit, and the willingness to learn - skills that would be integral in their careers as entrepreneurs. After leaving the Army in 2020, the Chrismons co-founded the company MyHome, an all-in-one home management app that centralizes scheduling, communications, and payments for at-home services.
In the Army, Lindsey was the first woman to pilot the special operations aircraft AH-6 Little Bird, an experience that she says helped to build her confidence and decision making, noting that the test of judgement, intuition, and ability to process information quickly has translated seamlessly to the entrepreneurship world. Gabe also believes that even short-term service will bring long-term benefits and credits the Army with helping him build relationships and networks that have been invaluable as a founder.
Turning a New Page
Born in the Philippines, Tif Marcelo became inspired by her grandfather and a trip to the homeland to join the Army at 17 in hopes of finding another family unit as close-knit as her own. With a four-year scholarship through Army ROTC, Marcelo began her college career at the University of San Francisco in 1994 and commissioned into the Army as a nurse, aligned with her empathetic, compassionate, and caring traits.
Marcelo left the Army as a first lieutenant and entered civilian nursing, and soon after realized her true passion was to become an author. Today, she is a best-selling author with more than 11 novels centered around the strength of families, the endurance of friendship, and heartfelt romances, taking inspiration from her Army husband and four children. She hosts The Stories to Love Podcast and is the USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far Away, Once Upon a Sunset, The Key to Happily Ever After, which was a Target Diverse Book Club pick, The Holiday Switch, and the Heart Resort and Journey to the Heart series.
Uplifting Fellow Veterans
Once working as a Chamber of Commerce executive with an MBA, Althea Williams defied the norm and embraced her calling to join the Army at 39 years old, where she found opportunities to meet new people, travel the world, and challenge herself physically, mentally and academically. After nearly 8 years of service and multiple deployments, Williams ultimately retired following an injury.
With firsthand knowledge of the challenges that Soldiers can experience when transitioning to civilian life, Williams found purpose in helping fellow Veterans build the skills they need to navigate life beyond the uniform. She founded She Vets It, a community, documentary series, and podcast connecting women Veterans, military spouses, and dependents with resources they need to succeed on topics like mental health and wellness, career transitions and entrepreneurship. The community reminds women Veterans - with their unique blend of resilience, discipline, and perspective - that they can make a lasting impact after service.
For many Veterans, serving is just the starting point for a life spent making a difference. The skills, relationships, and experiences taught throughout Army service can be transferred seamlessly into a variety of careers.
It is also part of the Army's mission to continue to care for Soldiers and their families even when their service ends, by providing access to a wide range of benefits that help ease the transition into life after service, including career counseling, tuition assistance, homebuying benefits, medical coverage, and counseling services. And the community of Veterans throughout the country and world support each other during their service and beyond.
This Veterans Day, take time to learn about the lives of real Veterans turning their Army experience into impact for their careers and their communities.
